GSS 2.5 and the Hot Imaging of a Windows XP machine

[Migration User]

I have searched through the GSS 2.5 docs to locate the discussion of the new feature mentioned in the announcement of GSS 2.5 and its new features.

 

Anyone know how to take a hot image of an XP machine with GSS 2.5

 

See announcement below:

We are pleased to announce Symantec Ghost Solution Suite 2.5 (English) has been certified and shipped to manufacturing. This release sees a host of new features including:


Bundled WinPE 2.0 PreOS
Both the console, and the standard tools include WinPE 2.0 in addition to PC-DOS. This greatly improves hardware compatibility.


DeployAnywhere
The new hardware-independent imaging feature allows a single image to be deployed to diverse hardware, and obtain the necessary drivers from a centrally managed driver database.


Hot Imaging
Images may be created hot, using Volume Snapshot in Windows and Logical Volume Manager in Linux.


Secure Computer Decommission
The Console has a task to perform the secure erase of a computer for decommissioning, or prior to re-imaging.


Support for VMDK and V21/PQI Images
VMDK virtual disk, Symantec Backup Exec System Recovery (V2I) and Symantec Deploy Center (PQI) images can be deployed directly from the Console and from Ghost.


Better Sysprep Support
Console contains a Sysprep Answer File Editor as well as being able to edit the raw file.


Bundled Linux PreOS
Linux Thinstation distro is bundled as and unmanaged PreOS.


Native Linux versions of Tools
Linux versions of Ghost, Gdisk, Ghconfig, Ghregedit, Omnifs.


For more information, please visit www.ghost.com


Cheers,
GSS Taniwha

Message Edited by GSS Taniwha on 05-05-2008 03:34 PM

Message Edited by MUSTANGMike56 on 07-12-2008 02:41 PM

Message Edited by MUSTANGMike56 on 07-12-2008 02:41 PM

Message Edited by MUSTANGMike56 on 07-12-2008 02:43 PM

[Migration User]

It is very simple. If you are using Console you create 'image capture task' and then set checkbox to take image hot (you also have an option to fallback to cold imaging). If you are doing it manually from ghost32/ghost64 then run with -forcevolumesnaphot switch to bypass old fashioned volume locking and go straight for hot imaging. Otherwise if you are running ghost32 with no switches and are trying to capture an image of the system volume, ghost will prompt you with dialog where you can choose to take image hot or force volume lock. Obviously ghost will not be able to lock system volume so your only option is to take it hot.

 

All this is described in the ghost implementation manual.

[Migration User]

Thanks for the quick response, I am currently running the eval copy, I assume that feature is there. What we want to do is get around SafeBoot, and McAfee disk encryption software. So my thinking is if I can pull the image while up in Windows, the pull will be as it was before encryption, i.e I will have the ability to look at files and folders etc.

 

Thanks again!!

[Migration User]

Yes you can use eval version for hot imaging. You can also clone encrypted volumes via "OS volumes" disk in ghost. "OS volumes" is a virtual GPT disk of all volumes that are mounted by OS whether they have real hard disks backing or just volumes like mounted VMDKs or VHDs etc.

Cheers.