Patent ID: 7464176

Claim:
A system comprising: a first volume image including a first software wherein the first volume image includes common file data, and first file data; a second volume image including a second software wherein the second volume image includes the common file data and second file data which is different from the first file data; a server; a first destination device; a second destination device; a shared network linking the server to the first and second destination devices; wherein the server is adapted to simultaneously transmit the common data to the first and second destination devices via the shared network; wherein the server simultaneously transmits the first file data to the first and second destination devices via the shared network and wherein the server simultaneously transmits the second file data to the first and second destination devices via the shared network; wherein the server simultaneously transmits the first volume image including the first software and the second volume image including the second software in a single image stream from which the first volume image and the second volume image can each be re-created by imaging; wherein the server simultaneously transmits first descriptive data to the first and second destination devices via the shared network, said first descriptive data identifying the common data and first file data of the first volume image; wherein the server simultaneously transmits second descriptive data to the first and second destination devices via the shared network, said second descriptive data identifying the common data and second file data of the second volume image; and wherein the first destination device stores only the common data and the first file data in response to the first descriptive data received from the server while simultaneously the second destination device stores only the common data and the second file data in response to the second descriptive data received from the server; wherein the server simultaneously, directly multicasts the common data, the first file data and the second file data to both the first and second destination devices and wherein the first destination device re-creates the first volume image from the common file data and the first file data simultaneously while the second destination device re-creates the second volume image from the common data and the second file data.