[ris] Tips for beginners

[tarquel]

ahhh interesting to know - thanks.

 

In line with that - my latest UA XP CD is fully auto except for in the middle of it when it comes to installing the latest Media player 10 build [MP10setup.exe] it asks whether you want to continue to install it because System Restore is off [its off because windows hasnt finished installing I'd guess].

 

Any idea whether this would affect the RIS client install and as a side point, any ideas on making it "not" ask that generally when using a UA CD? lol

 

Cheers

Nath

[ChrisH]

I use the MP10 package for RyanVMs integrator and it doesnt ask any questions.

[tarquel]

Do you use a slipstreamed source which you then add to RIS then Chris?

 

Thats what I'm working on now quickly - well, updating it a bit since the new updates last Tues, and trying to figure the Media Player bit too.

 

The trouble i would imagine is that if I install it after the hotfixes are installed, the hotfixes wont install as there is no Media player 10 installed.

 

But I might test that theory tho.

 

I use XPCREATE [http://xpcreate.com] to slipstream - works great - and recently tried BTS's DriverPacks [http://www.driverpacks.net] which is awesome.

 

If anyone is interested on this, PM me ad I'll start a new thread and a make a little FAQ up The writer of XPCREATE is probably a guy like us, and in the past year hasnt had a chance to update it or respond on the forum - as he was nice to me in letting me have the comercial version for nothing [when he was doing that side of things] I like to help with it where i can - support wise

 

EDIT: but in the meantime, I've done a nice post here: http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?s=&showtopic=66295&view=findpost&p=466404

 

anyway, sorry to digress [slaps his own hands yet again].

 

Nath

[ChrisH]

I use A slipstream XP sp2 source. I then Use the Ryan VM integrator to put in the windows updates + the MP 10 pack. I use BTs driver packs but have found I needed to add some drivers as well myself. I also use Nlite to chop out all the extra languages and stuff to make the source smaller.

I use Rogue Spears Autoris script to help me do all this as well.

[tarquel]

Gotcha

 

anyhow....

 

Next RIS question please

 

Nath

[E1uSiV3]

You can deploy WMP using group policy and this tool

[Quackers]

Yes but you have to do that everytime you install it. This way may take a little longer initially but saves time later. I guess at the end of the day though its down to personal preference.

 

I'm confused. When i redo a RIS on that same PC, it knows what the PC name is and where it belongs just select Automatic setup. Its only the first time out of the box you would have to set the PC name, which is less hassle then typing in a PC name and the long GUID.

 

Have i got the wrong end of the stick? but the idea of typing in the GUID's for every PC seems like a very long winded task when RIS does it automatically for you the first time you use RIS on a client PC.

 

No it doesn't. RIS reads the GUID\MAC address straight from the motherboard. It does this to check whether you computer is on a managed account. If you prestage the computer i.e. create the account and manually enter the MAC adress or GUID, then when you log onto RIS on the client computer it will automatically show the computers name before imaging starts. If the computer is not prestaged it will give it some random name (RIS1, RIS2, RIS3 etc).

 

Do you get this screen when you do a RIS install?

 

http://www.microsoft.com/library/media/1033/technet/images/prodtechnol/windows2000serv/deploy/depopt/remote08_big.gif

 

If you select custom setup rather than automatic you can enter a computer name. It will then create a computer account on the server put the GUID in the Managed computer field for you put it into the OU you specify in the RIS client setup screen so it saves time manually creating computer accounts and typing the GUID when RIS does all that for you. It only does the RIS1, RIS2, RIS3 random name thing like you say when you select Automatic setup and it has no GUID data in Active diretcory for that PC. As long as you do custom setup for the first time out of the box, you can use Automatic setup in future as it will know what the PC name is from the GUID.

[tarquel]

I use A slipstream XP sp2 source. I then Use the Ryan VM integrator to put in the windows updates + the MP 10 pack. I use BTs driver packs but have found I needed to add some drivers as well myself. I also use Nlite to chop out all the extra languages and stuff to make the source smaller.

I use Rogue Spears Autoris script to help me do all this as well.

 

Sorry - forgot to ask you after doing all this, you use that XP CD/build for the base OS installation files that RIS asks for during the initial setup, or should I just use a non-automated XP CD with just SP2 and the hotfixes in it?

 

About to setup RIS shortly so any quick advice on which is fine would be great.

 

Cheers

Nath

[tarquel]

Should you use a unmodified XP SP2 for the base image or a customised and/or updated one?

 

and another question is:

 

Can I deploy the image on a target machine, install the drivers and Office and other applications, then send it back to the RIS server as a seperate image? [or somthing like this]

 

The latter is because with our setup, we have different machines and different applications and I dont fully understand whats to do [*points and laughs at himself*].

 

Severely running out of time now - any help welcome.

Nath

[Dos_Box]

Should you use a unmodified XP SP2 for the base image or a customised and/or updated one?

 

Ideally you should use an unmodified disc. Slipstreamed disks are acceptable (I use them)

 

Can I deploy the image on a target machine, install the drivers and Office and other applications, then send it back to the RIS server as a seperate image? [or somthing like this]

 

Yes. This is how you are supposed to use RIS. It is known as RIPPREPing.

[GrumbleDook]

We have the following methods for RIS and imaging.

 

A machine is prepared to go into a room, fully patched, all required apps for that room. We then RIPPREP it and send it back to the server.

 

If we have to install any applications we then move those computers into a sub OU and deploy the application to it until we can prepare a new image.

[tarquel]

Can I deploy the image on a target machine, install the drivers and Office and other applications, then send it back to the RIS server as a seperate image? [or somthing like this]

 

Yes. This is how you are supposed to use RIS. It is known as RIPPREPing.

 

Any good guides to this?

 

@tony:

 

Gotcha - I've got most deployable by a batch script [as some are the usual custom software that has never been anywhere near a msi lol] but of course, but through Software Deployment / OU's would be sooo much better - Office is the main one, as we have different versions on different machines unfortunately.

 

Any examples are welcome

 

Nath.

[ChrisH]

Riprep is easy. You install from a flat RIS image to begin with then you add all the software you want. Then browse to your ris share and in the admin folder you will find the program for the riprep wizard. Run that and sitback.

When you go to install a PC next time you will ahve an extra option.

I have had strange behaviour with drivers with riprep though so I have stuck to flat images.

Specifically you could image the machine and a normal user would log on and it would work fine but would want to "install" the hard drive which they couldnt but it would work fine anyways. Then when an admin logs on the hard drive gets installed properly reboot BSOD .

Nobody could provide an explanation at the time so I stuck with flat installs. RIPREP is faster as it is basically file copy, a quick thrashing then its ready to run. The flat method takes longer with all the installing and such but I find it more flexible.

[tarquel]

The only thing is about joining to the domain - when and how? to install Office and such, I use batch files [as i mentioned above etc] so of course, i'd need to be attached to the domain to install the software.

 

At what point should I run the ripprep wizard?

 

I'm gonna use [with AutoRIS] just a image of the SP2 disc [a slipstreamed one with only SP2 on it] and then use RVM's stuff - as directed. Use the M2 helper and BTS's LAN DriverPack, and intergrate the NIC drivers's of AutoRIS.

 

And something else - which I've just forgot hehe

 

Nath

[ChrisH]

Typically your computer account should be in an OU with a GPO assigned to it to install the version of office you want. In an ideal world the assigned software should start installing when the machine first boots after the riprepping stuff has finished installing. That is not always the case though and a reboot is sometimes needed to get the GPO stuff to catch up. I would probably in that case make the machine reboot with a runonce entry.

When mine install the last thing to run is a registry defragger that does an auto reboot when its done.

As for joining the domain it should be in the script the riprep produces I think if not check out Dos_Box post in the How do you do it section and there is a guide and example answer files in there.

[tarquel]

http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?s=&showtopic=57941&view=findpost&p=471803

 

is my new problem.

 

The autoRIS way worked great and I've got everything ready to use ripprep to send a image back to the server - only, it doesnt, and says the image is not the same - despite the odd fact that I havent changed anything [on the server] since installation :S

 

Really wish I hadnt bothered tho the machine's setup is great and is configured nicely - jsut a shame I cant deploy it *tears hair out madly*

 

Nath

[Dos_Box]

The link is broken. Can anyone attach AutoRIS here for me to look at please?

[ajbritton]

... and says the image is not the same - despite the odd fact that I havent changed anything [on the server] since installation

 

Sounds to me like an update/hotfix has modified the kernel on your image so the version no longer matches the vanilla image.

[tarquel]

I was thinking the same thing ajb, except that the base image i setup earlier today and client was installed afterwards - in order to ripprep it [with Office 2k3 & various apps] and send it back to the rest of the machines I have to install - just wonder if the client has the problem i.e. that there is some hotfix installed that has changed the kernal version like you say :S

 

Wonder if google will produce any results lol

 

Thanks

Nath

autoris152.rar

[ajbritton]

Are you applying hotfixes / windows updates to your image prior to riprep?

[Dos_Box]

Looking at the .reg files it seems that there are enough changes there to make it seem that windows is not the same as the one you installed from, and if you have got the .sif file configured incorrectly then the serial number may be off.

[tarquel]

Are you applying hotfixes / windows updates to your image prior to riprep?

 

Basically, this is how AutoRIS [http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=57941] works:

 

First thing to do is add a OS on RIS [as normal] i.e.

 

I added a XP SP2 [slipstreamed] CD [i actually copied the files from the CD to a place on the server, specifically for RIS].

 

Then from a workstation, I setup autoris, gave it the right parameters in the config files etc and let it run.

 

What this initial process does is make a copy of the RIS OS [i386 > i386-original] and then copy down this directory to the workstation's autoris directory.

 

It then applies RyanVM's Post-SP2 hotfix pack [http://www.ryanvm.net] and some other extras like the dotnet framework 1.1 and so on., and also applies BTS' driverpacks [i used all of them except massstorage and everything was installed and recognised when I looked at My Computer - which was nice ] if desired.

 

The next part of the process allows you to run nlite to remove things like languages and keyboard layouts. I dont think this would change the OS ver somehow - as all it does is remove / add components. I have been pretty careful not to remove too much or remove certain aspects that would mess up things.

 

It then combines finshes off and sends the image back to the server [remember the i386-original is the one created by RIS when i added XP SP2 which has been renamed] as i386.

 

It then informs you [well it doesnt - I've altered it because it wouldnt automatically restart the BINL service with 2003 servers - named different or somthing] to restart the Remote Installation service and click OK.

 

Then you can boot a PC - press F12 and try it.

 

Interestingly, I notice that there is both i386 and i386-original in the RIS images list. Anyone know why? - and I wonder if this has something to do with it.

 

Depending on what you have chosen, it will automatically install XP,the drivers and hotfixes and do some other neato processes like defrag and registry optimising, and you end up with a machine joined on the domain waiting for input hehe

 

When i was installing Office and stuff - in preparation for riprep - i did install dotnet2.0 <- could this be the key ingredient to why I'm getting the error? Might try uninstalling it to see hehe

 

I know alot of you may think that it causes too many probs, but its really handy and I'm sure its workable - guess I should leap before I can walk tho

 

Regards

Nath

[Dos_Box]

TBH it's becuase it chnages your client image. That is why it does not work. Try creating a basic RIS client. Install all of your drivers, software etc and upload it back to the server. Downlload this again and use AutoRIS. I think that because you are trying to throw back an altered CD based image it is having a hissy fit. If you leave the CD image intact and change one you have created from that image I suspect you will be fine. The intial CD based image is ascred and should not be touched or alterd in any way. This is where your problems stem from I think.

[tarquel]

lol his guide explains what it does I forgot to say hehe

 

http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=57218

 

[whats TBH mean btw? lol]

 

Nath.

[Dos_Box]

To Be Honest