[mdt] Full Automation

[GRitchie]

Hello all,

I currently have WDS/MDT set up and software such as silverlight, framework, office and SP1 are all installers on the MDT.

The problem is, I'm having to 'next' my way through these and I'd prefer to just leave them and walk away, come back and they're done!

 

Any ideas how I can make these more automated?

 

I have a script that I manually run afterwards also that installs all msi's, printers and adjusts some system settings. This is fully automated.

[free780]

In your custom settings.INI you can state which applications your want per task sequence. You can then add SkipApplications=YES

[GRitchie]

In your custom settings.INI you can state which applications your want per task sequence. You can then add SkipApplications=YES

But I DO want it to install the software, just automatically...

[strawberry]

It does, the skip function stops the popup asking you.

[GRitchie]

It does, the skip function stops the popup asking you.

OHHH! I see, so I set SkiApplications=YES and it will just install them automagically?

[free780]

If the applications are defined in the customsetttings.INI or in the task sequence.

[free780]

[settings]Priority=TaskSequenceID, Default

 

 

[Default]

SkipApplications=YES

 

 

[1]

OSDNetworkJoinType=0

DomainAdmin=%UserID%

DomainAdminDomain=

DomainAdminPassword=%UserPassword%

JoinDomain=

MachineObjectOU=

Applications001={}

FinishAction=RESTART

 

In your task sequence do this.

 

 

This will mean mdt will process any rules you place under the tasks sequence (You can do additional things not just applications). I'm assuming your task sequence ID id 1 here. After you being the deployment it will know to install the application.

 

To make it really easy create an application bundle and then add the application you want per room etc. Then add the application bundle to customsettings.ini .

 

See deployvista.com > Home - Settings per Task Sequence using MDT 2010 .

[GRitchie]

In your task sequence do this.

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]26595[/ATTACH]

 

This will mean mdt will process any rules you place under the tasks sequence (You can do additional things not just applications). I'm assuming your task sequence ID id 1 here. After you being the deployment it will know to install the application.

 

To make it really easy create an application bundle and then add the application you want per room etc. Then add the application bundle to customsettings.ini .

 

See deployvista.com > Home - Settings per Task Sequence using MDT 2010 .

 

I may have done this wrong, I did this and set the 'SkipApplications' to YES.

All this did was skip the step in the image options and didn't install any software...

[sted]

with stuff like Silverlight you just need to know the switches to install it silently so rather than a task sequence that says Silverlight.exe it would say Silverlight.exe /qb /quiet or whatever that particular programme needs as its silent install switches put that in and it will install without user interaction

[GRitchie]

with stuff like Silverlight you just need to know the switches to install it silently so rather than a task sequence that says Silverlight.exe it would say Silverlight.exe /qb /quiet or whatever that particular programme needs as its silent install switches put that in and it will install without user interaction

 

Okay, so I run a script afterwards to do silent software (MSI) but I could add this .exe for silverlight to the batch script and it has silent switches?

[sted]

Okay, so I run a script afterwards to do silent software (MSI) but I could add this .exe for silverlight to the batch script and it has silent switches?

 

you can add it to mdt as a package or as a script anyway you want but without the silent switches however you do it it will ask for user input

[GRitchie]

you can add it to mdt as a package or as a script anyway you want but without the silent switches however you do it it will ask for user input

 

Okay, I've added it to my script (along with Framework) and I'll see how that goes!

 

I feel I've configured MDT in a bad way, but I'm not sure, probably would need a good looking at to diagnose the problems!!

[sted]

Okay, I've added it to my script (along with Framework) and I'll see how that goes!

 

I feel I've configured MDT in a bad way, but I'm not sure, probably would need a good looking at to diagnose the problems!!

 

tbh im not sure there is a bad setup as much as one that dosent make sense to other people. I know I do it different from other people at work they create a task per pc type to ONLY get the correct drivers ive got a cleverer ay that when it works means it only gets the right drivers but when it fails it gets no drivers for instance

[MordyT]

What you want to do is add them As a mandatory package. You need the GUID (listed in the package screen) and add it to the customsettings.ini

[GRitchie]

What you want to do is add them As a mandatory package. You need the GUID (listed in the package screen) and add it to the customsettings.ini

I feel I've done this, it does then install the program, but it still requires user input?

I would like for it to be automated

[AlexB]

Depending on how much you want to automate you can skip absolutely everything, including press f12 (but risky).

 

Just briefly, configuring skipping f12 is in the WDS setting, not MDT.

 

You can skip the initial login screen and selecting keyboard language by editing bootstrap.ini (In GUI, edit Bootstrap.ini in Rules tab). The keyboard below is English UK

 

[settings]
Priority=Default

[Default]
DeployRoot=\\xxxx.yyyy.zzzz\DeploymentShare$

SkipBDDWelcome=YES

KeyboardLocalePE=0809:00000809

UserID=xxxxx
UserDomain=xxxx
UserPassword=xxxxx

 

All the rest is covered by CustomSettings.ini (or Rules tab in GUI) I know some of this has been covered above, but as I'm posting my whole CustomSettings.ini I can't help that.

 

All regional setting are English UK.

 

The one catch I found was the computer name. There are other ways to do this, like a database, but for us, almost all imaging just uses the computer's existing name. So the UserExit=UserExit.vbs and OSDComputername=#GetOfflineComputername()# lines use a vb script to find the computer's name and then use it. The UserExit.vbs goes into the Scripts folder in the deployment share. (attached)

 

[settings]
Priority=Default
Properties=MyCustomProperty

[Default]
UserExit=UserExit.vbs
OSDComputername=#GetOfflineComputername()#
SkipBDDWelcome=YES
OSInstall=YES
OrgName="xxxx"
FullName="yyyy"
SkipTimeZone=YES
TimeZone=085
TimeZoneName=GMT Standard Time
SkipLocaleSelection=YES
GeoID=0XF2
UserLocale=en-gb
KeyboardLocale=0809:00000809
SkipUserData=YES
SkipCapture=YES
DoCapture=NO
UserDataLocation=NONE
SkipAppsOnUpgrade=YES
SkipProductKey=YES
SkipBitLocker=YES
DeploymentType=NEWCOMPUTER
DoNotCreateExtraPartition=YES
SkipAdminPassword=YES
AdminPassword=xxxx
;ComputerName=yyyy

 

In theory you don't need to specify a join account. However, I found that if I skipped the display of join domain then it didn't work unless I the specified a join account too.

SkipDomainMembership=YES
JoinDomain=xxxx.yyyy.zzzz
DomainAdmin=xxxx
DomainAdminDomain=xxxx.yyyy.zzzz
DomainAdminPassword=yyyy

 

 

This is just a simple example of how you could branch based on Architecture (or something else). There are other ways to do this. Otherwise just take one of these sections and include it in the [Default] section.

Subsection=%Architecture%

[X86]
SkipTaskSequence=YES
TaskSequenceID=W7_SP1
SkipApplications=YES
Applications001={1182ad04-4c82-46fc-94b7-10d00cb47d7b}
StagingOU=OU=newcomputers,OU=yyy,OU=zzz,DC=xxx,DC=yyy,DC=zzz
MachineObjectOU=OU=newcomputers,OU=yyy,OU=zzz,DC=xxx,DC=yyy,DC=zzz
SkipFinalSummary=YES
FinishAction=RESTART
SkipComputerName=YES
SkipSummary=YES

[X64]
SkipTaskSequence=YES
TaskSequenceID=W7_SP1_X64
SkipApplications=YES
Applications001={53130268-7b94-4a7e-98bf-64f90bc51511}
StagingOU=OU=newcomputers_x64,OU=yyy,OU=zzz,DC=xxx,DC=yyy,DC=zzz
MachineObjectOU=OU=newcomputers_x64,OU=yyy,OU=zzz,DC=xxx,DC=yyy,DC=zzz
SkipFinalSummary=YES
FinishAction=RESTART
SkipComputerName=YES
SkipSummary=YES

 

The MachineObjectOU is only used if the computer did not previously exist in the AD, otherwise the existing OU is used.

 

 

As you can see this skips everything and leaves the computer at the ctrl+alt+del screen at the end.

UserExit.vbs

Edited September 29, 2014 by AlexB

[MordyT]

I feel I've done this, it does then install the program, but it still requires user input?

I would like for it to be automated

That's based on your package. If the package is scriptable as no input needed, it will not require any user input. Otherwise you should repack it as silent with advanced installer.

 

All this does is take MDT out of asking if it wants to install it

[garethEds]

I suggest anyone playing with MDT 2010 purchases the Deployment books. This is the one we started with. It took us from zero to hero in an afternoon.

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Deployment-Fundamentals-Deploying-Windows-Clients/dp/1451570031/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1412027938&sr=8-3&keywords=Deployment+fundamentals

 

Volume 5 is now out which deals with MDT2013, Server 2012r2 and Windows 8/8.1 - it's on order with us so once it arrives... Wahey.

 

GJE