Using ThinkVantage Technologies, Volume 1: Creating and Deploying Client Systems

248 Using ThinkVantage Technologies: Volume 1 Creating and Deploying Client Systems

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3.5.2 System Migration Assistant apply phase in batch mode

During the apply phase, SMABAT.EXE copies the contents of the profile onto the

target computer. An example of an apply command is:

SMABAT /a /n C:\sma_profiles\receptionists.sma

In this example, the selected profile is applied as is to the target computer without

any changes. It is also possible to edit a profile prior to applying it, as is shown in

the following example:

SMABAT /a C:\MyCommandFile\EntryLevelReceptionistCommandFile.txt

/n C:\sma_profiles\receptionists.sma

In this example, SMA applies the profile receptionists.sma after some changes

have been made as described in the command file

EntryLevelReceptionistCommandFile.txt.

The command file that is used during the apply phase has the same syntax as

the file used during the capture phase, although some of the commands behave

differently. During the apply phase, you can only make changes to a given profile.

For instance, if your profile includes all desktop settings but you don’t want to

apply the active desktop to a given target computer, you can deselect that option

by typing active_desktop = 0 in the desktop settings section of the command

file. However, if your profile does not include printer settings, you cannot include

printer settings by entering printers = 1 in the miscellaneous settings section of

the command file. In order for deselection to be successful, you must know which

settings were stored in the profile.

Similarly, when the profile includes a selection of files, you can exclude some or

all, but you cannot select a file that is not included in the profile. In order for

deselection to be successful, you must know which files are in the profile, as this

information is not readily available in the original command file. Remember that

SMA processes file exclusion commands assuming the original location of files

and folders on the source computer prior to interpreting redirection statements.

During copying, when a file is relocated to a folder that already has a file with that

name, the base name of the to-be-relocated file will be appended with _01 if the

overwite_existing_files parameter in the command file is set to not

overwriting. For example, the file sample.txt will be renamed sample_01.txt.

Additional duplicate files will be given the addition _02, _03, and so forth.

During the apply phase, these commands exhibit special behavior:

򐂰 Exclude_Drives This command is ignored.