WDS - Few questions

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Recently I had to rebuild few Vista machines at work. Using an OEM media, it takes absolutely ages to install OS, apply updates, more updates, SP1, updates again, SP2, updates, install Office, updates, install whatever else.

Today I had the chance to image and deploy a PC using WDS running on the test server (2008 Enterprise). While imaging took unexpectedly long, deployment went fine.
I prepared reference PC with all the updates and Office installed, plus Adobe Reader, Flash, Java, etc.

Should I join reference PC to a domain before sysprepping and/or imaging? My understanding is that sysprep will depersonalise PC anyway so it will drop out of domain regardless.
I didn't join it to a domain. I ran sysprep /oobe /generalize /shutdown and booted up from the network using capture image. After capture I booted from network again using another boot image (from Vista OEM CD), repartitioned and formatted HDD and deployed image from WDS server.
I didn't expect newly deployed machine to be a domain memeber with computer name "Administrator1". So can you tell me what am I missing/doing wrong, please?

Now, this isn't a great issue as it still lets me deploy patched Vista with Office in an hour or so but I was wondering if I can automate parts of WDS process?

I've seen I can script diskpart to create partitions and format them but can I modify one of the images (boot/install) to use the script and not ask for that? Also can I add answer file to WIM being deployed via WDS? Ideally I'd like to be asked for product key (no VLK, using OEM) and computer name (is this even possible without Ghost or other 3rd party?) only.

Any input appreciated.

Thanks

 

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It seems I have to apply answer file during sysprep stage so I'll try that first and see how it goes.

 

Can I make a suggestion, have a look at MDT and instead of having all of your applications on the base image you use application packages instead?

It allows you to change the package during the lifecycle of your image and not have to worry about building a machine and subsequently patching it afterwards.

Leave your gold image as a flat OS (with any patches updated monthly for example) and then use the MDT Task sequences to install your apps (and join the domain during deployment).

Using sysprep will actually remove it from the domain and clear all the SID's anyway so no point in joining it before hand.

As for the rest of your deployment questions, MDT is definitely something you should be looking at.

 

Thanks Simon,

Basically that's the plan to use MDT but having no previous experience in WDS, AIK, WIMs and so on. I decided to give WDS a go first to get the idea and move to MDT afterwards.

 

I have to agree with Simon, use MDT.

It's far easier pushing out all of this through SCCM though... any idea if your company has this in place (or planned?)

Qs

 

The only issue is that if he thinks MDT is hard SCCM is going to blow his mind. I am an SCCM Admin and there are still things that get me.

 

Tell me about it, where do you think I've been the past 6 weeks?

Currently in charge of rolling out SCCM in the organisation.

With no prior experience it's been a nightmare, especially deploying on 2008R2 where WebDav settings don't actually propogate to the underlying system files!

OSD has also been a pain in my arse.

Windows 7 Pro WIM - Perfect deployment, first time. All driver packages were fine.

XP SP3 WIM - No way hosay. Currently working through an AHCI issue on our Dell desktops which I'm having to bodge by manually updating the driver in safe mode and then repackaging with sysprep. Going to have to do the same for each model....

Sigh.... still, it's fun though!

Qs

 

Currently we don't use anything. So the idea is to come up with the solution. I might be getting TechNet subscription from work soon and I had this planned to give SCCM a go. Then, we will decide if we can justify the cost as we're relatively small (~50 clients) organisation.

I'm sure given enough time and appropriate study material I would eventually find my way around it.

As I said, there's no rush. I am not expected to put something in place tomorrow or next week.

Basically I've managed to do everything I wanted using an answer file apart from prompting for computer name.

Any ideas how to do it or where to find relevant component in SIM?

Thanks

 

The smallest company I have rolled out SCCM (actually SMS2003 but essentially the same) was 25 users.

I have to advise that SCCM is not a part time position, there is always (even for a 25 person site) something to be done (apps, software updates, software patches (non os), OS WIM tweaking). Do not make the mistake in thinking that this is a fire and forget product, it's not.

 

Set up your image on a reference computer, sys prep and capture. Set WDS to "Authorize every PC" or whatever the setting is, this way any PC that boots into WDS will hold at the contacting WDSserver screen waiting for you to go to pending devices and click "Name and Authorize". This will solve the problem of them being named Admin1 etc. If you ever need to re-image, it will keep the name you gave it the very first time and you won't have to go to the pending devices screen again.

As for the unattended. You will get the hang of that eventually with googling.

Personally, I wouldn't use MDT if everyone has the same image. Like in a School for example, all the staff have the same applications and all the pupils have the same so we didn't need to use MDT, we used .msi's to roll out new applications for the whole schools (using GP).

You'll get there eventually mate.

 

I missed this thread .. deployment is a hot topic for me at the moment

MDT 2010 , is brilliant!!! It can still be fiddly if you need to deploy XP.

Yeah the joining of domain is done through the minisetup ui or minisetup via answer file during installation.

Regarding SCCM, latest versions of SCCM doesn't push out windows updates like previous versions, especially service packs, it now relies on WSUS v3.

 

When without SCCM

I use Spiceworks, WSUS, GPOs and startup/shutdown scripts.

 

That was ITMU, SCCM utilises the WSUS sdk, so whilst WSUS is installed you don't actually configure it at all. It's actually a much neater and cleaner way to install updates compared to ITMU (where you couldn't change the size of the window!!).

 

yeah i meant SMS not SCCM.

 

I have heard of a opensource project for pushing installations that i was going to look at, however, i cant remember the name. I'll try to remember or find it.

 

i think it was Purgos (not opensource)

http://softulz.net/products.shtml

Anyone used it?

 

I haven't but to be honest with you it looks bit fishy