In one embodiment, a computer accessible medium comprises instructions
which, when executed, check a first storage from which a computer system
is configured to boot for a block identified in a read request. The block
is included within an image of a set of software resources to be
provisioned on the computer system. If the block is stored in the first
storage, the instructions supply the block from the first storage in
response to the read request. Otherwise, the instructions: fetch the
block from an image repository system that stores the image; store the
block in the first storage; and supply the block in response to the read
request. In another embodiment, the instructions store a block identified
in a write request to the first storage. The instructions record that the
block is modified in the first storage with respect to the image stored
in an image repository system.