Preparing the Windows DS Server

When deploying to computers that SMS does not manage, initiate the image-installation process through Windows DS. In the BDD 2007 deployment process, the Windows DS servers are responsible for installing:

  • Windows PE on the target computers. Start Windows PE from Windows DS to prepare the computers for operating system image deployment.

  • Windows Vista on the target computers. Initiate a Windows Vista deployment directly from the Windows DS server.

Ensure that the Windows DS servers have the:

  • Appropriate flat file image structures.

  • Copies of the Windows PE images when they become available from the development team that creates them. These images may not be ready until the end of the Developing Phase.

To prepare the Windows DS server

  1. Select the Windows DS operation mode.

  2. Add images to the server running Windows DS.

  3. Pre-stage the target computers for Windows DS.

For more information about setting up and configuring the Windows DS server, see:

  • Windows Deployment Services Update , Step-by-Step Guide in the “Additional Resources” section of this guide.

  • Windows Deployment Services Help file, supplied with Windows DS.

On This Page

Selecting the Windows DS Operational Mode Selecting the Windows DS Operational Mode
Adding Images to the Windows DS Server Adding Images to the Windows DS Server
Pre-staging the Target Computers for Windows DS Pre-staging the Target Computers for Windows DS

Selecting the Windows DS Operational Mode

Windows DS is responsible for initiating the deployment process for Pre-Boot eXecution Environment (PXE) boot-enabled target computers. To use Windows DS for LTI, run Windows DS in Mixed mode or Native mode. Table 20 compares the operational modes of Windows DS.

Table 20. Windows DS Operating Modes

Mode

Description

Legacy

Functionally equivalent to Remote Installation Service (RIS). This configuration supports only:

  • OSChooser as the boot operating system.

  • Images created by RISSETUP and RISREP.

  • Administration by using the normal RIS tools.

Mixed

Allows compatibility with RIS and Windows DS. This configuration supports only:

  • OSChooser or Windows PE as the boot operating system.

  • Images created by RISSETUP, RISREP, or WIM.

  • Administration by using the normal RIS tools or Windows DS management tools.

Native

Provides only Windows DS–specific support and is incompatible with the SMS 2003 OSD Feature Pack and ZTI. This configuration supports only:

  • Windows PE as the boot operating system.

  • Images created by WIM.

  • Administration by using the Windows DS management tools.

For more information on configuring Windows DS to run in Mixed or Native modes, see:

  • Windows Deployment Services Update Step-by-Step Guide, which ships with Windows DS.

  • Windows DS Help files.

Adding Images to the Windows DS Server

The team created the operating system images that Windows DS uses in the “Adding Operating Systems” section of this guide. Place these images on the server running Windows DS so that Windows DS can use the images.

Windows DS supports the following types of images:

  • Install images. Install images are operating system images that are installed to client computers, which boot to a Windows DS server. The types of install images supported include:

    • WIM format. WIM is a new file format that contains one or more compressed Windows images. WIM files are file based rather than sector based, making it easier to update existing images. WIM files also use Single Instance Storage (SIS) technology, eliminating duplication of files within a WIM image.

    • RIPREP images. RIPREP images are legacy RIS images. Windows DS, in Legacy or Mixed mode, is capable of deploying RIPREP images. RIPREP images are both HAL dependent and language dependent, making them expensive to support.

    • RISETUP images. RISETUP images are the first image type from RIS. Essentially, they are a copy of the CD directory structure (i386 directory) on a file share on the RIS server. RISETUP images offer one main advantage over RIPREP images in RIS: They are not HAL dependent.

  • Boot images. Boot images are Windows PE images containing the Windows DS client and are used to present an initial boot menu when a client contacts a Windows DS server. The types of boot images supported include:

    • Setup images. These are the default image type when a boot image is exported from the Windows DS image store. When a client boots to a Setup image, Windows Setup is immediately invoked.

    • Capture images. These provide an alternative to the command-line utility ImageX.exe when capturing an image prepared with the System Preparation Tool (Sysprep). When a client boots to a capture image, the Windows DS Capture Utility is invoked and walks the user through capturing and adding a new image.

    • Discover images. These are Windows DS–aware boot images that may be copied to a CD for use when PXE boot services are not available. After booting to a discover image, the user is presented with the Windows DS client menu and continues Setup in the same manner as when a PXE boot occurs.

For more information on adding an install or boot image to the server running Windows DS, see the “Add an Image” topic in Windows DS Help, provided with Windows DS.

Pre-staging the Target Computers for Windows DS

PXE client computers may be pre-staged in Active Directory. When target computers are pre-staged, the computer accounts exist in Active Directory (also called known computers). Target computers that are not pre-staged do not have computer accounts in Active Directory (also called unknown computers).

Windows DS can be configured to respond to computers that are known or unknown. Depending on the Windows DS configuration, the team may need to pre-stage the target computers. Doing so authorizes Windows DS to deploy operating system images to the target computer.

Note   If Windows DS is configured to respond to any computer (known or unknown), this step is unnecessary.

To pre-stage the target computers for Windows DS

  1. Click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Active Directory Users and Computers.

  2. In the console tree, right-click organizational_unit (where organizational_unit is the name of the organizational unit that will contain the target computer), point to New, and then click Computer.

  3. In the New Object – Computer dialog box, in the Computer name box, type computer_name (where computer_name is the name of the target computer), and then click Next.

  4. In the Managed dialog box, select the This is a managed computer check box.

  5. In the Managed dialog box, in the Computer’s unique ID (GUID/UUID) box, type guid_uuid (where guid_uuid is the globally unique identifier/universally unique identifier (GUID/UUID) of the computer), and then click Next.

    For more information on locating the GUID for target computers, see “Locate the GUID for client computers” at https://technet2.microsoft.com/WindowsServer/en/library/c2d81caf-dd93-4f4b-bc2d-907c0413805c1033.mspx?mfr=true.

  6. In the Host server dialog box, select one of the following options, and then click Next:

    • Any available Remote Installation Services (RIS) server

    Selecting this option specifies that this client computer can be serviced by any RIS server.

    • The following RIS server

    Selecting this option designates a specific server to service this client computer. Specify the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the server running Windows DS.

  7. In the New Object – Computer dialog box, review the information displayed, and then click Finish.

  8. Close all open windows.

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