This section was initially written by Steve Pruitt based on reading documentation and lab testing. It is incomplete - links that appear in green are for pages that have not been written.
This software is also known as Microsoft Deployment (MDT). A new version of MDT 2008 was released on March 20, 2008. Anyone using the original version should upgrade after appropriate lab testing, as this contains many bug fixes and enhancements. See the
Installation/Upgrade page for more details.
How to Receive Support for Microsoft Deployment
Introduction
The purpose of this software is to support installation of an operating system and desired applications, including saving and restoring user data, on new or rebuilt computers with the minimum amount of manual effort.
Microsoft Deployment Toolkit is the upgrade replacement for BDD 2007. This product can be run independently, integrated with SMS 2003, or integrated with Configuration Manager. This section is dedicated to OS Deployment through Configuration Manager. MS Deployment can be downloaded for free. The documentation is a set of Word documents and other files that are installed with MS Deployment.
This software includes Lite-Touch installation (LTI) and Zero-Touch Installation (ZTI), which provide different degrees of automation for the process.
Task sequences are created to perform functions such as creating and capturing reference images and deploying reference images to selected computers. Task sequences are created through wizards. Individual tasks run packages, standard scripts or custom scripts.
Task sequences are advertised to desired collections, using the same concepts as standard software distribution. Images and packages are made available through standard ConfigMgr distribution points. Images and associated applications can be installed anywhere in an organization's network through appropriate DPs.
The general process consists of:
- Design and establish a system for selecting and managing the image and applications to be installed on each specific computer during production deployments
- Design and establish overall process for managing image deployments, including interaction with users and other IT teams
- Design one or more reference images that will be installed on target computers, potentially including selected common applications
- Create task sequences to create the required reference images
- Technical testing of image deployment
- Test and implement overall deployment process
====Installing MS Deployment and integrating with SCCM 2007==== - SCCM 2007 OS Deployment Requirements
- Techniques for managing image and application specification and installation
- Infrastructure planning
- Installing/Upgrading MS Deployment
- Integrating with Configuration Manager
- Adding network and hard drive drivers
====Task Sequence wizards====
MS Deployment provides three wizards built in for creating simple task sequences, and four that can be imported to perform more complex operations. The available wizards and their functions are: - New Task Sequence Wizard - see TechNet documentation
- Install an existing image package: Use this option to create a task sequence that deploys an operating system image package that you have already created to a target computer
- Build and capture a reference operating system image: Use this option to build a reference computer and capture an operating system image from that reference computer
- Create a new custom task sequence: Use this option to create a new empty task sequence to which you can add and modify task sequence steps using the Task Sequence Editor
- Imported MS Deployment wizards - see TechNet documentation
- Client Task Sequence: install a workstation operating system and applications, capture reference image (official description: Deploy to client computers for all scenarios except the Computer Replace scenario)
- Client Replace Task Sequence: Deploy to client computers for the Computer Replace scenario
- MS Deployment Custom Task Sequence: Create a custom task sequence that installs applications without an operating system installation
- Server Task Sequence: Deploy to server computers for all scenarios
====Creating a reference image using Client Task Sequence wizard====
This process installs a selected operating system with desired options and applications on a test computer, then captures that image for use in general deployments. These steps are documented based on a lab environment - use appropriate security in production.
Virtual machines running under MS Virtual PC can be used to build reference images without special actions. Virtual machines running under VMWare must have the hard drive configured for IDE rather than SCSI, or VMWare SCSI drivers must be installed. Any drivers imported into MS Deployment will be available in installations.
Applying software updates to a reference image requires creating a Software Updates deployment containing the desired updates, advertising it to the collection used by the task sequence, and editing the definition of one task (see the Edit and prepare task sequence page for details). The deployment task should specify to allow rebooting workstations.
When first exploring this, make a point of choosing to edit your first task sequence and look at the options available in each task. This familiarity will make it much easier to perform other functions, especially setting up production deployments.
- USMT GUI - USMT GUI is "just" a user interface for Microsoft's User State Migration Tool. Used to backup and restore application settings, system settings, user settings (mail etc.) and documents on windows Pc's.