Updating the Servicing Stack

The servicing stack includes the files and resources that are required to service a Windows image. This includes the Package Manager executable, the required servicing libraries, and other resources. The servicing stack is included in all Windows installations.

You do not need to update the servicing stack in your production environment. The servicing stack will be updated when you install Windows Vista SP1 online. Package Manager will detect and use the servicing stack in the image.

To enable offline servicing on RTM versions of Windows, the Windows OEM Preinstallation Kit (Windows OPK) and the Windows Automated Installation Kit (Windows AIK) include the RTM servicing stack in the \Tools\Servicing directory. This enables offline servicing of an RTM Windows image from a previous version of the operating system, such as Windows XP, or from Windows PE.

The 1.1 versions of the Windows OPK and AIK also includes an updated version of Package Manager (version 1.1) that can be used to service both RTM and SP1 Windows images. Certain packages require specific versions of the servicing stack. The 1.1 version of Package Manager includes the functionality to automatically detect which version of the servicing stack is required and uses it if it is present in the Windows image or the Windows OPK on the servicing platform (for RTM).

You cannot install a package that requires a later version of the servicing stack. If the required version of the servicing stack is not present, an error message will appear and the package will not be installed.

It is recommended that you keep your production environment updated with the latest version of the OPK or AIK deployment tools to ensure that the required servicing stack can be found.

See Also

Concepts

Phase 5: Image Maintenance
Install Windows Vista Service Pack 1