Technologies Used to Enable Change and Configuration Management

IntelliMirror and Remote OS Installation are not discrete technologies in Windows 2000. These capabilities take advantage of a number of Windows 2000 technologies that you are probably already deploying. Table 24.1 illustrates the technologies needed to implement IntelliMirror and Remote OS Installation.

Table 24.1 Technologies Used to Enable IntelliMirror and Remote OS Installation

You can implement Remote OS Installation and IntelliMirror user data management, user settings management, and software installation and maintenance individually, or in any combination of two or three. You can also implement all four as an integrated change and configuration management solution designed to enable a fast, almost exact, automated computer replacement in case of an equipment failure.

Note

The replacement is described as "almost exact" because some users might store data files in an inappropriate location, which would prevent these files from being replicated on a server. In addition, extremely large files, such as certain mailbox or database files, are difficult to manage because of the amount of network bandwidth server disk space, and synchronization time required to maintain current copies on both a server and client computer.

Identifying Change and Configuration Management Needs and Opportunities

Windows 2000 change and configuration management features can help you address a number of management concerns. The following are typical situations where organizations will utilize IntelliMirror and Remote OS Installation:

• Configuring a computer for a new hire

• Installing and managing software

• Backing up corporate data

• Recovering from computer failure

These issues can apply to all of the advanced and basic types of user groups—mobile, roaming, remote, task-based, and knowledge-based—that were discussed in the chapter "Defining Client Administration and Configuration Standards." Use your Preferred Client Configuration and Client Administration plans as the foundation for your IntelliMirror and Remote OS Installation implementation plans. Your IntelliMirror and Remote OS Installation Implementation plans will extend these, and will help you fill the administrative and client needs that you identified earlier in your Windows 2000 deployment planning.

Key Background Information

The following background information is particularly important in planning for IntelliMirror and Remote OS Installation:

• How fast will your organization be migrating to Windows 2000 Professional and Windows 2000 Server?
  IntelliMirror and Remote OS Installation are available only on Windows 2000 Professional clients running under a Windows 2000 Server Active Directory–enabled infrastructure.

Note

Windows 2000 Terminal Services clients also can benefit from IntelliMirror and Remote OS Installation. Full Terminal Services clients cannot participate in software installation and maintenance because these applications must be installed on the Terminal Services client. Terminal Services clients running in Administrator mode can utilize software installation and maintenance. For more information about Terminal Services, see "Deploying Terminal Services" in this book.

• Do existing client computers meet the Remote Boot read-only memory (ROM) and Preboot Execution Environment (PXE) prerequisites for Remote OS Installation?
  IntelliMirror features do not require faster processors or more memory than are needed to run Windows 2000 Server and Windows 2000 Professional. However, to use Remote OS Installation, clients must have a supported network card or Remote Boot ROM version .99b or greater.

• What are the needs of your users? Do they roam from location to location? Do they use multiple computers? Are they frequently disconnected from the network? Do they have stable or constantly changing application requirements?
  Your goal should be to provide neither more nor fewer of these management features than users require. For more information about aligning IntelliMirror and Remote OS Installation to user needs, see the section "Selecting Change and Configuration Management Options for Your Organization" later in this chapter.

• How fast are your organization's network links? Are users frequently connecting over slow links? Do you have the network bandwidth capacity to support features such as automated software installation and upgrades?
  You will need to test and pilot your IntelliMirror and Remote OS Installation plans under all proposed usage patterns in order to determine how many servers and how much network capacity will be required to implement your change and configuration plans.

• How do you want computer accounts to be administered? Will users installing Windows 2000 Professional create their own computer accounts and customize their own operating system settings? Or does an IT person prestage computers by defining these accounts and settings in advance?
  Remote OS Installation supports both user-managed and IT-managed alternatives through a combination of Group Policy and security settings.

• Are client computers tightly or loosely managed? What are your most costly client administration problems? Can these problems be solved or alleviated using the change and configuration management technologies? How often do you upgrade existing applications or distribute new applications?
  If you have not collected data on these questions already, review the chapter "Defining Client Administration and Configuration Standards."

• Has an Active Directory and domain structure been deployed in your organization? What are the administrative and logical rationales behind your organization's Active Directory and domain structure? Also, have the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) and Domain Name Server (DNS) services been enabled in your organization?
  For more information about completing these portions of your IT infrastructure, see "Designing the Active Directory Structure" for important planning information that will help you lay a solid foundation for your change and configuration management plans.