MDT Works Great but Removes WPA Key During Import

[PeterG]

We have set up MDT and i have got it working a treat, we are looking to re-image all our laptops (about 1500) this summer.

 

The image deploys brilliantly, i have created the wireless profile xml, MDT imports its fine using the netsh wlan command, however for some strange reason removes the wpa key so the laptops dont join the wireless.

 

If i do it manually using the same xml file after mdt has completed its fine and joins the network.

 

Any ideas Edugeekers ??

[PeterG]

Any takers ?

[featured_spectre]

Perhaps look at the image itself....why not have the file set in there ready and on first boot it runs?

[PeterG]

Thats true, i dont understand why MDT is removing the WPA key tho ?

[featured_spectre]

Probably because it doesn't like wpa...it does wep no problems....

[PeterG]

Ok, but that command pulls the xml in normally ok mdt runs it the same way just instead removes the wpa, Microsnot for you i suppose

[SYNACK]

Bundling encryption keys in images is considered insecure so depending on which stage of the deploy you are injecting it in it may well be being stripped out by the end of the sysprep specialisation. Just run it after deploy, maybe as a package if that would work.

[PeterG]

Thanks will try that, was using a command line task to run the netsh wlan import command and pointing it to the profile

[mavhc]

Are the keys in your xml plain text or encrypted, aiui win7 only outputs encrypted, but only imports plain text

[PeterG]

Its HEX encrypted

[chilbs]

You could use arubas opensource wificfg tool and a script to run during setup.

Chilbs

[PeterG]

Have you got a link ?

[chilbs]

Labs.arubanetworks.com

 

Look for wzc autoprovisioning

[PeterG]

Have you a example script ?

[chilbs]

Will post one later but if you run the exe directly the help window will come up

[chilbs]

Am at the conference was previously on my phone.

 

\\server\NETLOGON\WifiCfg_XP.exe -add /SSID:school /Authentication:WPA /Encryption:AES /NetworkKey:1234567890 /KeyIndex:1

 

cant seem to get to the help on 7 at the moment will repost when I do

[chilbs]

also look at this thread

 

http://www.edugeek.net/forums/scripts/34952-script-joining-wireless-networks-3.html

[PeterG]

Much thanks will look into in the morning dont really fancy adding wpa keys to 1000 laptops

[MatthewL]

Why do you not just add it in via group policy.

[PeterG]

You can't add WPA keys aspart of a GPO

[PeterG]

@Chilbs dont mean to sound daft, i have it downloaded but does seem to be working ? Windows 7 32-bit

[Arthur]

@PeterG. ZwLANCfg v2.1 doesn't support Windows 7 (for that you need v3.1 which isn't free). Instead I would try the Vista version of Aruba's WifiCfg (located in the "WzcAutoProvision\Components\WifiCfg\bin\Release" folder once you unzip it).

[PeterG]

Hi Arthur, thnaks for that will try just testing another method using netsh again but have exported the profile differently will post updates here.

[PeterG]

SUCCESS ! I have done it with the built in netsh command however i exported the key in plain text, here is the command to export:

 

netsh wlan export profile name="MyProfileName" folder=c:\Temp interface="Wireless Network Connection" key=clear

 

and to import using mdt:

 

netsh wlan add profile filename = "PATH TO XML" user=all

 

Thanks for all your help

[TheScarfedOne]

What we did was use the XP Wireless Network Wizard (yes it works on 7), create the settings; create a msi package to dump it at the root of C: and then run the setupsnk as part of our laptop build. You could autoit the OK to add wireless network - but I quite like seeing the prompt to know the build has completed ok

 

EDIT: See my blog for the scripts used to autorun at first boot after build. Applies to SCCM, but will equally work under MDT

Edited June 3, 2011 by TheScarfedOne
Typing on the train back from #egconf11 and failed with bumps!