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Any ImageUltra User Out There?


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We use ImageUltra Builder from Lenovo to do our "imaging". We have 2 different types of deployments we use. The first is what is known as an "Ultra Portable" image... which basically means that the system runs an unattended setup of XP, detects the driver modules for the hardware you selected, then runs unattended setups for any applications you've put into your "basemap".

We also use a "Portable Sysprep'ed" image, which is a ghost image of a basic XP installation, with special customizations that allow it to install the additional apps and drivers.

The system works pretty well, but I'm looking for other people that use IUB, so I can see if there are any tips and tricks to getting faster deployments, or making the building of drivermaps easier or whatnot.

I've been reading the forums here for a while, and have improved the Ultra Portable image just by using some of the tricks mentioned for the standard unattended installs.

Cheers

-Mike Caouette

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We use ImageUltra Builder from Lenovo to do our "imaging". We have 2 different types of deployments we use. The first is what is known as an "Ultra Portable" image... which basically means that the system runs an unattended setup of XP, detects the driver modules for the hardware you selected, then runs unattended setups for any applications you've put into your "basemap".

We also use a "Portable Sysprep'ed" image, which is a ghost image of a basic XP installation, with special customizations that allow it to install the additional apps and drivers.

The system works pretty well, but I'm looking for other people that use IUB, so I can see if there are any tips and tricks to getting faster deployments, or making the building of drivermaps easier or whatnot.

I've been reading the forums here for a while, and have improved the Ultra Portable image just by using some of the tricks mentioned for the standard unattended installs.

Cheers

-Mike Caouette

I am curious to try this, but this is quite an expensive piece of software...

http://www.pc.ibm.com/us/accessories/servi...trabuilder.html

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hi Mike,

Have you found any knowledge bases or forums to help you with ImageUltra Builder?

I'm struggling to get the demo to install device drivers and MS Office application with an ultra protable image at the moment. Package looks good (if I can get it to work) but cannot find any support for it on the web.

Neil

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Hey Guys, I work for a k-12 school district and we use it for our 10-12 laptop program (~2000) ThinkPads. I use Ultra Portable for all the laptops and I absolutly love it. There is a large up-front time needed to set it up (I have over 100 custom build modules) but in the long run it's worth it. I'm actually in the middle of imaging about 900 new machines for the new school year. I have not seen any message boards for IUB, the best reference is the Red book writen by Dave Kohler (nice guy we've had him here a few times). I'll be more than willing to offer suggestions and answer questions the best I can.

-Chris

Edited by dominus
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I work for the company that was recently named Lenovo's Partner of the year. The main reason we received that award was because our use and expertise in the ThinkVantage Technologies - especially IUB. With more implementations of the TVT's than any other Partner in the US, I might be able to answer some of the questions you might have. Let me know - Thanks

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We have bought the program, set it up, and it seems promising, but I've already got a showstop and I am looking for solutions, but can't find KB/FAQ/Forums on this...

If this can be a place where I can put my question, or if there are other forums out there, please let me know...

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Hey DrNewtonD,

Seeing as you guys use IUB a lot, what’s the largest number of machines you have had imaging at once? Just curious as I have 550 that I have to get done in a real short time :)

-Chris

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Making a data partition.

Running V3.

A lot of things working as planned. Nice tool.

But, have created a Ultra Portable Base map and need to partition disk into a c:\ and a d:\ to divide in program and user data partitions.

Very uninforming ( i think) documentation, in the red book and the IUB manual, on this, and I need a more step by step guide.

Anyone have had any experience with this?

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The problems I have trying to get IUB working are:

I imported an image from a brand new IBM ThinkCentre 9219-72G. I then added an Unnattend.txt OS Add-On Module. The imported Base Map used an Ultra Portable OS module so I added the Unnattend.txt module to it, but the image still required info to be entered after the install (the unattend.txt module was ignored).

I then decided to start from scratch. I created an OS module from an XP CD, created an unattend.txt module, added them both to a new base map along with the 'IBM Customizations Module' (I have no idea what this module does but the instructions say you need it). This image installed the OS onto a PC with out any problems, but it ignores the drivermap I selected (the driver map, and driver modules were the ones I imported).

I've tried various changes to the base maps, driver maps and modules, but it feels like I'm banging my head against a brick wall. I can't get the imported image to install using an Unnattend.txt file, and I can't get an image I create myself to use the imported drivers.

I also tried using an application module to install MS Office using an MST file (which worked when I ran it manually), but had no success there either. Although admittedly I didn't try very hard because I felt I had wasted so much time with the OS.

I feel this is the package I would like to use because all our machines are IBM's and it seems very versatile, but I can't get even a basic install to work properly using the instructions and there seems to be absolutely no support on the web. I'm on the brink of using RIS unless one of you guy's can shed some light on where I'm going wrong.

Thanks

Neil

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Hey Neil,

My inital guess as to why it's ignoring the driver map all together is you selected audit boot for the drivers? I have all my modules install during cusomer first boot. With it now having 10000 install slots (iub 2 only had 9) you can orginize it very nicely.

the fisrt issue you had will usually do that if your using the os module built by Lenovo. It uses OEM install files which do not like to install unattended.

The last issue w/ your info in the unattended.txt being ignored is commom. This is due to the way it runs sysprep. Dave told me about this when we first purchased IUB. Which info is it dropping on you and maybe I can figure out where to put it. (their are options in the base map properties to customize and even prompt for info)

jofstegaard,

I'm gonna have to play w/ this one :) It looks like they use a util called DISKPART to create the partitions during the image. I'm not sure it this util will create and resize partitions with out loosing data and if it will work in windows (or reboot and not break the iub install). Maybe if you can get diskpart to run and change the os boot menu to launch diskpart after a reboot, you could then use IUB to reboot (as to not hoark IUB) run diskpart to change the partitions then reboot which would then load XP and start up IUB again.

Like I said just a theroy but if DISKPART can't do it mabey something like partition magic (if it's still around i think it was purchased) or the like. I'll see if I can extract DISKPART and see what it can do.

If this doesn't make sence just tell me i'm a dork and I'll reclarify

-Chris

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jofstegaard,

I'm still working on the partition module for you. But i thought about what you said regarding the documentation for IUB. You are definatly right. It was not writen for someone to learn how to use it. The new userguide was just released so you might want to check it out.

-Chris

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Hi Chris,

Thanks for the reply. Does this mean you have to create all your modules from scratch? The imported driver modules are gold versions so I cannot change which boot they are installed in, and if you cannot use the OEM OS module with an unattend.txt then there seems little point in importing the IBM modules from a new machine.

Cheers

Neil

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