Packaging Windows 2000 for Systems Management Server

When you use Systems Management Server to deploy Windows 2000, you must put the Windows 2000 files into an SMS package. You need to create separate packages for Windows 2000 Server and Windows 2000 Professional. SMS 2.0 includes predefined packages for Windows 2000 Server and Professional. These can be used as the starting point to create your Windows 2000 packages.

For each package, SMS obtains the files from a distribution folder. For more information about structuring distribution folders, see "Automating Server Installation and Upgrade" in this book. You must structure the distribution folder as described in that chapter, and include all the auxiliary files required to complete the upgrade, such as the Plug and Play device drivers and answer files. You can even include standard applications, language packs, and service packs.

Each predefined Windows 2000 SMS package also contains SMS programs. Each program is a different combination of options that you create for installing the Windows 2000 package. For example, your default program might be to install Windows 2000 with no user intervention. If you want to allow power users to choose options, they need an additional program. All these SMS programs must be compatible with the set of files for the package available at the distribution folder.