63.1 Image Explorer (imgexp.exe)

Use the Image Explorer utility at a Windows workstation to view or modify workstation images, create add-on images, compress image files, and split images.

Non-Windows partitions, such as NetWare® partitions, are visible when you open an image, but their contents are not.

Although the ZENworks Imaging Explorer looks, and in most situations, functions like the Microsoft Windows Explorer, the two programs are different and some functionality differences exist:

IMPORTANT:Do not exclude BPB files from a base image or the workstation won’t be able to boot the new operating system after receiving the image.

The following sections describe the tasks that you can perform using the Image Explorer:

63.1.1 Starting Image Explorer (Imgexp.exe)

There are no command line parameters for the Image Explorer utility.

  1. To start the Image Explorer as a Windows standalone utility, double-click the imgexp.exe file located on the ZENworks Imaging server at:

    • Linux: /opt/novell/zenworks/zdm/imaging/winutils

      The Image Explorer utility must be run on a Windows device. You need Samba running on the Linux ZENworks Imaging server where the utility file is located in order for the Windows machine to have access to it.

    • NetWare: sys:\public\zenworks\imaging

      The Image Explorer utility must be run on a Windows device. You need a drive mapped to the NetWare server where the utility file is located in order for the Windows machine to have access to it.

    • Windows: zenworks\imaging

    or

    To start the utility from Novell ConsoleOne® from the server, click Tools > ZENworks Utilities > Imaging > Image Explorer.

63.1.2 Opening an Image

  1. Open Image Explorer (imgexp.exe).

  2. Click Open button. on the toolbar, browse for and select the image (.zmg) file, then click Open.

    Large image files might take a few moments to open.

63.1.3 Adding a File or Folder to an Open Image

  1. Open Image Explorer (imgexp.exe).

  2. In the left pane, browse to the partition or directory where you want to add the file or folder.

  3. Click Add File button. or Add Directory button. on the toolbar, browse to the file or folder, then click Add or OK.

63.1.4 Creating a Folder in an Open Image

  1. Open Image Explorer (imgexp.exe).

  2. In the left pane, browse to the partition or directory where you want to create the folder, click Create Directory button., enter the name of the folder, then click OK.

63.1.5 Adding Specific Windows Registry Settings That Are to Be Applied After the Open Image Is Laid Down

This only applies to Windows machines being imaged.

  1. Open Image Explorer (imgexp.exe).

  2. Select a partition in the left pane, click Image, then click Add Registry File.

  3. Select the registry (.reg) file that contains the settings, then click Add.

The registry file is added to a fixed, known area of the partition and is applied when the workstation reboots after receiving the image.

63.1.6 Excluding a File or Folder from the Open Image

  1. Open Image Explorer (imgexp.exe).

  2. Select the file or folder, click Edit, click File Sets, then select the file sets that you want the file or folder to be excluded from.

    This image has 10 possible file sets, labeled Set 1, Set 2, and so on. The files and folders that you selected in the main window are excluded only from the file sets that you select in this dialog box.

63.1.7 Marking a File or Folder for Deletion in the Open Image

  1. Open Image Explorer (imgexp.exe).

  2. Select the file or folder, click Image, then click Delete.

IMPORTANT:Deleting a file in the Image Explorer merely marks it for deletion; it can still be retrieved. A file marked as deleted is not removed from the image until the image is purged; files and folders marked as deleted are not restored during imaging.

63.1.8 Purging Files and Folders Marked for Deletion from the Open Image

  1. Open Image Explorer (imgexp.exe).

  2. Make sure that the open image is saved, click File, then click Purge Deleted Files.

  3. Browse to the image filename or specify a new image filename, then click Save

63.1.9 Extracting a File or Directory from the Open Image to a Folder

  1. Open Image Explorer (imgexp.exe).

  2. Click the file or directory, click File > Extract > As Files, browse to and select a folder, then click OK.

63.1.10 Extracting a File or Directory from the Open Image as an Add-On Image

  1. Open Image Explorer (imgexp.exe).

  2. Click the file or directory, click File > Extract > As Add-on Image, enter the name of the new add-on image, then click OK.

63.1.11 Viewing a File from the Open Image in its Associated Application

  1. Open Image Explorer (imgexp.exe).

  2. Click the file, then click File > Extract and View.

63.1.12 Saving Your Changes to the Open Image

  1. Open Image Explorer (imgexp.exe).

  2. Click Save button. on the toolbar.

63.1.13 Creating a Workstation Add-On Image

  1. Open Image Explorer (imgexp.exe).

  2. Click New button. on the toolbar, open Windows Explorer, browse to the files and folders you want the add-on image to contain, drag the files and folders into the right pane from Windows Explorer, then click Save.

63.1.14 Adding a Partition to a New Add-On Image

  1. Open Image Explorer (imgexp.exe).

  2. Click New button. on the toolbar, click the root of the image, click Image, then click Create Partition.

    You cannot add a partition to an existing add-on image or to any base image.

63.1.15 Compressing an Image

You can set compression options so that it takes less time to restore the image file and less space to store the file on your ZENworks Imaging server. You can compress an uncompressed image (including images created by previous versions of ZENworks Desktop Management) to 40 to 60 percent of the original file size.

The ZENworks Desktop Management Image Explorer provides the following types of image compression:

Compressing an Open Image

  1. Open Image Explorer (imgexp.exe).

  2. Browse for the image (.zmg) file, then click Open.

    Large image files might take a few moments to open.

  3. Click File > Compress Image.

  4. Browse to a directory, specify a new image filename, then select a compression option:

    • Optimize for Speed: Takes the least amount of time to compress but creates the largest compressed image file.

    • Balanced (Recommended): Represents a compromise between compression time and image file size. This option is used by default when an image is created.

    • Optimize for Space: Creates the smallest image file but takes longer to compress.

  5. Click Compress.

    Files marked for deletion in the image are removed during the compression operation.

Compressing Any Image without Waiting for the File to Fully Load into Image Explorer

You can set compression options to quickly compress an image file without waiting for the file to fully load into Image Explorer.

  1. Open Image Explorer (imgexp.exe).

  2. Click Tools > click QuickCompress.

  3. Browse to the image file, browse to a directory, specify a new image filename, select a compression option:

    • Optimize for Speed: Takes the least amount of time to compress but creates the largest compressed image file.

    • Balanced (Recommended): Represents a compromise between compression time and image file size. This option is used by default when an image is created.

    • Optimize for Space: Creates the smallest image file, but takes longer to compress.

  4. Click Compress.

    Files marked for deletion in the image are removed during the compression operation.

63.1.16 Splitting an Image

You can split an image file into separate files so that you can span the entire image across several CDs or DVDs.

When you split a workstation image and span it across several CDs or DVDs, you are essentially creating a base image on the first CD or DVD. The remaining CDs or DVDs are add-on images.

To restore a workstation image that is spanned across several CDs or DVDs, you should restore the first CD or DVD before restoring the remaining CDs or DVDs containing the add-on images. For more information, see Section 60.2, Manually Putting an Image on a Workstation.

Restoring split images is a manual task and can only be automated by scripted imaging. For more information, see Step 7.

To split an image:

  1. Open Image Explorer (imgexp.exe).

  2. Click Tools > Image Split.

  3. Specify an existing base image file to split, specify the directory in which to store the split images, then specify the maximum file size of each split-image file.

    Because images are split by placing individual files into different images, an image cannot be split if it contains any single file that is larger than the specified maximum file size.

  4. Click Split.

63.1.17 Resizing a Partition in an Image

You can change a partition’s size for the next time the image is applied to a device. You can edit this value for base images only; you cannot edit this value for add-on images.

If the number that you specify in the Original Size text box exceeds the size of the target hard drive, ZENworks automatically uses the entire disk. Therefore, you can specify a value larger than exists on the target device.

However, if you specify a smaller disk space size than is on the target device, only that amount of disk space is used, so the remaining disk space is unused. For example, if you create a base image of a device with a 20 GB hard drive and you want to then place that image on a new device with a 60 GB hard drive, 40 GB of that drive is unused.

You cannot decrease the number in the Original Size text box to a smaller value than what is shown in the Minimum Size text box.

To resize a partition:

  1. Open Image Explorer (imgexp.exe).

  2. Right-click a partition in the left frame, then click Properties.

  3. Increase or decrease the value in the Original Size text box.

    You cannot decrease the number in the Original Size text box to a smaller value than what is in the Minimum Size text box.

    The Original Size field is not applicable for add-on images and cannot be modified.