System Deployment Image: Difference between revisions

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A "'''System Deployment Image"''' (aka '''SDI''') is a file format used primarily with [[Microsoft]] products to contain an arbitrary [[Disk_image|disk image]], including boot sector information.

__TOC__

== OverviewDescription ==

The System Deployment Image (SDI) file format is often used to allow the use of a virtual disk viafor mountingstartup or booting. Some versions of [[Microsoft Windows]] allow for "RAM [[booting]]", which is essentially the ability to load aan SDI file into memory and then boot from it. The SDI file format also lends itself to network booting using the [[Preboot Execution Environment]] (PXE). Another usage is [[Hard disk drive|hard disk]] [[Disk image|imaging]].

A "System Deployment Image" (aka SDI) is a file format used primarily with [[Microsoft]] products to contain an arbitrary [[Disk_image|disk image]], including boot sector information.

= Description =

The SDI file format is often used to allow the use of a virtual disk via mounting Some versions of [[Microsoft Windows]] allow for "RAM [[booting]]", which is essentially the ability to load a SDI file into memory and then boot from it. The SDI file format also lends itself to network booting using the [[Preboot Execution Environment]] (PXE).

The SDI file itself is partitioned into the following sections:

; Boot [[Binary large object|BLOB]] : This contains the actual boot program, STARTROM.COM. This is analogous to the boot sector of a hard disk.

; Load [[BLOB]] : This typically contains [[NTLDR]] and is launched by the boot BLOB.

; Part [[BLOB]] : This contains the actual boot runtime (i.e. the contents of the disk image including any Operating System [OS] files) and also includes the [[boot.ini]] (used by NTLDR) and ntdetect.com files which should be located within the root directory of the runtime. The size of the runtime cannot exceed 500 MbMB. In addition to this requirement the runtime must also be capable of dealing with the fact that it is booting from a ramdisk. This implies that the runtime must include the "Windows [[RAM Disk]] Driver" component (specified within the boot.ini).

; Disk BLOB : This is flat [[Hard disk drive|HDD]] image starting with a [[Master boot record|MBR]]. It is used for hard drive imaging instead of booting. Also only Disk BLOBs can be mounted with Microsoft's utilities.

= SDI Features =

== SDI Driver ==

SDI files can be mounted as virtual disk drives and assigned a drive letter if an SDI driver is available to allow this. A SDI driver is a type of storage driver and is commonly used with [[Windows_XP_editions#Embedded_editions|Windows XP Embedded]].

SDI usually contains either Disk BLOB (HD cloning or temporary SDI) or three other of them (bootable SDI).

== SDI Management ==

[[Microsoft]] provides a tool called the "SDI File Manager" (sdimgr.exe) which can be used for the purpose of manipulating SDI files. Some of the tasks which this tool facilitates are:

[[Windows Vista]] or [[Windows Preinstallation Environment|Windows PE]] 2.0 boot sequence includes a boot.sdi file, which contains Part BLOB for an empty [[NTFS]] volume and a Table-of-Contents slot for the [[Windows Imaging Format|WIM]] image, which is stored on a separate on-disk file.

== SDI Featuresfeatures ==

=== SDI Driverdriver ===

SDI files can be mounted as virtual disk drives and assigned a drive letter if an SDI driver is available to allow this. A SDI driver is a type of storage driver and is commonly used with [[Windows_XP_editionsWindows XP editions#Embedded_editionsEmbedded editions|Windows XP Embedded]].

=== SDI Managementmanagement ===

[[Microsoft]] provides a tool called the "SDI File Manager" (sdimgr.exe) which can be used for the purpose of manipulating SDI files. Some of the tasks which this tool facilitates are:

* The creation of an SDI image file.

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* The verification of an existing SDI image.

=== SDI Loaderloader ===

The mechanism which allows for the creation, addition and removal of virtual disk drives. SDI Loader and Driver work with Disk BLOB.

== See Alsoalso ==

* [[Windows Imaging Format]]

== References ==

* {{cite web

| title = RAM Boot Using SDI in Windows XP Embedded with Service Pack 1

| author = Saad Syed

| publisher = [[Microsoft]]

| date = November 2002-11

| url = http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms838543.aspx#ram_sdi_topic1

| accessdate = 2008-08-31}}

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| title = System Deployment Image

| author = Microsoft Corporation

| publisher = [[Microsoft]]

| url = http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms940108.aspx

| accessdate = 2008-08-31}}

* {{cite web

| title = SDI file format specification

| author = Sergii Kolisnyk

| publisher = LiveJournal.com

| url = http://skolk.livejournal.com/1320.html

| accessdate = 2009-06-08}}

[[Category:Computer file formats]]