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Multimedia Systems

notes • Lookup table: Contains the memory location of resource files in the .wim file.
• XML Data: Contains additional data about the image.
• integrity table: Contains security hash information that is used to verify an image’s integrity
during an apply operation.
4.9.3 Benefits of Leveraging WIM

There are a number of additional benefits in leveraging the Windows Imaging format over sector-
by-sector copying.

some highlights:
• One WIM file can address different hardware configurations as there is no requirement as in a
sector-by-sector copy installs that the destination hardware match the source hardware.

• WIM can store multiple images within a single file as described above in the install.wim of
the base operating system; the same can be done for custom *.wim files created by system
administrator.
• When you store multiple images within a single file you can do this as just part of a core
build for desktop deployments or with the use of Catalog (CLG) files that allow for the option
to set up multiple applications to be deployed as part of the operating system build.

• You can service the WIM image offline from its stored location and add or remove certain
operating system components, files, updates, and drivers without creating a new image.
• Windows Imaging format has the flexibility to install a disk image on partitions of any size.
Sector-by-sector images require deployments of an image to a partition that is the same size
or larger than the source disk.

• WIMGAPI is the Windows Imaging API that developers can use to manage WIM image
files.

• WIM deployments can be performed non-destructively. Data can be on the existing volume
and the image can be deployed without erasing the existing contents of the volume.

4.9.4 WiMGapi tool for Windows image Deployment
The WIMGAPI is the Windows Imaging Application Program Interface that developers can use
to manage .wim files.
Developers are able to use WIMGAPI to mount existing WIM files to a folder in order to revise
the contents or adding or remove files or settings from the image and then returning the image
(unmount) from the folder.

The WIMGAPI can also be used to partition a hard drive and format the volumes ahead of
dropping the WIM onto the system as part of the installation being executed.

4.10 Cross-platform formats

The format of an image to be used on the Web should be a file type that is “cross-platform” which
means that several types of operating systems can use that file type. Platforms are operating
systems and system configurations such as a Macintosh running OS X on the G4 with dual
processors, a PC running Windows XP, or another computer running the Linux operating system.
Your images will need to be in a format that all of the computers operating on the Web can use.
Popular file formats for Web use are the GIF and JPEG file formats. All graphical browsers support
GIF and JPEG file formats. PNG file formats can only be recognized by some of the graphical
browsers but not all of them.

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