Described is a system and method in which software images including
updates are provided as packages. The package is self-describing, thereby
facilitating the replacement of only component parts of an image. A
software build process maps operating system features (comprising files,
metadata, configuration information and so forth) into the packages, and
executable code is processed for relocation purposes. The final package
includes a device manifest file that describes the package and conveys
dependency information and information about the priority of settings
(shadow data).
