Windows deployment services questions

[PEO]

I feel its time I moved away from ghost and started to use windows deployment services.

 

My current setup is a mixture of server 2008/2003 and the workstations are all xp pro sp3

 

I would like to know the following answers if any one can help

 

Does windows deployment services have to go on a DC?

 

Can I deploy XP sp3?

 

How do you integrate all the latest ms updates in the xp image file?

 

Am I correct in saying Application deployment services is used along side WDS to push software out?

 

OK im new to this, so my questions are probably some what lame but I've looked all over the net and I can not get a straight forward answer followed by Howto's.

 

If any one can help me and point me in the correct direction I will greatfully appreciate it.

 

Cheers

 

Kev

 

P.S Im not intrested in using software such as FOG etc

[strawberry]

before you get to involved look at MDT , the microsoft deployment toolkit. Its how you create the images to be deployed, it contains its own deployment method as well so you may not need WDS. It will allow you to create an answerfile for a windows install and will allow you to add packages to deploy software.

[PEO]

Puting the day aside for development, so I will have a good read

[PEO]

eh.. Do I also need to install microsoft system centre 2007?

[aerospacemango]

You don't need System Centre, firstly!

 

I built a WDS server about 18 months ago....got it working perfectly. Since then, I have upgraded the server to 2008 R2, and installed Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIK) as well as Windows System Image Manager. These have all run well, but will get a proper workout over the coming months, as new kit comes in.

 

We started off with Vista builds, but due to technical failures with the O/S, we moved over to Windows 7, as soon as we could.

 

If you want to PM me, I'm happy to give you some pointers!

[plexer]

I started out just using WDS to capture and deploy images which I had created and sysprepped.

 

I've now moved onto using MDT2010 as well where you can import all the drivers for your pcs so as they are having XP SP3 installed they also get all of their drivers.

 

The MDT 2010 light touch image is booted from the WDS server.

 

It doesn't need to be on a DC and I would recommend that is isn't installed on a DC.

 

Windows updates can be done however you choose there is a script within MDT 2010 to do it but that doesn't work through a proxy, I use logistix packs which I download to the WDS server and then have a script to run the install after the image is deployed.

 

Ben

[PEO]

OK information is a little all over the place for me.

 

Im going to set it up on A Server 2008 box, what needs installing and in what order?

[SYNACK]

Just install MDT2010 and it will prompt you to download and install all the stuff you need, it automates lots of stuff and is the most sensible way to do Windows Deployments over multiple types of machines with a reasonable amount of automation. Even SCCM uses chunks of MDT in the background and adds a bunch more tools and complexity for that bit more automation.

[strawberry]

find a decent old box or a vm, install mdt, it'll ask for a few other downloads including waik which is a bit hefty. From there you then import your operating systems, and configure your unattend.txt file (loads on here can provide examples). you then import your apps and add the command line syntax for installing them ( or use a gui for office) , most of the details are on appdeploy ( this also means you have command line suntax to hand so can use something like psexec to run the commandline on a remote machine, thereby installing an app remotely). Again, we can help with that on here. You can then generate a cd to boot from on the new pc, this can either have all the info on it or can call back to the server for the files. then you select your os (or image) and which applications you want to install.

 

From there you can then to things like capture images etc etc, the only thing wds really adds to this is the ability to pxe boot and use multicast so far as i can see.

 

edit:// you also import the drivers en mass, so no more fiddling with the sysprep inf file!

[jsnetman]

I would start with the fundamentals. Setup a WDS server, get it working with DHCP and pxe boot for your clients, import your capture and boot images from Windows 7 source disk. Once that is done download and install WAIK, can't remember if it includes Windows SIM but am sure it does. After you have mastered those you could graduate onto MDT2010 if you feel a need to.

[Arthur]

Does windows deployment services have to go on a DC?

If you have a spare 2008 R2 server, you can even configure WDS to work in standalone mode.

 

http://www.deployvista.com/Blog/tabid/70/EntryID/129/language/en-US/Default.aspx

[Tricky_Dicky]

Is it worth setting up an SCCM server for deploying Windows 7 and then further updates or will WDS and MDT do the job for less money?

 

What are people using for deploying updates in windows 7?

 

Rich

[jsnetman]

We use WSUS

[PEO]

Im starting to put the the puzzel togeather now. by the looks of things I'm thinking about using SCCM

[jsnetman]

The only problem being you have to pay for SCCM and I don't think it comes cheap. If you are a school and have less than say 1000 pc's you only need WDS/WAIK and if you want you could use MDT2010 but is not essential which are all free. Edited June 16, 2010 by jsnetman

[sted]

at a basic level you can just use wds (im still looking at mdt2010 in my spare time and going through a book but i will only do it in work hours) just like ghost. Set up a pc as you want sysprep it then boot it off the network and copy the image to a server then network boot clients tell them to have the image and away you go (though atm i cant get it to name pcs as i want i can get username1 etc as pc names though and just rename later) and my newer sysprep files for xp still ask for computername and domain password to join but i believe it can be pretty automated i just havnt had chance to get that far. To start with you need wds (its slightly easier if you do it on the dhcp server but its not hard if it isnt) and a win7 dvd

 

once set up (and the defaults are pretty good though id move remote install to d rather than c) load the cosole and add win7dvd\sources\boot.wim as a boot image and name it windows deploy.

 

Then when thats done right click it and create capture image point it at d:\remote install and creat a capture folder then name the file. Depending on which server version you have it may ask if you want to import this image automatically or you may have to manually add it (same as the first image).

 

then go to install images and create some appropriate groups (say compaq 610 & dell 280 etc)

 

set up your workstaition as you want it and sysprep. pxe boot it into windows capture and follow the wizzard (its pretty self explanatory and as long as the nic drivers are in winpe and your network account has the right privilages then it pretty much next next next select group name image . . .

[SYNACK]

Is it worth setting up an SCCM server for deploying Windows 7 and then further updates or will WDS and MDT do the job for less money?

 

What are people using for deploying updates in windows 7?

 

MDT and WDS or even WDS on its own are totally capible of deploying Windows 7, SCCM just adds a whole bunch of extra managment tools and extentions for monitering and application deployment.

 

We also use WSUS for updates.

[PEO]

wsus never seems to work properly here, its a PITA. mind you we are using it on 2003. is it any better on 2008?

[ChrisH]

WSUS is pretty flawless for us on 2003 we are upgrading over the summer though.

[jsnetman]

I have seen a few post on here which say they roll out images without using sysprep /generalize, if you do do this WSUS will not work as all the machines have the same SID.

[SYNACK]

I have seen a few post on here which say they roll out images without using sysprep /generalize, if you do do this WSUS will not work as all the machines have the same SID.

 

It also causes problems with KMS server client counts and sometimes activations as I found out a while back on a batch of laptops.