Using offline servicing in a server image with multiple indexes

Within ConfigMgr 2012 it's possible to update images with offline servicing functionality. When doing that on server media however, it's possible that multiple indexes are found. When that's the case, updates will be installed on all indexes, which takes a lot of time. In this scenario I'm installing 75 updates on a Windows Server 2012 R2 image with 4 indexes, which are:

-SERVERSTANDARDCORE
-SERVERSTANDARD
-SERVERDATACENTERCORE
-SERVERDATACENTER

When starting offline servicing on this image, a total of 300 updates (4x 75) will be installed. Let's have a look at the ConfigMgr logfile (OfflineServicingMgr.log):

4 images are detected

300 updates are installed

When using DISM however it's possible to remove existing indexes from an image, so offline servicing can do a way better/faster job. This can be done with the following command: DISM /get-imageinfo/imagefile:<path to WIM file>

 
Now that we know which index to keep and which to remove, use the following command: DISM /delete-image /imagefile:<path to WIM file> /index:<index number to remove>

 
In my case I removed 3 indexes, because the only index needed is SERVERSTANDARD. Let's have a look again with: DISM /get-imageinfo/imagefile:<path to WIM file>

There's only 1 index left now. Let's start offline servicing again on this image and have a look at the logfile (OfflineServicingMgr.log):

1 image is detected

75 updates are installed



As you can see this did the trick on my Windows Server 2012 R2 image. Did see another image with 8 indexes before also, which is crazy when using offline servicing. Just use above steps for removing them in the future. Just great isn't it?

Offline servicing is still very handy for updating images easily/quickly, when MS Office is not included in the image.

Source: Microsoft TechNet

Option: /Get-ImageInfo
Displays information about the images that are contained in the .wim, vhd or .vhdx file. When used with the /Index or /Name argument, information about the specified image is displayed, which includes if an image is a WIMBoot image, if the image is Windows 8.1 Update, see Take Inventory of an Image or Component Using DISM. The /Name argument does not apply to VHD files. You must specify /Index:1 for VHD files.

Option: /Delete-Image
Deletes the specified volume image from a .wim file that has multiple volume images. This option deletes only the metadata entries and XML entries. It does not delete the stream data and does not optimize the .wim file.
This command-line option does not apply to virtual hard disk (VHD) files.
/CheckIntegrity detects and tracks .wim file corruption when used with capture, unmount, export, and commit operations. /CheckIntegrity stops the operation if DISM detects that the .wim file is corrupted when used with apply and mount operations.

Offline Image Servicing in ConfigMgr 2012 SP1

Within ConfigMgr it's possible to inject software updates in a reference image. This feature is called Offline Servicing. That way a default Install.wim can be used and updated within ConfigMgr without using a Build and Capture task sequence. It's really a great feature, which saves you multiple hours updating images with monthly updates. It will probably take multiple hours to mount the image, inject the updates and unmount the image again. Don't forget the last step needed after Offline Servicing: Update the Distribution Point (as usual). This because the proces doesn't do that for you. Otherwise the reference image will be deployed again, and no updates will be seen in Windows. This has happened to me more than once, so take advantage of this.

On the image properties Installed Updates can be seen. There's a tab for Servicing also, to see which updates are scheduled.

After deploying the image, software updates will be displayed in Control Panel as usual. No difference at all with a default installation.

Source: Offline Image Servicing in ConfigMgr 2012

Offline Image Servicing in ConfigMgr 2012

In this blog I will explain how to update the Windows Image with "Offline Image Servicing" functionality.

In ConfigMgr 2007 it was always a hard job, for keeping you images up-to-date. This because Patch Management in ConfigMgr must already be working, when creating and updating a new Windows image. I've see lot's of times, when creating new images, that Software Updates are not working in the Task Sequence. Then the whole proces must be started again (which is very time-consuming).

Also when updating the existing image, say after 6 months, new updates must be advertised to the collection where the device is placed. This whole proces is again time-consuming, because every month new updates are available. This will make the total deployment time longer, because some customers want all updates in there OSD Task Sequence, before the device is used by people.

In ConfigMgr 2012 things are completely different. Now it's not needed to update a new or existing Windows image in the Task Sequence anymore. Updates can inject immediately in the Windows image now, which is a great advantage! This is called "Offline Servicing" which is a new feature in ConfigMgr 2012. Of cource it's still needed to configure Patch Management in ConfigMgr 2012 to have this functionality available.

First create or import a WIM-based Windows image. Put this one on a distribution point, and (to make sure) make a back-up of it. Now select the Windows image, and select "Schedule Updates" to start the wizard.

The updates are shown now, that can be installed in the image. You have the choice here to select only x86 or x64 updates, or choose ALL updates. There is also the possibility to select all updates, or select them manually. In this case (I used a Windows 7 install image, without Servicepack 1) there are 96 updates available, out of 190 updates total.

I choose to install all 96 updates here, and I'm wonder how long it takes to inject that updates. Also I want to know how big the image will be after injecting these updates. Choose Next to go further.

There is an option available to immediately inject updates here, or start it at a later time (for example: during evening times or weekend days). Choose Next again to make it happen.

After a confirmation, the wizard will be completed. This is all happening within one minute, but the whole proces must still starting. For having this information open the "OfflineServicingMgr.log" file, which can be found in the ConfigMgr\Logs folder. Now there will be exactly displayed what's going on here.

At the end of injecting updates, there's even a new WIM image created. The old one will be renamed as BAK-image file. So making a back-up yourself is not needed this way! All this proces is very easy to use, and can be done during evening times or weekend days.

What a great new feature in ConfigMgr 2012 this is. It's not needed now to build and use a Task Sequence for Software Updates anymore! More (new) features will be explained in next blogs.