AutoImage User's Manual

[RogueSpear]

Table of Contents

Preface
Installation
File and Directory Layout
The Interface
The "Main" Tab
The "Source" Tab
The "RyanVM" Tab
The "nLite / XPize" Tab
The "DriverPacks" Tab
The "Installers" Tab
The "ScriptPack" Tab
The "Misc" Tab
Remote Installation Services (RIS)

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Preface

This guide will assume a certain level of knowledge about Windows Setup and unattended installations in particular. If something seems unfamiliar to you or you need to brush up on the basics, there are two references that you should refer to.

The first would be the help files located on your Windows XP installation media. Look in \Support\Tools for a file named DEPLOY.CAB. Decompress DEPLOY.CAB with 7-Zip, PowerArchiver or some other archive handling utility which is capable of working with CAB files. There are two help files - deploy.chm and ref.chm. About 80% of the problems people have are because some setting is made in contradiction to the information laid out in these help files.

The second source for information would be The MSFN Unattended Installation Guide. This is an excellent source of information and a reference that I still rely upon several times a week. I can't recommend enough that people become familiar with this resource.

AutoImage makes use of several third party utilities in addition to it's own homegrown features. If you are unfamiliar with these utilities and want to know a little more, then you should visit their respective web sites and support forums. You are far more likely to find answers to your questions at those links rather than asking me or someone else here to give you a tutorial on them.

The RyanVM Integrator and Windows XP SP2 Update Pack
nLite
XPize
The DriverPacks

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Installation

Execute the AutoImage installer and accept the EULA. By default, the installer will suggest the destination directory as being the directory the installer is in. For this guide I will be installing and running AutoImage from C:\AutoImage. The installation will decompress all of the files to the directory you chose and place a shortcut in the Programs directory of your Start Menu. AutoImage does not use any registry settings so to uninstall all you need to do is delete the shortcut from the Start Menu and delete the subdirectory you installed AutoImage to.

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File and Directory Layout

After the install is complete you should notice the AutoImage executable file and several subdirectories.



The Config Directory
This is the default directory that AutoImage stores it's configuration files in. After installation the Config subdirectory is initially empty. After running AutoImage for the first time a default configuration file named Default.ini will be created. By default, the Default.ini file is a blank slate. You may save settings that will be common to all of your install jobs to Default.ini if you like. If you ever want to start over just delete the file Default.ini.

Also after the first run another configuration file is created. This file is always named AutoImage.ini and it is always in the same directory as the AutoImage executable. AutoImage.ini stores application level settings such as third party utility paths, thread priority levels, etc. User configuration files, like Default.ini, save user level settings that are unique or potentially unique to each install source job you may perform.

The History Directory
This directory also is empty after installation and is the directory where AutoImage will store your log files for each job. By default AutoImage will maintain a log file history but you can disable this function.

The NIC_Drivers Directory
This directory is where network drivers for RIS based installs are stored. If you will not be performing any RIS based jobs you can delete this directory. More information regarding RIS and RIS options can be found in the upcoming RIS Install Preparation Guide.

The Resources Directory
This is the location AutoImage looks to for files it needs for .ISO file creation and ScriptPack options involving the KTD and Network Configuration scripts. This directory is also the default location that AutoImage will look in for XPize install executables.

The RVM Directory
This is a directory that you can store the RVM Integrator executable and Update / Addon packs if you choose. This directory is not mandatory to AutoImage functioning properly and you can delete it if you like. When you point AutoImage to the location of your RVM Integrator executable, AutoImage will use that location as the default location to begin browsing when you want to add an Update Pack or Addon Packs.

The ScriptPack Directory
The ScriptPack directory is where AutoImage stores all files related to the ScriptPack. You can also put other files in this directory for automatic processing and this will be covered in more detail further into this guide.

The Templates Directory
The Templates directory is where AutoImage gets .SIF files from. This includes both WINNT.SIF and any .SIF files used for RIS based sources. This also will be covered in more detail later in this guide. Included are two example .SIF files - one for CD / DVD based installations and one for RIS installations. Both of these example files are based on actual .SIF files that I use in my own installations and I can vouch for their validity. So feel free to use bits and pieces from them or use them as a reference for proper syntax.

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The Interface

Before diving right into the step-by-step preparing an install source, I want to go over the interface and AutoImage's options.

The File Menu
The File menu is mainly for opening up and saving AutoImage configurations. These are the configuration files stored in the Config directory. Directly under the File menu are toolbar buttons for the "Open" and "Save" functions. You must use the File menu in order to execute a "Save As" command.

The Options Menu
The Options menu has a few more entries to it. At the time of this writing AutoImage is undergoing an overhaul to make a separate Options dialog with everything consolidated in one place. This section will updated when that feature is implemented and released.



"Load Last Config on Start"
The default setting is disabled. When enabled AutoImage will load up the most recent configuration file you were working with.

"Maintain Log History"
The default setting is enabled. When enabled, each time AutoImage processes an install, the log file will be copied, with a time stamp appended to the filename, to the History directory. This is very helpful for troubleshooting problems and I recommend that it remain enabled.

"Use makecab.exe"
The default setting is enabled. When enabled, AutoImage will call out to makecab.exe for performing cab compression of files. When disabled, AutoImage will call makecab through COM. The latter option is a little faster, but I have seen the makecab COM object crash for inexplicable reasons. If you have any problems, revert to the default setting.

"Merge Log File"
AutoImage can take the log file from the RyanVM Integrator, nLite, and the DriverPacks BASE and merge those log files within it's own log file. This can make troubleshooting a little bit easier by having everything all in one place.

"Normal, Below Normal, and Idle"
You can configure the thread priority for the RyanVM Integrator, nLite, and the DriverPacks BASE as well. Whatever setting you chose will also apply to any child processes of each program. This can be helpful in making your system more responsive if you are running AutoImage on a computer with a single core non-HT CPU.

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The "Main" Tab

Now I will step through creating a Windows XP SP2 installation source with all the fixins. First run AutoImage and you should be presented with a screen resembling the one below.



The left hand side of the Main tab is a general summary of what actions will be performed. The right hand side is the log window. Here you will kept informed of what AutoImage is doing after you click on the Start button to begin an image processing job. Additionally, the log window will report information about the identification of your source and the loading and saving configuration files.

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The "Source" Tab

Since this is the first time you're running AutoImage, the title bar will indicate that you're working with a configuration file named Default.ini. Now click on the Source tab.



The first thing to do is select a source to work with. What I do is keep a bunch of .ISO files handy for the operating system's that I work with and mount them using DAEMON Tools. When selecting a source you need to select the directory above the i386 directory. Click on the button next to the Source Path field. It has an icon of an open folder on it. Now select your source.



AutoImage will then spend a few seconds trying to determine the operating system, the service pack level, the distribution channel, and the language of the source. The results will appear show directly beneath the Source Path field.



If you go back to the Main tab you will see that the results are also reflected in the summary area and in the log window you can see what criteria AutoImage used to determine the specifics of your source.



The Destination Directory and Service Packs
Back to the Source tab, select a destination directory where you would like your finished install source to be when AutoImage is finished. Whatever directory you select will be emptied out when AutoImage begins. If your source OS service pack level is not current you will have the option integrating a more recent service pack. Check the box for Slipstream a Service Pack and browse to the service pack file. When you download a service pack from Microsoft you should not decompress it or change the filename. AutoImage can only work with unaltered service pack files.

Unattended Answer Files
This is your WINNT.SIF file. Here you can browse for the file that you want to use with your image. AutoImage's browse filter is set to look for any WINNT*.SIF file. This allows you to keep several different WINNT.SIF files in the \Templates directory and name them logically. When you browse for a file the dialog should look something like this:



Note that if I select the file WINNT-Example.SIF, AutoImage will strip off the "-Example" portion of the filename when processing the image. If any changes need to be made to your .SIF file by the DriverPacks BASE they will be made once the file is copied into your image leaving your file in the \Templates directory untouched.

If you are unsure about a setting for WINNT.SIF, the two references that I discussed at the top of this guide are almost guaranteed to give you the answer you're looking for. If you need example usage, please refer to the example WINNT.SIF that I include with AutoImage.

When you're finished configuring the Source tab it should look something like this:

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The "RyanVM" Tab

If you want to use the RyanVM Integrator click on the RyanVM tab and you should see the following:



The first thing to be done here is to browse for and select the RyanVM Integrator executable file. Wherever that location is will be the default directory that AutoImage will browse to for Update Packs and Addons. Next you can browse for an Update Pack and Addons. Specifying an Update Pack is optional as is specifying any Addons.

After you have finished configuring the RyanVM tab, your screen should look somewhat like this:



WPI Addons
If you want to use any WPI Addons you will need to first run the RyanVM Integrator outside of AutoImage and download the WPI Plugin from the Plugins menu.



You then need to set the WPI integration method. None means that there will be no automatic integration - you will have to configure the launching of WPI yourself. You could set the ScriptPack to launch WPI for instance. RunOnceEx means that the RyanVM Integrator will set WPI to run for you during RunOnceEx. Svcpack is similar to the previous option except that svcpack.inf will be configured to launch WPI.

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The "nLite / XPize" Tab

Nuhi's nLite and XPero's XPize share a tab in AutoImage's interface. When you first click on the tab the screen should look as follows:



Notice how the checkboxes to use either nLite or XPize are both greyed out in the screenshot. This is because no source has been validated yet on the Source tab. After source validation has taken place the checkboxes become available.

nLite
AutoImage will look in nLite's default install location - %ProgramFiles%\nLite - to see if the nLite executable is present. If nLite is not installed to the default location you will need to browse for the executable so that AutoImage will know where to find it. AutoImage will use that location as a basis for setting the default browse directory when selecting an nLite configuration file.

Starting with version 1.2 RC, nLite supports an unattended mode of operation. If you select an nLite configuration file AutoImage will use the unattended mode that nLite offers. If the version of nLite is detected as prior to 1.2 RC or you do not select an nLite configuration file, nLite will be executed by AutoImage but you will need to manually go through all of the steps. Once finished, AutoImage will resume performing it's functions.

XPize
By default, when you browse for your XPize executable, AutoImage will look in the \Resources directory. You can implement XPize into your install using one of two methods.

With the first method XPize will directly modify the files in your source. This is the same method as selecting XPize as a hotfix in nLite.

With the second method you must use the ScriptPack. AutoImage will automatically make a RunOnceEx entry via the ScriptPack. In the following screenshot, XPize is configured to run via RunOnceEx at the 245 level.



The dropdown list for the RunOnceEx setting will allow you to select any of the custom RunOnceEx slots that the ScriptPack supports. As you select the RunOnceEx level to run XPize at along with the options, the ScriptPack will reflect those settings as shown in this screen:

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The "DriverPacks" Tab

Before using the DriverPacks with AutoImage you must run the current version of the DriverPacks BASE before running AutoImage. This also means when you download a new version of the BASE you will need to execute it prior to being able to use it with AutoImage. It does not mean that you need to complete a full DriverPack slipstream - just execute the BASE slipstreamer so that it can register itself.

When you first click on the DriverPacks tab, the screen should look like this:



As was the case with the nLite / XPize tab, if no source has been validated the checkbox to enable the DriverPacks is greyed out. After you have validated your source, when you enable the DriverPacks in AutoImage you will see a message in the status bar telling you that AutoImage is checking the DriverPack versions and MD5 checksums.

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The "Installers" Tab

This section of AutoImage is for getting switchless silent installers that are meant for use with svcpack into your install source. Keep in mind that this is for svcpack only, not RunOnceEx.



In the lower left corner are buttons for adding and removing installers. You may multi-select files for both operations. In the lower right corner are arrow buttons for placing your installers in the order which you'd like them to install.



If the installer(s) you add to the list have appropriately defined metadata, the Title and the Version will reflect what is found in the metadata. As you can see from the example above, NeroBurningROM.exe does not have distinct metadata defined and would ordinarily display as 7-Zip since it's a 7-Zip based installer.

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The "ScriptPack" Tab

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The "Misc" Tab

For lack of a better label, this tab is currently designated Miscellaneous since it takes care of two completely unrelated tasks - .ISO file creation and component removal.



.ISO Files
Within this tab you can instruct AutoImage to create an .ISO file at the end of it's processing. AutoImage will attempt to generate a CD volume label based on what your final output will consist of. If your original source is Windows XP OEM Gold the volume label should be WXPOEM_EN. However if you are slipstreaming SP2 with AutoImage, then the suggested volume label will be VRMPOEM_EN. By default AutoImage will make the filename of your .ISO file the volume label and .iso as the extension, so in our example here the default filename would be VRMPOEM_EN.iso. You can change both the volume label and the filename as you see fit.

The checkbox for "Create .ISO file now" is simply a way for you to use AutoImage as a utility to create bootable Windows discs without going through all of the other processing. When you select your source files, AutoImage will attempt to create the most appropriate volume label.

AutoImage makes use of mkisofs, an open source command line utility, when it makes .iso files. The options field allows you to enter in any mkisofs options to suit your needs. AutoImage supplies a default set of options which needs to be improved upon as they don't currently work in all circumstances. This is on my lengthy "To Do" list.



Component Removal
I added this little section for those who want only very simple and basic removal capabilities. For instance those who do not use nLite or don't use any of the "Removal Addons" with the RVM Integrator. These are all directories that can be deleted manually, but using this feature it's one less thing you'd have to do on your own.

This is not intended in any way to compete with nLite. I have no intentions and no desires to try and replicate the functionality that nuhi has accomplished with nLite. nLite works very well and it took an awful long time for the removal capabilities to mature and stabilize. There's just no sense in reinventing the wheel.

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Remote Installation Services (RIS)

Coming soon..

[RogueSpear]

Notes

• "The DriverPacks Tab" and "The ScriptPack Tab" sections are not complete.
• The "Remote Installation Services" section will be forthcoming.