Combined image views and methods of creating images

Abstract

A first image of a first software which can be combined with other images of other software such that any one or more of the images can be restored from the combined image, and methods relating thereto. The method of making the combined image comprises creating a first image from a first software, creating a second image from the second software, and combining the first image and the second image into the combined image. Each image includes first descriptive data (metadata) corresponding to descriptive data of its software and includes file data corresponding to file data of its software.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION [0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 173,297, filed Jun. 17, 2002, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.TECHNICAL FIELD [0002] The present invention relates to the field of disk imaging. In particular, this invention relates to a system and method for collapsing multiple individual images into a single combined image from which each of the individual images may be re-created. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] Individual software images each include a large amount of data. In general, software images are increasing in size and take up increasingly large amounts of persistent and / or non-persistent storage space for a given computer. Historically, this size has grown at an exponential rate. For example, in certain cases there is a need to capture a copy of an installed operating system, applications, utilities, or other data (sometimes referred to as “capturing a volume”). ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0006] One implementation of the invention is to minimize the storage requirements of individual, different applications that run on a common operating system version. According to the invention, these individual, different applications can be combined or collapsed into a single, combined image. The combined image permits the mounting, modifying, updating, or restoring the image view of each of the individual, different applications as if each was individually, separately stored. The software functionality of the invention allows multiple single file images to be combined into one image file to take advantage of single instance storage of the common files.

Problems solved by technology

In general, software images are increasing in size and take up increasingly large amounts of persistent and / or non-persistent storage space for a given computer.

Frequently, there is a tremendous amount of space taken up by the captured copy and its data.

The result is that the majority of the data in those multiple images is common, creating a large amount of redundant space across images on the same media, which space could be used for other information.

Images