Novell Doc: Novell ZENworks 7 Desktop Management Administration Guide - Using Image Explorer to Customize an Image

59.3 Using Image Explorer to Customize an Image

After you have created a base or add-on image as explained in the previous sections, you can customize it using the Image Explorer utility. Specifically, you can:

Compress the image: You can compress an image (including images created by previous versions of Desktop Management) by 40-60% of the original file size, if you have not done so already during the imaging process.

There are three compression options: Optimize for Speed takes the least amount of time but creates the largest compressed image file; Optimize for Space creates the smallest image file but might take a significant amount of time; and, Balanced is a compromise between compression time and image file size. The Balanced option is used by default if you compress an image when it is created.

Image Explorer provides the following compression methods:
- Compress: Use this option to compress an image file that you currently have open in Image Explorer. For more information, see Compressing an Open Image.
- QuickCompress: Use this option to compress an image file without waiting for the file to fully load into Image Explorer. For more information, see Compressing Any Image without Waiting for the File to Fully Load into Image Explorer.
You can also use the options on the ZENworks Imaging Configuration property page for the workstation object in ConsoleOne to specify compression options if you do not want the default setting, which is Balanced.
Split the image: You can specify a workstation image file that you want to split into separate files so that the entire image can be spanned across several CDs or DVDs. Splitting a workstation image is helpful for putting down or restoring images in a disconnected environment. For more information, see Splitting an Image.
Resize a partition in an image: For workstation (base) images, you can edit the value in the Original Size text box to allow you to change how big the ZENworks Imaging Engine makes the partition when the image is restored. For more information, see Resizing a Partition in an Image.
Purge deleted files: Excluded or hidden files and folders can be completely removed from an open image. This saves space in the image if you no longer want to include the files. For more information, see Excluding a File or Folder from the Open Image.
Exclude individual files and folders from the image: In doing this, you create file sets of the image by specifying which of ten possible sets to exclude a given file or folder from. The file sets exist merely as internal attributes of the same image archive. For more information, see Purging Files and Folders Marked for Deletion from the Open Image.

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.
Add files and folders to the image: By default, any file or folder you add is included in all file sets. To change this, you must explicitly exclude the file or folder from one or more file sets. For more information, see Adding a File or Folder to an Open Image.
Add Windows registry (.reg) files: The registry settings contained in the .reg files that you add are applied after the image is put down and the target workstation reboots to Windows, if the ZENworks Imaging Windows Agent is installed on the workstation.

As with any other file or folder that you add, a .reg file is included in all file sets of the image unless you explicitly exclude it from one or more file sets. For more information, see Adding Specific Windows Registry Settings That Are to Be Applied After the Open Image Is Laid Down.

To start 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/winutils/nls/language
  
  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.