Deploy images faster and enjoy centralized management
Drive-imaging programs have been a boon to administrators tasked with deploying PCs in their organization. You configure a system the way you want it, then copy the hard disk's contents (i.e., the image) to another system's hard disk so that the second system is configured the same as the first. Although the basics haven't changed since cloning software's inception, the mechanisms for copying and deploying images have become sophisticated. Some imaging software vendors even incorporate backup, restore, and application-deployment facilities into their products. These new features promise to help administrators deploy images faster and make computer maintenance easier than previously possible. I tested Altiris eXpress 5, PowerQuest Drive Image Pro 4.0, SoftStorage Solutions (formerly IT Infusion) ImageCast, and Symantec Ghost 6.5.1 to see how they handle a variety of cloning tasks.
To test these products, I used an Intel Celeron-based custom-built Windows 2000 Professional system as an image master. I deployed images from that system to my test bed—a rack of 15 computers that had the same hardware configuration as the image master. To test disk-to-disk operations, I employed a Hewlett-Packard HP Vectra VL running Windows NT Workstation 4.0 equipped with a 166MHz Pentium processor and two internal IDE hard disks. To test the products' abilities to support disk-free (i.e., 3.5" disk) environments, I used an HP e-Vectra that had Preboot Execution Environment (PXE)enabled hardware. I used a dual 800MHz Pentium III Xeon processor Compaq ML530 running NT Server 4.0 as the image server. I attached all the clients and the server to a 100Mbps Ethernet switch and used 100Mbps speeds for network communication.
To Sysprep or Not to Sysprep
Microsoft created Win2K's System Preparation (Sysprep) utility to make the process of imaging Win2K systems more reliable. Understanding where and why its use is appropriate is important.
The decision about whether to use Sysprep might be easy for organizations that rely on Microsoft for technical support because Microsoft will troubleshoot an OS problem on an imaged system only if the customer used Sysprep to create and deploy the image. Beyond support considerations, Sysprep offers latitude for using one image across systems that have similar hardware. In addition, this utility modifies the local computer SID and supports automated functions such as joining a domain. Third-party imaging products don't perform these functions well within a Win2K environment. Some vendors recognize this fact and are integrating Sysprep functions into their imaging products.
To get an idea for how well the products' native tools perform post-image configuration, I used the reviewed products to deploy a Sysprep image, then used the products to deploy a non-Sysprep image. If you're imaging Win2K or NT systems, don't take chances—use Sysprep.
Results
I was disappointed to discover that none of the four products did everything exactly as I wanted. I began testing hopeful that the products' wealth of features was evidence of maturity—features built onto solid foundations. But the nonworking or partially working implementations of many features dashed my hopes. Many of the pitfalls I experienced were Win2K or Active Directory (AD) related. At the time of testing, Win2K had been on the market for almost a year, so I didn't expect problems related to slow Win2K-technology adoption.
All the products I tested have the potential to work well in particular environments: The key is to find a product that offers the features you need to support your imaging process. eXpress boasted the easiest implementation, strong rollout management, and most control over the systems you use it to configure. However, the software's inability to perform a standalone disk-to-disk or disk-to-CD-Recordable (CD-R) copy might deter some organizations. In addition, companies seeking a simpler solution won't want to pay for the features in eXpress that they won't use. Drive Image Pro trailed the competition in the usability department because it lacks a cohesive console for performing rollout-associated imaging actions. But the product's PQPrep utility was easy to use, and Drive Image Pro's strong standalone operations make it a good fit for organizations that perform many single-system cloning operations. ImageCast offers powerful features for workstation configuration and imaging-event management, but the stability of the product's console is a concern. Ghost was a strong competitor with its wide array of features, flexible multicast server, and good performance, but the manual might be confusing for first-time users.