Windows Deployment Services - the new RIS

[steve]

Just found this article about the up coming update to RIS.

 

More info about it here

 

Should be released before end of year with Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2.

[NetworkGeezer]

Should be released before end of year with Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2.

 

Phew! We don't have to wait for Long Drawn sorry I mean Longhorn Server.

[john]

I attended an event which discussed the new RIS earlier this year, and it looks good, its more functional than RIS and will give more features. I really fancy giving it a whurl and seeing if it actually will do everything it says. I hope it supports 2 NICs out of the box without hacking it as only being able to RIS on the curriculum system is annoying as machines that move to admin then go I cannot find the RIS box

[SCLOnlineTechnical]

Yoiu can actaully download WDS as part of the business desktop deployment suite of tools, I got as far as installing it playing with for about 30 mins before I had to get on with real work. Hopefully ggoing to have a proper play with it next week. You can run it in mixed mode which supports all your existing legacy RIS setup as well as the WDS stuff, I remenber I had a problem with WDS where the machine type detection didnt work correctly. AMD64 systems seemed to get assigned x64 images but some EMT64 capable intel 805 based systems were filtered through as x86, you are supposed to be able to turn the machine type filtering off through a reg key but the key in the document wasent present in the install. Hopefully I will have plenty of time next week to have a proper look.

 

Peter

[ITWombat]

@NetworkGeezer

The minmum requirements say Windows 2003 SP1 so the wait might be over

[SCLOnlineTechnical]

Its definatly worth an install maybe on a test box just to have a look at, although it has the mixed mode I wouls have some reservations about installing it on our main RIS server. Mind you the download is almost 1GB but its the full tool kit with PE 2.0 WAIK etc.