Assign Applications Using Roles in MDT 2013

  • Article

Applies To: Windows 8.1

This topic will show you how to add applications to a role in the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) 2013 database and then assign that role to a computer. For the purposes of this topic, the application we are adding is Adobe Reader XI. In addition to using computer-specific entries in the database, you can use roles in MDT 2013 to group settings together.

In this topic

  • Create and assign a role entry in the database

  • Associate the role with a computer in the database

  • Verify database access in the MDT simulation environment

See also

Create and assign a role entry in the database

  1. On MDT01, using Deployment Workbench, in the MDT Production deployment share, expand Advanced Configuration and then expand Database.

  2. In the Database node, right-click Role, select New, and create a role entry with the following settings:

    1. Role name: Standard PC

    2. Applications / Lite Touch Applications:

    3. Install - Adobe Reader XI - x86

Figure 12. The Standard PC role with the application added

Associate the role with a computer in the database

After creating the role, you can associate it with one or more computer entries.

  1. Using Deployment Workbench, expand MDT Production, expand Advanced Configuration, expand Database, and select Computers.

  2. In the Computers node, double-click the PC00075 entry, and add the following setting:

    1. Roles: Standard PC

Figure 13. The Standard PC role added to PC00075 (having ID 1 in the database).

Verify database access in the MDT simulation environment

When the database is populated, you can use the MDT simulation environment to simulate a deployment. The applications are not installed, but you can see which applications would be installed if you did a full deployment of the computer.

  1. On PC0001, log on as CONTOSO\MDT_BA.

  2. Modify the C:\MDT\CustomSettings.ini file to look like the following:

    [Settings]
Priority=CSettings, CRoles, RApplications, Default

[Default]
_SMSTSORGNAME=Contoso
OSInstall=Y
UserDataLocation=AUTO
TimeZoneName=Pacific Standard Time 
AdminPassword=P@ssw0rd
JoinDomain=contoso.com
DomainAdmin=CONTOSO\MDT_JD
DomainAdminPassword=P@ssw0rd
MachineObjectOU=OU=Workstations,OU=Computers,OU=Contoso,DC=contoso,DC=com
SLShare=\\MDT01\Logs$
ScanStateArgs=/ue:*\* /ui:CONTOSO\*
USMTMigFiles001=MigApp.xml
USMTMigFiles002=MigUser.xml
HideShell=YES
ApplyGPOPack=NO
SkipAppsOnUpgrade=NO
SkipAdminPassword=YES
SkipProductKey=YES
SkipComputerName=NO
SkipDomainMembership=YES
SkipUserData=NO
SkipLocaleSelection=YES
SkipTaskSequence=NO
SkipTimeZone=YES
SkipApplications=NO
SkipBitLocker=YES
SkipSummary=YES
SkipCapture=YES
SkipFinalSummary=NO
EventService=http://MDT01:9800

[CSettings]
SQLServer=MDT01
Instance=SQLEXPRESS
Database=MDT
Netlib=DBNMPNTW
SQLShare=Logs$
Table=ComputerSettings
Parameters=UUID, AssetTag, SerialNumber, MacAddress
ParameterCondition=OR

[CRoles]
SQLServer=MDT01
Instance=SQLEXPRESS
Database=MDT
Netlib=DBNMPNTW
SQLShare=Logs$
Table=ComputerRoles
Parameters=UUID, AssetTag, SerialNumber, MacAddress
ParameterCondition=OR

[RApplications]
SQLServer=MDT01
Instance=SQLEXPRESS
Database=MDT
Netlib=DBNMPNTW
SQLShare=Logs$
Table=RoleApplications
Parameters=Role
Order=Sequence

  3. Using an elevated Windows PowerShell prompt (run as Administrator), run the following commands. Press Enter after each command:

    Set-Location C:\MDT
.\Gather.ps1

Figure 14. ZTIGather.log displaying the application GUID belonging to the Adobe Reader XI application that would have been installed if you deployed this machine.