Change the location where the Deployment Solution 8.x images are stored

Products

• Deployment Solution

Issue/Introduction

How to change the location where the Deployment Solution 8.x images are stored

Environment

DS 8.x

Resolution

There are a number of ways to do this and a few key things that should be understood prior to making any changes.

The most important thing to understand is that the DS images are stored under the Altiris Agent in a folder eventually shared as "Deployment", and from there, under Task Handlers\Images.  All of our imaging tasks look for this folder coded into the task, not as a variable.  Thus, you can't easily move the images.

NOTE:  DS will store images under the Package share along with all other packages and will be subject to very similar limitations.

However, within this limitation you still have a few options:

1. Use a program that re-directs folder contents like "LinkD" or "mklink".
2. Use HTTP imaging, where IIS controls the destination folders via aliases.
3. Manually script the process (script tasks).  This is not supported by Symantec, though the script task functionality itself is.

Each of these will be discussed briefly below.

 

1 Use a program that re-directs the image data to another location

One such program is a Microsoft-supplied program called LinkD and it may work for you as well.  Instructions for using one version of this app are below:

1. Create an image folder on the drive you want to store images on. (i.e. D:\images)
2. Move the content of "C:\Program Files\Altiris\Notification Server\NScap\bin\Deployment\Packages\Images" to the image folder you just created.
3. Delete the Images folder in the NSCap share
4. Run these commands
   • cd "C:\Program Files\Altiris\Notification Server\NSCap\bin\Deployment\Packages"
   • mklink /D /J Images D:\Images
   • if mklink is not working please see the Additional Information below for instructions on using linkD.exe
5. This will create a soft link between the Images folder on the NSCap share and D:\Images.

2. Use HTTP Imaging.
This is the next best method per Symantec recommendations, for it is built-in to the product and support.  Imaging can be a bit slow using this method, but the process allows for direct storage of images in any folder, without using GUIDs and such to identify them.  IIS is used to create an Alias to point to a folder you create, and then when you capture the image, you point to that alias, and voila, the image is there.

For setting up the Alias in IIS, refer to: KB 154365

3.  Manually script the process.
This method bypasses the Symantec default jobs and uses some level of scripting you (the customer) make.  For instance, you may map a drive using VBS, then run Ghost manually with the same script, or something of that nature.  You (the customer) would be responsible for ensuring the script works, rights are in place, etc., but you'd also be able to control completely the destination of the images.

Additional Information

If you want to use linkD.exe instead of mklink in step 1 .4 above:

1. 1. Download linkd.exe from this kb (attached below)
      
      • This is a Microsoft executable downloaded from their website.  If a newer version is needed, search their site for the latest download.
   2. Run linkd.exe to create an NTFS Junction Point redirecting the original image folder to the new one you created:
      • c:\>linkd.exe "C:\Program Files\Altiris\Altiris Agent\Agents\Deployment\Task Handler\image" "D:\image"