Applying the Properties to Groups of Computers

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Whenever possible, use group-based rules for most of your computer configuration settings. Group-based rules allow you to apply the same configuration settings to a group of client computers. After you apply group-based rules, you can apply computer-specific configuration settings through computer-based rules.

Figure 4 illustrates the steps in applying properties to groups of computers.

Figure 4. Steps in applying the properties to groups of computers

Figure 4. Steps in applying the properties to groups of computers

On This Page

Selecting the Method for Grouping Computers Selecting the Method for Grouping Computers
Applying the Properties to the Groups Applying the Properties to the Groups

Selecting the Method for Grouping Computers

You can group your client computers based on different methods. After you determine how you want to group computers, you can select the appropriate properties to help group the target computers.

Using the processing rules in BDD 2007, you can group computers based on any property that might be applied to a group of computers (such as Make, Model, DefaultGateway, and so on). Table 5 lists the methods of grouping computers, a description of the method, and the properties that you can use to group the computers.

Table 5. Methods for Grouping Computers

Grouping Method

Description

Properties

Geographically

Group configuration settings based on resources located within a geographic region (such as a shared folder on a computer within a geographic region).

DefaultGateway

Target computer hardware attributes

Group configuration settings based on hardware attributes (such as the make of the computer or processor architecture of the target computer).

Architecture

CapableArchitecture

Make

Model

HALName

Target computer software attributes

Group configuration settings based on hardware attributes (such as the operating system version of the target computer).

OSVersion

Default attributes

Apply configuration settings to all target computers when the properties are not located in other sections.

Default

In most instances, you can nest computer groupings. For example, the DefaultGateway property can be used to designate the IP subnets on which a computer resides within a geographic location. You can define locations by using the user-defined properties in the [DefaultGateway] section as shown in Listing 4.

Note   When grouping computers by hardware configuration, you can use a variety of methods, and the script searches for the substituted value. For instance, if you specify Priority=Make, the script substitutes the value for Make that it determines through a Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) call and look for the corresponding section, for instance [Dell Computer Corporation].

Example: Computer Groupings Selected by Woodgrove

Listing 4 shows an example of how [DefaultGateway] can be used to designate the configuration settings for a specific location. Three subnets (172.16.0.3, 172.16.1.3, and 172.16.2.3) reside within the NYC location. A separate section, [NYC], includes the configuration settings that are specific to the NYC location. Similar sections exist for the DALLAS and WASHINGTON locations. This is a special case allowing multiple default gateways to point to the same section. In many environments, you might expect a one-to-one mapping between the [DefaultGateway] section and a corresponding section.

Listing 4. How [DefaultGateway] can be used to designate location-specific configuration settings

[DefaultGateway]
172.16.0.3=NYC
172.16.1.3=NYC
172.16.2.3=NYC
172.16.111.3=DALLAS
172.16.112.3=DALLAS
172.16.116.3=WASHINGTON
172.16.117.3=WASHINGTON
[NYC]
UDShare=\\NYC-AM-FIL-01\MigData
SLShare=\\NYC-AM-FIL-01\Logs
Packages1=NYC00010-Install
Packages2=NYC00011-Install
Administrator1=WOODGROVEBANK\NYC Help Desk Staff
[DALLAS]
UDShare=\\DAL-AM-FIL-01\MigData
SLShare=\\DAL-AM-FIL-01\Logs
Administrator1=WOODGROVEBANK\DAL Help Desk Staff

Note   The complete source to the CustomSettings.ini file used in these examples can be found in “Basic CustomSettings.ini File for ZTI” in the Deployment Configuration Samples Guide.

Applying the Properties to the Groups

After you identify the ways you want to group configuration settings, you need to determine which properties and corresponding configuration settings you will apply to each group. Properties that can be grouped are properties that can be applied to multiple computers.

Some examples of properties that are typically applied to groups of computers include:

  • BackupDir

  • BackupShare

  • CaptureGroups

  • ComputerBackupLocation

  • Packagesx

  • SLShare

  • UDDir

  • UDShare

  • UDProfiles

Properties that are not applied to groups of computers are properties that are specific to a particular computer. Some examples of properties that are inappropriate to apply to groups of computers include:

  • AssetTag

  • HostName

  • IPAddress

  • OSDNewMachineName

  • SerialNumber

Example: Group-Based Configuration Settings Selected by Woodgrove

Listing 4 shows an example in which Woodgrove National Bank selects group-based configuration settings:

  • In the NYC and DALLAS locations, UDShare, SLShare, and Administrator1 are specified for each location.

  • The servers referenced by UDShare and SLSShare (NYC-AM-FIL-01 and DAL-AM-FIL-01) are within each respective location.

  • The administrator accounts referenced by Administrator1 (WOODGROVEBANK\NYC Help Desk Staff and WOODGROVEBANK\DAL Help Desk Staff) are unique to each respective location.

  • In NYC, location-specific packages are designated by Packages1 and Packages2.

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