SDI Overview

5/10/2007

Windows XP Embedded includes the System Deployment Image (SDI) feature, which enables you to manage your run-time images. With SDI you can create file-backed virtual disk drives that can be used as a staging area for your run-time images. The SDI feature simulates a storage medium by using a disk image (.sdi) file that is located on an existing file system.

The storage medium can be in online or offline mode. In online mode:

  • The storage medium appears as if inserted in the drive.
  • You can partition and format the emulated storage medium, and save your run-time image to it.

In offline mode:

  • The storage medium appears as if ejected from the drive.
  • A file holds the disk image and you can copy the file and the image to another location.

Do not change a virtual disk drive to a dynamic disk drive at any time; dynamic disk drives are not supported.

The following table shows the SDI features.

Feature Description

SDI Driver

Emulates disk drives.

SDI Loader

Enables you to create, add, connect, remove, or disconnect virtual disk drives.

SDI Manager

Enables you to manipulate a disk image file in offline mode. You can query its contents and manipulate its BLOBs.

See Also

Tasks

Manually Installing the SDI Driver
Using the SDI Loader
Uninstalling the SDI Driver
Deploying a Run-Time Image Using the SDI Data Extraction Tool

Concepts

SDI Manager
SDI Data Extraction Tool

Other Resources

Deploy a Run-Time Image