Included with ImageCast is a set of powerful tools, designed with the IT professional in mind. Following are brief descriptions of the three major utilities included on this CD-ROM.

NOTE: The terms of your License Agreement and the presence of a purchased License Certificate file will determine availability of these utilities.

System Agent

System Agent makes Remote Management possible on workstations in your enterprise. Use System Agent to send files, launch programs, shut down and restart Windows or reboot to a pre-installed copy of the Multicast Client.

System Agent reports system statistics, device information, and current disk-usage information with a click of the mouse.

By default, System Agent appears as an icon in the Windows System Tray, or the right-hand side of the Taskbar. This icon gives one-click access to Agent options and system information.

When you install System Agent with the appropriate Multicast Client diskette, you get the added feature of commanding that workstation from the Control Console. Imagine being able to restore a dozen workstations with one Image without having to visit a single one!

The above figure illustrates the Reboot to Client feature; the Control Console (left) commands System Agent (right) to reboot as a Multicast Client. The workstation then shuts down (middle) and reboots as the Multicast Client (bottom) without the need for a diskette.

When a leading IT Management platform is in use, System Agent doubles as a fully functional SNMP Agent. More information on specific SNMP implementations can be found on the ImageCast website.

PostConfig Injector

Cloning even a few machines is hardly time-efficient when you have to personally visit each one to establish custom settings. This is a necessity with workstations on a network; each must have a unique identity. What if the reconfiguration could be done as part of the deployment itself?

Enter the PostConfig Injector. This small, yet powerful, assistant to both the ImageCast Control Console and the Standalone Client is a fantastic helper in your large-scale deployment.

When installed on the Model Workstation, the PC built as the source for an Image, the PostConfig Injector automatically sets itself as the first task when the workstation next boots. After the system is shut down and gathered, the resulting Image is “primed” to use Post Configuration Settings after it is restored on other workstations.

PostConfig Injector comes with an embedded editor for applying custom settings without a pre-defined Post Configuration file. To make a PostConfig file based on the Model Workstation, use the Gather Settings command and all of the current settings in Windows are recorded.

You can install PostConfig Injector directly from this CD.

AppNstall

You may think that imaging a complete hard disk and restoring it to another is rather amazing. Now imagine how this technique can be applied to individual Windows applications. That's what AppNstall is all about. You can capture software installations and package them for distribution to new or existing workstations within your enterprise.

With most any setup application (excluding system updates), creating compact “packages” is just three steps away…

(1) Select the applications that you wish to “capture.”
(2) Install each, in turn, on the Model Workstation.
(3) After each setup, use AppNstall to create setup packages;
these, unlike conventional setup applications, can run without user assistance.

AppNstall makes ImageCast a truly comprehensive package; not only does imaging make the base-system deployment quicker and easier, but now you don't have to create a separate Image for different applications. With AppNstall, you can use a single Image and add applications as needed. Combining this technology with System Agent lets you perform complete application deployments from a single desktop!

The AppNstall “Wizard”; an easy-to-use utility for creating your packages.

Aside from its use when combined with disk-imaging, packaging has more to offer, such as quick and easy deployment of new corporate applications, or easily distributing updates to your existing applications. When care is taken to plan the deployment according to the guidelines of the application developer, a massive update could be done in a single evening.

Win2K Preparation Tool

With the ever increasing complexity of Windows-based systems, you'd think the process of binary imaging would be complicated as well. This tool challenges conventional wisdom by providing a one-step solution for preparing Windows 2000™ systems for imaging.

After building the Win2K Model Workstation, install the Win2K Preparation Tool and let it do the rest of the “dirty work” for you. This utility prepares the system by clearing errors from the hard disk, verifying that partitions are within imaging parameters, installing Microsoft System Preparation Tool™ and/or the PostConfig Injector, and automatically shutting down the system when it's time to gather the image.

NOTE: Use the Win2K Preparation Tool immediately before gathering the image. If Windows™ is allowed to boot again after Win2KPrep is finished, and before the image is gathered, you must use it again before gathering the image.

The terms ImageCast, PostConfig, AppNstall, System Agent and Multicast Client are all trademarks of StorageSoft, Inc.

All trademarks indicated by the trademark symbol (™) are the property of their respective owners.