ryanjoachim Posted February 1, 2017 Posted February 1, 2017 Hey all - I'm in the progress of testing out WDS/MDT as a replacement for SmartDeploy as our imaging solution. I've seen lots of tips and tricks suggesting installing stock Windows (whichever version you want) onto VMWare/HyperV and setting it up how you want it. Then using WDS to sysprep and create an image out of it. Is this the method you've found that works best? Any tricks you've used to make your life easier with WDS/MDT? Thanks! Ryan J.
synaesthesia Posted February 1, 2017 Posted February 1, 2017 As it stands at the moment I see very little reason to add anything to the image. We have a few bits and bobs in our main image but the only thing that's a necessity is the fix for windows 7 libraries. There's a couple of bits I'll be throwing in the windows 10 image (or removing, more to the point) but other than that I'll be leaving SCCM to do it's thing. In the schools i look after running MDT, they're also entirely stock images with nothing added except the latest update rollup to take some of the time/pain out of rebuilding. 1
ryanjoachim Posted February 1, 2017 Author Posted February 1, 2017 How do you handle drivers for different systems? Where do you get your driver packs (if you go that route)?
synaesthesia Posted February 1, 2017 Posted February 1, 2017 Just add the drivers into MDT/SCCM as you need. If you're a single architecture estate (i.e. all 64bit) it makes life a lot easier too, once you've got a few intel chipsets, graphics, gigabit lan drivers etc they mostly take care of themselves. Plus, windows update is oddly good at drivers these days. 1
markwilfan Posted February 2, 2017 Posted February 2, 2017 If you use sccm you can even use it to slipstream the updates in. We use thin images like this too. Make moving os version much easier
markwilfan Posted February 2, 2017 Posted February 2, 2017 If you use sccm you can even use it to slipstream the updates in. We use thin images like this too. Make moving os version much easier. All software is installed post deploy
Ragu Posted February 2, 2017 Posted February 2, 2017 Capturing using MDT always given me error. I have read lots of forum it's look like a common error unless it has been fixed in the last 3 month. One thing I did not do something correct was I uninstalled all the games and changed some of the default settings but when I captured using WDS. Settings and uninstalled win 10 games still there. What did I do wrong ?
markwilfan Posted February 2, 2017 Posted February 2, 2017 Best ti use dism to remove them from the initial install wim I think
Fazza Posted February 2, 2017 Posted February 2, 2017 We have a Staff Standard Build and a Student Standard Build which consist of the OS with Office along with any programs everyone uses (and are either open source/free or site licenced) and then anything extra a room has (such as Minecraft EDU in 3 rooms) is part of a task sequence in SCCM. We used to add drivers to SCCM and let it handle installing them as part of the deployment but that was hit and miss on some of the laptops we have so I now add the drivers to the task sequence as a Program that silently installs. It works very well for us and by installing a load of software in to our standard builds it negates any issues with the task sequence occurring so not much to check after it's completed.
sted Posted February 2, 2017 Posted February 2, 2017 with win 7 installed updated office etc on a vm and then (snapshot) use a sysprep and wds to capture (mdt itself does seem to error capturing more often than id like and doing it manually via wds is barely any extra work) win 10 i just use the base wim file as is and then script remove any apps i dont want as part of my mdt task 1
ryanjoachim Posted February 2, 2017 Author Posted February 2, 2017 Unfortunately SCCM isn't an option for me (just too much money for the size of our operation). It's going well so far, except for actually deploying a test image. It deploys, but then the machine reboots into an error screen referring to "iastor.sys" being missing. I just manually added the iastor drivers and rebuilt the WinPE wims, so we'll see if that helps.
LeMarchand Posted February 2, 2017 Posted February 2, 2017 I've seen lots of tips and tricks suggesting installing stock Windows (whichever version you want) onto VMWare/HyperV and setting it up how you want it. Then using WDS to sysprep and create an image out of it. Is this the method you've found that works best? That's what I do - fat image on Hyper-V with everything except stuff installed/updated by GPO. Checkpoint before sysprep to avoid hitting sysprep limit, capture. I do like the idea of a base image with post image installation, but too much legacy software. 2
Katy Posted February 2, 2017 Posted February 2, 2017 I use MDT and just deploy the WIM off the install media, then everything else is scripted via either command line run as part of the task sequence (e.g. removing all the modern apps) or installed via group policy (simple MSIs) or startup script (more complicated MSIs and EXE based installers). Used to build a reference PC then capture it using WDS and then importing the image into MDT (couldn't get MDT's capture to work). 1
Fazza Posted February 3, 2017 Posted February 3, 2017 Unfortunately SCCM isn't an option for me (just too much money for the size of our operation). It's going well so far, except for actually deploying a test image. It deploys, but then the machine reboots into an error screen referring to "iastor.sys" being missing. I just manually added the iastor drivers and rebuilt the WinPE wims, so we'll see if that helps. SCCM is free. It's just the CALs you have to buy (ours come as part of our Microsoft Licensing Agreement) I guess if you dont have them as part of your licensing and are a very large School/Academy then the cost may be too high which is a shame as we dont know how we'd live without it as it's great!
gh5000 Posted February 3, 2017 Posted February 3, 2017 SCCM is free Can you tell me why you think it's free? I get the Core CAL part has the Client Management Licenses and the core cals are included with a EduDesktop agreement so most schools have this already. But the System Centre Server license (which is a general purpose license that may cover one of Config Manager, Data Protection, Operations Man) - more specifically the Server management license is an additional product on EES and is licensed as standard or datacentre per 2 processors. Would love if I'm wrong but I understood it to be this way.
Fazza Posted February 3, 2017 Posted February 3, 2017 Can you tell me why you think it's free? I get the Core CAL part has the Client Management Licenses and the core cals are included with a EduDesktop agreement so most schools have this already. But the System Centre Server license (which is a general purpose license that may cover one of Config Manager, Data Protection, Operations Man) - more specifically the Server management license is an additional product on EES and is licensed as standard or datacentre per 2 processors. Would love if I'm wrong but I understood it to be this way. The reason I 'think' it's free is because it costs £0 to install it on the server. However, you cannot use it unless you have paid for the correct amount of CALs. In effect the cost of SCCM must be built in to the cost of CALs which for businesses it's quite a bit, but for Education the cost of the CALs are not that bad. If I remember correctly, the cost of putting SQL on the SCCM server (as long as it's just for SCCM) is also 'free' (as long as you buy the CALs).
PotNoodleTech Posted February 3, 2017 Posted February 3, 2017 I',m watching this thread as I need to start building a nice new spangly W10 image and I aint built an image since I did my windows 7 one in 2012! #rusty 1
jmak Posted February 3, 2017 Posted February 3, 2017 IIRC, the CALs can be included in your EES/OVS agreement based on staff FTE rather than the number of clients (as long as you're not 1:1 on pupil devices). We don't have the SCCM CALs as it added about 20% to our agreement - we have the desktop package which includes client OS, Office and server CALs.
ITGuyNW Posted February 3, 2017 Posted February 3, 2017 Yeah I tend to have a base image in VMware that I update every quarter. I take a copy of it, sysprep it and add it to WDS. Easy enough. 1
sted Posted February 3, 2017 Posted February 3, 2017 IIRC, the CALs can be included in your EES/OVS agreement based on staff FTE rather than the number of clients (as long as you're not 1:1 on pupil devices). We don't have the SCCM CALs as it added about 20% to our agreement - we have the desktop package which includes client OS, Office and server CALs. dont you also need sql lics as well?
gh5000 Posted February 3, 2017 Posted February 3, 2017 (edited) dont you also need sql lics as well? If the SQL is on the SCCM server and is purely for SCCM to function (ie doesn't do SIMS at the same time) then its free EDIT - it's not free, its included Edited February 3, 2017 by gh5000
gh5000 Posted February 3, 2017 Posted February 3, 2017 The reason I 'think' it's free is because it costs £0 to install it on the server. However, you cannot use it unless you have paid for the correct amount of CALs. In effect the cost of SCCM must be built in to the cost of CALs which for businesses it's quite a bit, but for Education the cost of the CALs are not that bad. If I remember correctly, the cost of putting SQL on the SCCM server (as long as it's just for SCCM) is also 'free' (as long as you buy the CALs). Yes I agree with the above. The CALs allow you to manage desktops and users. ie WSUS to staff desktops, rollout FMS to users in your Finance OU, imaging non-server OS. But as soon as you start managing server operating systems - ie having SCCM manage windows updates on a server OS, or Endpoint protection on a Server OS - then you need to buy server management licenses as an additional product on EES. Or more simply with DPM, back up a server - need a DPM server ML. Back up a client desktop need a DPM client ML (included in the Enterprise CAL).... I THINK @Fazza - with MS licensing I always say 'I think'. I really would be shocked if the guy that makes MS licensing up could explain it coherently. And if what I say above is wrong it only means paying less £££
jmak Posted February 3, 2017 Posted February 3, 2017 dont you also need sql lics as well? My main point was that it's definitely not free.... I also thought that there was an extra server side licence required for SCCM, although as per posts above I think SQL license is included in the product, but I ruled it out just on the basis of the extra CAL costs.
gh5000 Posted February 3, 2017 Posted February 3, 2017 IIRC, the CALs can be included in your EES/OVS agreement based on staff FTE rather than the number of clients (as long as you're not 1:1 on pupil devices). We don't have the SCCM CALs as it added about 20% to our agreement - we have the desktop package which includes client OS, Office and server CALs. You have an EES agreement, with the EduDesktop pack @ about £30 per FTE staff???? If so, that should include the Client OS (Win 10 or below upgrade), Office 2016 or below ProPlus, and CoreCAL. CoreCAL includes Windows Server 2012 CAL, Exchange Server 2013 Standard CAL, Skype for Business Server 2015 Standard CAL, SharePoint Server 2013 Standard CAL, System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager Client Management License, and System Center 2012 R2 Endpoint Protection. My main point was that it's definitely not free.... I also thought that there was an extra server side licence required for SCCM, although as per posts above I think SQL license is included in the product, but I ruled it out just on the basis of the extra CAL costs. So are you sure you don't already have the correct CAL on your agreement. Unless you are referring to CAL costs of SQL for SCCM. If so there are no CALs needed for SQL specifically used for SCCM.
Arthur Posted February 3, 2017 Posted February 3, 2017 (edited) My main point was that it's definitely not free.... We got SCCM for free when we purchased our Windows Server Datacenter licenses as part of the CIS. It also included the CALs too. [b]OVS-ES Core Infrastructure Server (CIS) Data Centre[/b] All Language Licence with Software Assurance Pack OLV F 1 Year Additional Product 2 Processor (Additional Product Licence) - Academic - Volume Licence (Electronic Delivery) P/N: FUD-00820 (£299.27 each) Edited February 3, 2017 by Arthur 2
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