Lenovo ThinkPad SL300 - Manual (Page 16)

selected maps and the modules defined within the maps are copied to a staging area. The compilation of
maps and the modules defined within the maps is called a Smart Image.
A Smart Image has the following characteristics:
• It is the source from which a specific image is installed on the target computer.
• It provides a menu system during the installation phase. The person controlling the installation process
makes selections from the menu system to define the content of the image to be installed. The menu
entries are defined in a base map.
• A single Smart Image can contain multiple images or components that make up a variety of images.
• If desired, a Smart Image can reside on a target computer after installation and be used for console-side
recovery without any dependencies on an active network connection.
• Smart Images can be developed to provide varying degrees of portability across different hardware
platforms. Portability is the degree in which you can use a single image for different types of computers.
Staging areas
A staging area is a workspace used during deployment and installation. It is where certain modules defined
by a map are unpacked, where ImageUltra Builder installation files are stored, and where installation logs are
created. The ImageUltra Builder program can use two types of staging areas:
• Service partition: The service partition is a hidden primary partition that is protected against normal,
end-user read and write operations. This partition is a standard Lenovo® factory-installed feature on
many Lenovo ThinkPad, NetVista®, and ThinkCentre computers. As shipped from the factory, the
service partition provides built-in recovery and diagnostic capabilities. When a pre-existing service
partition is used in conjunction with the ImageUltra Builder program, the deployment phase deletes
the factory-installed recovery modules and replaces them with appropriate modules and maps for the
image being deployed. If a service partition does not already exist, the ImageUltra Builder program
creates one, if needed, as part of the deployment process. After the deployment is complete, the person
controlling the installation process (end user or IT professional) can initiate the installation process from
the service partition immediately after deployment or at any point in the future without any dependencies
on a network connection.
• Network-staging folder: This temporary staging area is for a direct-network installation only. A
direct-network installation combines the deployment phase and installation phase into a single operation,
which in almost all cases results in a faster overall deployment/installation cycle. Speed is affected
by the amount of network traffic and certain map settings. During the deployment phase, a unique
network staging-folder is created on the network for the target computer. The person controlling the
direct-network installation (typically an IT professional) first selects the base map and driver map. Then,
only those modules required to control the installation of the selected maps are obtained from the
repository and unpacked into the network-staging folder. When the required modules are unpacked, the
person controlling the installation makes selections from the installation menu system to define the
specific image required for the target computer. When the image is defined, installation to the target
computer automatically begins. All modules that are required to create the image content are obtained
from the repository, unpacked dynamically to the C partition of the target computer, and run through a
series of setup programs to create the image on the target computer. When the installation is complete,
the network-staging folder is deleted from the network. Depending on the settings in the base map being
used, any of the following actions can occur at the end of the installation process:
– Pre-existing recovery files in the service partition can be updated to contain the complete Smart Image,
thereby providing console-side recovery for any image contained within the Smart Image.
– Pre-existing recovery files in the service partition can be updated to contain the maps and modules
required to recreate the installed image only, thereby providing console-side recovery for the installed
image only.
2 ImageUltra Builder Version 5.01 User Guide