Scripting Ghost 11.5.1 for automated recovery

[Migration User]

Here's the scenario: We deploy windows based products, many of which run in a "Kiosk" sort of fashion.  We include a image "drive storage and recovery" feature that lets our support users do one of four things:

• Create a Factory Image: This stores the product partitions as created in the factory, to an image file that is stored in an "image" parition on the same hard disk;
• Create an "Installed Image": This stores the product, once configured by our customers, to an image file that is stored on an "Image" partition on the same hard disk;
• Apply the Factory Image: This restores the factory image (if present) from the image file on the Image partition to the system paritions
• Apply the Installed Image: Does the same for the "Installed" image (if present).

All of this is one on a single physical volume (whether a single physical drive or RAID volume), so we are not storing the image to or recoring from a separate hard disk drive.

For many years we have done the above using PowerQuest, which has worked really well, but now that we're moving onto Win7 based systems, we need a new solution.  We are looking very closely at moving all of our imaging to Ghost, but I'm struggling with how to get Ghost to do what I described above.  It looks as if it's just a matter of booting to a command line environment (like we do now) and setting up command line switches for each of the four scenarios I listed above.  HOWEVER, all of my reading seems to suggest that Ghost32 will not create images of multiple paritions to a image file on the same drive.  I hope I'm misreading or misunderstanding something here.

Can one of you experts suggest a Ghost32 command line that would do the following?

Store paritions 1, 2 and 3 to a file in partition 4

Apply an image to paritions 1, 2 and 3 from an image file located in parition 4

We would be setting up a rebooted environment to temporarily boot to WinPE for the described imaging process.

Now, it has occured to me that Ghost may not be able to handle this, and that we'd need to look at Symantec Back Exec or some varient thereof... If that's the case, can someone who knows educate me?

THANKS MUCH!

[Edward Tippelt]

Whatever method you adopt, you are going to need to generate a separate image file for each partition. Ghost can image an entire drive, so if you had a second drive on your system you could just image all the partitions to one file, but you cannot image a set of partitions to another partition. I am unaware of any tool that can do this.

You could set up a WinPE boot with a batch file that images each partition in turn and stores it to the last partition, with a corresponding restore batch file when you wish to rewrite the partitions.

You could also check out the imagex tool in WinPE - see this article:Adventures with WinPE Symantec Connect

The option of setting up a dual boot system with one partition dedicated to booting WinPE and storing images created either by Ghost or imagex is also possible, and discussed in the article.

[Migration User]

We actually do that now with PowerQuest (which was bought and killed by Symantec).  We have no problem imaging any number of paritiions and storing the file on a separate, dedicated "image file" paritition.

[Edward Tippelt]

I believe the Powerquest technology is used in the Ghost Solution Suite product, whereas the retail Norton Ghost product is based on the original "Ghost" product. This causes all sorts of confusion due to the common naming.

A default install of Windows 7 actually creates 2 partitions - a small one of around 100Mb to hold some basic system stuff and the main partition which holds the main operation system. Both are needed for a Win 7 system to work, although there are techniques whereby the two partitions can be merged into one (something I have not tried).

[Migration User]

Well, if the PQ technology is used in Solution Suite (which is what I'm playing with) I'm not seeing it; The Ghost client still creates GHO files (rather than PQI files, which is what you'd expect) and the User Interface on the Ghost 11.5 client looks to be about 20 years old - much less intuitive than that on PQ.  No matter - PQ is dead and will not support Win7/2008/etc - but if I can't sort out a way to make SGSS image one (or more) partitions to the same hard disk, we'll be going in a different direction.  I got a contact in Symantec tech support today that I'll be calling tomorrow - I'll post what he tells me, be it a solution to my problem or a disappointing "Sorry, we don't do that..." for anyone doing a search of the forum...

[Migration User]

Okay, I have sorted this out.  It took some playing around, but here we go:

To summarize, we want to have an automated way to capture partitions 1 and 2 on a system and store them in an image in partition 3 on that same hard disk.  We also want to be able to restore that image on partition 3 to partitions 1 and 2.

To do this, I created two Ghost scripts for capture and restore.  In this case, I'll be doing a "Factory" image (and image we make in our production facility - in the field they will also create an "installed" image, but it's the same idea):

The Capture script: FCAPTURE.TXT

--clone,MODE=pcreate,SRC=1:1:2,DST=1:3\factory\FACTORY.GHO -rb

 

The Restore scipt: FRESTORE.TXT

-clone,mode=prestore,src=1:3\FACTORY\FACTORY.GHO:1,dst=1:1 -sure
-clone,mode=prestore,src=1:3\FACTORY\FACTORY.GHO:2,dst=1:2 -sure -rb

 

Once I had these two files in place, I used the Ghost boot wizard to create two boot packages using the PC DOS boot & the virtual boot parition.  For the "Capture" package, I added my script file FCAPTURE.TXT (I leave it in the default location, which will be the root of the v-parition boot package)  and edited the autobat to have ghost call that script: Ghost -script=\FCAPTURE.TXT.  NOTE that I specify \FCAPTURE.TXT - meaning that Ghost will look to the root of the V-partition, which is where the script file will reside.

Similarly, for the Restore package, I added the FRESTORE.TXT file and edited the autobat to have ghost call THAT script: Ghost -script=\FRESTORE.TXT

NOTE: Path issues can screw you up here - - When you create the virtual parition, it will ask you where you want it - I put mine on the parition that will store my images, under \FACTORY\CAPTURE.  This is NOT where the image will be stored, but where the V-Partition files will reside.

When you run the Vpartition shortcut residing in \FACTORY\CAPTURE, it will shut down and reboot your system, boot into the V-partition PC does environment, launch ghost and run the Factory Capture script, storing the image file FACTORY in the 3rd parition of the first hard drive under \FACTORY

When you run the Vpartition shortcut residing in \FACTORY\RESTORE, it will it will shut down and reboot your system, boot into the V-partition PC does environment, launch ghost and run the Factory Restore script, restoring the image found under paritiion 3, \FACTORY to paritions 1 and 2.

Last thing: Windows 7 does *not* like the Vpartition shortcut - We had to run VPARTITION from a command window directly (which is what our eventual UI was going to do anyway) but don't get wigged out if your shortcut fails.

Hope this helps!!!

 

* A few more notes...

The Ghost boot wizard mostly just creates a ZIP file that the V-Partition exe unpacks when it boots.  You can manually edit the script file and autoexec.bat inside the ZIP - - you can even rename the ZIP file, so long as you specify that as a command line option when running Vparition (the default value is Vpartition.ZIP