By Orin Thomas
In this webcast, Prepare Yourself for Windows Server 2008: New Tools to Streamline the Imaging and Deployment Process, John Baker takes us through the new operating system deployment features of Windows Server 2008 known as the Windows Server Deployment, or WDS role. Baker starts by explaining that the new deployment technologies for Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista are all based on the Windows Image Format, which uses the WIM file extension. The webcast shows that each WIM file can contain multiple operating system images. Baker’s first demonstration in the webcast is to show you how to manipulate operating system images using the IMAGEX command line tool. He shows how to mount an image in an empty directory using the IMAGEX, adding content to the image by dragging it to the directory using Windows Explorer and then how you can commit the changes to the image so that the image with the new content can be deployed using WDS.
Once the webcast finishes with the manipulation of images, Baker covers how you set up the WDS role on a Windows Server 2008 computer. He shows how to configure PXE options so that computers without operating systems but compatible network cards can contact the WDS server to receive their images.
You will learn also how you can configure a WDS server with an automatic naming scheme.
TIP: Automatic naming schemes allows each computer that has its operating system deployed by WDS to have a unique name on the network.
Next in the presentation, Baker shows you how to add boot files for each processor architecture. These boot files are used to boot an environment which allows the operating system to begin installing when booted off a PXE compliant network card.
By accessing the screencast you’ll also learn about creating capture images, which allows you to capture an existing configuration. You see how you can use the wdsutil command line utility to perform all of the functions that can be completed using the Windows Deployment Services console. This will be an area of interest for those of you that are considering how to automate the WDS process using scripting and scheduled tasks.
The webcast also explores the process of creating and applying an unattended installation file to a specific image. This type of file allows the automation of responses to common installation prompts such as time zone, domain membership and all of the other questions that administrators must answer when performing a standard operating system deployment.
From WDS the webcast moves to the tools that you will use for more complex deployment scenarios. The primary tool covered is System Center Configuration Manager 2007, which is the successor to the Systems Management Server line of products. By reviewing the webcast, you’ll learn about the specific tasks that SCCM 2007 can be used for and how deploying the product will help you as a systems administrator.
This part of the webcast will be very useful if you aren’t entirely sure what the practical differences are between what you can accomplish in terms of OS deployment with SCCM2007 versus the WDS Role that is available with Windows Server 2008. I came away from the webcast with an understanding of the types of network environment where WDS would be enough and the types of environments where SCCM2007 would really make a difference.
You can learn more about operating system deployment options with Windows Server 2008 by accessing this interesting and informative webcast at:
Prepare Yourself for Windows Server 2008: New Tools to Streamline the Imaging and Deployment Process