Identifying Inventory Requirements for Image-based Installations

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

Before you can plan and design a deployment that uses image-based installation, you need to update your hardware and software inventories to identify hardware and software that can affect the way you perform an image-based installation and verify that all hardware and software is compatible with the new operating system. If you do not take this hardware and software into account while you are planning and designing an image-based installation, the installation might fail.

The hardware and software described in this section must be listed in your hardware and software inventories. If you do not already have hardware and software inventories, you must create them before you can plan and design your image-based installation. For more information about creating a hardware or software inventory, see "Planning for Deployment" in Planning, Testing, and Piloting Deployment Projects of this kit.

Figure 3.2 shows the process that you must follow to ensure that your hardware and software inventories are up-to-date and contain the information you need to design an image-based installation.

Figure 3.2   Identifying Inventory Requirements