X-Git-Url: https://wimlib.net/git/?p=wimlib;a=blobdiff_plain;f=doc%2Fimagex.1.in;h=9e01c800bb111b96cb9ddc23ec5c7cca066cf5f8;hp=d62ec8965aba604bdc1878e8b6f6546bccfe90c3;hb=6cc8db9fac4dcfdcd474ee49790a30a54b83c798;hpb=4a4aa00c378959fedcc4dab39d0933d36e2a1c3e diff --git a/doc/imagex.1.in b/doc/imagex.1.in index d62ec896..9e01c800 100644 --- a/doc/imagex.1.in +++ b/doc/imagex.1.in @@ -1,4 +1,4 @@ -.TH IMAGEX 1 "January 2013" "imagex (wimlib @VERSION@)" "User Commands" +.TH IMAGEX 1 "March 2013" "imagex (wimlib @VERSION@)" "User Commands" .SH NAME imagex \- Create, modify, extract, mount, or unmount a WIM (Windows Imaging Format) archive .SH SYNOPSIS @@ -36,15 +36,14 @@ To do its work, \fBimagex\fR uses \fBwimlib\fR, a library which provides interfaces for manipulating WIM archives. You could wimlib in your own programs if you wanted to. wimlib's public interface is documented. -See \fBWARNING\fR. - .SH COMMANDS There is a separate manual page for each \fBimagex\fR command. .SH SUPPORTED FEATURES -The following features are currently supported: +The following general features are currently supported (note: this is not a +complete list): .IP \[bu] 3 Create a stand-alone WIM from a directory or NTFS volume (\fBimagex capture\fR) @@ -80,53 +79,81 @@ WIM integrity table is supported (\fB--check\fR option to many commands) .IP \[bu] WIM XML data (parsed and written using \fBlibxml\fR(3)) -.SH UNSUPPORTED FEATURES - -As of version 1.0.0, wimlib supports capturing and applying WIMs directly from -NTFS and has much improved support for hard links and symbolic links. In -addition, you may now apply split WIMs and mount them read-only. I don't think -there are many other features that would be worth it to implement. Besides -porting the library to Windows (which I'm not really interested in), the main -thing that could use improvement (in my opinion) is that the LZX compression -ratio still isn't quite as good as Microsoft's version. Furthermore, if -Microsoft updates the WIM format, I'd need to support it, but it looks like the -format for Windows 8 is the same as that of Windows 7. - .SH DIFFERENCES FROM MICROSOFT IMAGEX While similar to Microsoft's "imagex.exe" program, this program is designed for UNIX-based systems and by the nature of the platform cannot be exactly the same -as Microsoft's version. +as Microsoft's version. In addition, I have added additional useful features +when appropriate. -In particular, because Microsoft designed the WIM file format to accomodate -Windows-specific and NTFS-specific features, we must have two separate image -capture and application modes (although the \fBimagex\fR subcommands for the -modes are the same): one for general image capture and application, and one for -the capture or application of an image specifically from/to an NTFS volume. +.IP \[bu] 4 +Because Microsoft designed the WIM file format to accomodate Windows-specific +and NTFS-specific features, wimlib must have two separate image capture and +application modes (although the \fBimagex\fR subcommands for the modes are the +same): one for general image capture and application, and one for the capture or +application of an image specifically from/to an NTFS volume. -Some features, such as the ability to keep files hard-linked across WIM images -when they are extracted from a WIM, are not available in Microsoft's version of -imagex. Also, this version of \fBimagex\fR lets you mount an image from a split -WIM read-only, while Microsoft's version does not. +Note: the above applies to UNIX builds. On the Windows builds of wimlib, there +is only one image capture and application mode, similar to Microsoft's ImageX. +.IP \[bu] Microsoft's version has some weird limitations, like it won't let you extract a WIM on a shared folder, and it requires some commands to be run only from Windows PE and not from regular Windows. This version does not have these -unusual limitations, although it won't actually run on Windows anyway. +unusual limitations. + +.IP \[bu] +There are bugs in Microsoft's WIM library and I obviously have not included the +same bugs in wimlib, although in some cases I have had to work around bugs for +compatibility purposes. -There are bugs in Microsoft's WIM library and I obviously have not included -these bugs in my version; however it's to be expected that despite that fact, my -version has more bugs because it's been less widely tested and used. +.IP \[bu] +wimlib's \fBimagex\fR offers the extra command \fBimagex optimize\fR, +which lets you easily remove wasted space in a WIM (which can arise after +a WIM image is appended or mounted read-write). + +.IP \[bu] +wimlib's \fBimagex\fR also offers the command \fBimagex join\fR, which lets you +easily join the parts of a split WIM. -Obviously, this version of imagex is free software but Microsoft's version is -not. +.IP \[bu] +wimlib's \fBimagex apply\fR supports keeping files hard-linked or symlinked +across WIM images when extracted from a WIM. So you can, for example, extract +different versions of Windows from an install.wim without using much extra +space. (Note: this functionality is only available in UNIX builds of wimlib.) + +.IP \[bu] +wimlib's \fBimagex capture\fR supports combining multiple separate directories +and files together in a configurable way to create a WIM image. + +.IP \[bu] +wimlib's XPRESS compressor is better than Microsoft's. + +.IP \[bu] +wimlib supports multithreaded compression, which can make it much faster to +create compressed WIM files. + +.IP \[bu] +wimlib's \fBimagex capture\fR supports a special mode where UNIX file modes, +owners, and groups are stored. (Note: this functionality is only available on +UNIX builds.) + +.IP \[bu] +wimlib's \fBimagex mount\fR and \fBimagex mountrw\fR are much faster than +Microsoft's versions for some reason. I don't know what they have their program +do that takes so long to simply set up a mountpoint. (Note: this functionality +is only available on UNIX builds.) + +.IP \[bu] +wimlib's \fBimagex mount\fR supports mounting an image from a split WIM, but +Microsoft's software does not. (Note: this functionality is only available on +UNIX builds.) .SH WARNING Note: \fBwimlib\fR and \fBimagex\fR are experimental. Use Microsoft's -imagex.exe if you have to make sure your WIM files are made "correctly". Not -all features listed under \fBSUPPORTED FEATURES\fR have been thoroughly tested. -Feel free to submit a bug report if you find a bug. +imagex.exe if you have to make sure your WIM files are made "correctly". Feel +free to submit a bug report if you find a bug. Some parts of the WIM file format are poorly documented or even completely undocumented, so I've just had to do the best I can to read and write WIMs in a @@ -150,4 +177,3 @@ Report bugs to ebiggers3@gmail.com. .BR imagex-optimize (1), .BR imagex-split (1), .BR imagex-unmount (1), -