Conference 7.286::digital

    By load, I assume he means install.  Once the pc is alive enough to see
    a remote disk with the software kits on it, he should be able to just
    double-click on the appropriate setup .exes via the FileManager.  That
    eliminates the floppy shuffling.

    Microsoft SMS (CHEFS::MS-SMS) or the Digital enhanced version PAW
    (RAGE::PAW or http://www.avm.ljo.dec.com).
    
    PAW enhancements include client support for more platforms and some
    other goodies.

  I mustn't understand the question. :-)

  Why don't they just make one master disk that has everything on it
  that they like, O/S and apps, and then "clone" that disk repeatedly?

  They don't need a physical disk. It could just be a backup set
  stored on the server. Then they'd just need to install the
  restoral tool on incoming PCs and restore away.

  Like I said, I mustn't understand the question.

                                       Atlant

    There are at least two methods for doing this within Digital today.
    
    1. CCS (Computing Services) loads the common upgrades such as Windows
       95 from a site server. As indicated in previous replies, you make
       a connection to the disk and run the appropriate setup programs.
       As far as the PC is concerned, the server disk is just like a
       huge CD with lots of software on it. This method assumes we have
       licenses that cover multiple uses.
    
       Software which is specific to a group or individual may still have
       to be loaded individually. Even for a few systems, the time savings
       using a CD version pays for the difference in cost over a diskette
       version.
    
    2. For Digital trade shows we do what Atlant is suggesting. There is a
       diskette which points to the server and allows you to select an
       image to load. All existing software is erased during this process,
       so its not very friendly to whatever was factory installed that
       you might need later. The use of common images requires the loading
       of numerous drivers, particularly for PCs. This approach is
       presently used to load systems with UNIX, OpenVMS, and Windows (3.11,
       Workgroups, 95, or NT workstation/server). In this situation the 
       software is licensed for demonstrations only. Once the operating
       system is loaded, the servers can also be accessed for layered
       products, licenses, and various applications (mostly PC).
                           
       There is another trade show tool which uses writeable CDs to create
       copies of software we may need to load during a show in case of
       repairs, late arrivals, and the like. This would function like the
       server disk but use multiple CDs.
    
    Sam
       

    In manufacturing, we have look at the various technologies
    available based on flexibility and cost to quickly load images 
    onto PCs. These can summarized as
    
            * preFIS - disk replication, copying disk before installaion.
                    * effective for high volume, low mix configurations,
    		      but intensive disk handling (cost).
            * CDfis - copy images from a local CD
                    * effective if image sets can be managed on a set of
                      reduced CDs (think of europe and the 22+ languages
                      and multiple OSs(WfWg tp WindowsNT v4.0)).
            * Network
                    * copy images from a network library
    
    Manufacturing's primary technique is "Network".  To manage the
    network loading, we use "PAT" and in the upcoming months "OpenPAT".
    
    	PAT - PC Automated Test (and FIS).
    
    OpenPAT is a WindowsNT application that supervises the following
    tool sets on a client, a customer's PC.
    
    	INITialize - Boot and connect into the environment, catalog 
    		(synchronize) the tools, set time and CMOS settings.
        AMI-Test - Tests the systems using the corporate stndard for
    		diagnostics, AMIdiag. 
    	DISKPREP - If necessary, partition and format.
    	LOAD-FIS - Copy the FIS images.
    	INSTALL - Execute PCBU Software Engineering utilities to 
    		install the loaded images.  This improves the 
    		out-of-box experience by minimizing start-up time.
    	AMI-RUNIN - Using AMIdiag, Run-In the system.
    	Virus-Scan - Everything gets scanned.
    
        These tools are configurable based on the system, order 
    	and customer requirement.
    
    OpenPAT is a manufacturing tool, developed by manufacturing and 
    primarily used by manufacturing, though we have non-manufacturing 
    users.  Some information on the new standard, OpenPAT, can be 
    found at
    
      OpenPAT Project ....
    	http://kap749.kao.dec.com/oproject.pdf
      OpenPAT Futures ....
    	http://kap749.kao.dec.com/ofuture.pdf
    
    The tying homepage is
        http://kap749.kao.dec.com
    
    If you have any questions, please ask or call.  I will try and monitor
    this note, but I have limited time to do so.
    
    David Wilson
    Digital PCBU - Worldwide Customer Fulfilment
    Software Engineering Manager
    
    ps .... I have deferred the discussion of "loading" software versus 
    "installing" software and the associated techniques.
    
    ps .... there is a group in kanata that will install customer 
    specific images onto digital pcs, formerly tied to CSS.  the manager
    is steve villenueve.