Install New Operating Systems: No Fuss, No Disks Needed with Windows Deployment Services (WDS)

Rhonda J. LayfieldRJL, INC.Rhonda@DeploymentDR.comWCL306

Rhonda Layfield

Part of IT industry for twenty five+ yearsContribute articles to Windows IT Pro magazineSetup and Deployment MVPDesktop Deployment Product Specialist (DDPS)Co-Author of Windows Server 2003 R2 and Windows Server 2008 booksOffer two day hands on deployment class

What We’ll Cover…

Intro to WDS (WinPE and Image files)Installing WDSConfiguring WDS

DHCP and WDSPre-staging clients

Automating the InstallationsMulticast TransmissionsCreating and Deploying an ImagePerformance and Troubleshooting Logs

Windows Setup Milestones

1980: Boot from floppy1990: Install Windows 3.0 from three floppies1992: Install Windows 3.11 from ten floppies1995: Windows 95 - First CD-based installation1997: Windows 98 CD or floppies2000: RIS PXE boot across the network2006: Windows Vista delivered on DVD (and spanned CD’s) 2007: WDS ships with Multicast support

Why Use WDS?

Reduces deployment cost - FREEPerforms network-based installationsDeploys Windows images to bare metal computersSupports mixed Windows environmentsUtilizes standard Windows technologies

Windows PE.wim files.vhd files

Windows Pre Installation Environmentaka…WinPE

Scaled down version of the Windows KernelBoots into and runs from RAM

X: drive (default driver letter)Reboots every seventy two hours

Command Line Interface OnlyCan be converted to a bootable .ISO and placed on:

CD, DVD, USB Flash Drive, external HDYou can create your own or use the boot.wim from DVD

.Wim Side Trip

One of Microsoft’s image formatsMultiple images stored in a single .wim file

Single instancingNo redundant file storage

Service image offlineApply patches quick and easily

VHD Image Formats

You can put one on your system, add a .wim to it… and tell bcdedit to boot that OSMounting a VHD in Win7 is called “attaching" Un-Mounting a .VHD is called “detaching”Diskpart is the basic tool of choice to work with .vhds

Back To WDS:Requirements

WDS server must be a member of an Active Directory domainDHCPDNSNTFS partition on which to store images

WDS on Server 2003

Installing WDS on a 2003 SP1 Server Install RISInstall patch from the WAIK: windows_deployment_services_update.exe

Installing WDS on a 2003 SP2 ServerControl Panel / Add/Remove Programs / Windows Components / WDS

WDS on Server 2008 (& 2008 R2)

Installing WDS on a 2008 serverServer ManagerAdd RolesSelect Windows Deployment Services from the list of rolesTwo checked boxes

Deployment ServerTransport ServerNeed both for a full WDS installation

Transport Server AloneDoes NOT need:

ADDNSDHCP

Create your own PXE Server ComponentNo UI

WDSUtil onlyProvides multicast only

Uses wdsmcast

Configuring WDS – Welcome

WDS snap-in

Expand WDS

Right-click your server “Configure Server”

Store Your Images

WDS and DHCP on The Same Server?

In a Perfect WDS World

Bare-MetalBare-MetalDHCP/WDSDHCP/WDS

Discover IP

Offer IP/PXE Server

Request

Acknowledge

WDS and DHCP

Three ScenariosWDS and DHCP on the same subnet/ different servers

Client will find WDS by broadcastingWDS and DHCP on different subnets

Client find WDS through options 66 and 67 set in DHCPWDS & DHCP on same server

Client must find WDS through Option 60 in DHCP

WDS and DHCP Same Subnet

Bare-MetalBare-Metal

DHCPDHCP

WDSWDS

Discover IP/PXE Server

Discover IP/PXE Server

Offer IP

I’m WDS

Request

Acknowledge

WDS and DHCP Different Subnets

Bare-MetalBare-Metal

DHCPDHCP

WDSWDS

Discover IP/PXE Server Offer IP Option

66 Option 67

Acknowledge

Request

WDS and DHCP on The Same Machine

Bare-MetalBare-MetalWDS/DHCPWDS/DHCPDiscover IP

Offer IP Option 60 I’m also WDS

Request

Acknowledge

WDS Server Responds to…

Configuration Completed

Known Clients: Pre-staged in ADUC

Pre-staging the GUID

Which WDS Server ?

Adding the Images

Within the WDS snap-inAdd Boot images

These are WinPEsAdd Install images

Image groups and single instancingDynamic Driver Provisioning (DDP)

Create driver groupsOnly the necessary drivers are downloaded to the client

Configuring WDSdemo

From the Client

PXE boot screensMessage from AdministratorPending DevicesClient

PXE boot

Unknown Clients

Message From Administrator

How do you set a message from the administrator?On the WDS server from a command prompt type:WDSUtil /set-server /AutoAddPolicy /message:"To contact your network administrator please dial 123-4567“/AutoAddPolicy is case sensitive

Pending Devices

Automate the PXE Boot Process

No-one has to press F12On the WDS server properties -> Boot tabFor x86 replace PxeBoot.com with Pxeboot.N12

Doesn’t exist until you add your first boot.wim If you encounter a PXEboot Loop

On the WDS server run the following:WDSUtil /Set-Server /Resetbootprogram:yes

Setting the “message from administrator”demo

Can’t Use PXE

Create a Discover ImageWDS snap-in -> open Boot ImagesR-click a boot image

W7 or 2008 R2 boot.wim from DVD /SourcesChoose to Create Discover Image…

Give it a name, description, path to store it and name of WDS server to connect to

Using the WAIK tools create a bootable .ISO that contains the new discover .wimBurn to CD/DVD, USB, external HD

Multicast TransmissionsServer1 sends packet 1 to client1Server1 sends packet 1 to client2Server1 sends packet 1 to client3

Server1 sends packet 1 to all clients

Server1 sends packet 1 to client1, client5 client9, client22

Windows Deployment Services Multicast Enhancements

Multiple Stream TransferMultiple streams of trafficOptimized rates based onclient connection

Client Auto RemovalSlower clients can be dropped to unicast or entirely (only in standard multicast)

Boot Image MulticastWindows PE boot images can use multicast (clients with EFI)

Fast

Medium

Slow

Clients

MulticastWDS Server

Multicast Transmission

First client joins “transmission”

Clients

WDS Server

Multicast Transmission

Waiting for other clients to join…

Multicast

Clients with multiple transfer speeds

WDS Server

Multicast Transmission

Additional clients join stream

Multicast

Fastest Medium Slowest Medium

Clients with multiple transfer speeds

WDS Server

Multicast Transmission

More clients to join

Multicast

FastestMedium Slowest Medium FastestMedium Medium

Clients with multiple transfer speeds

WDS Server

Multicast

Last clients complete…

Multicast

Medium MediumSlowest

Clients

WDS Server

Multicast

All clients complete. Transmission ends.

Multicast

Creating Multicast Transmissions

2 ways to start creating a multicast transmission from within the WDS snap-in

Right-click Multicast Transmissions and choose Create Multicast Transmission

ORDrill down to your Install Image and right-click the image then choose Create Multicast Transmission

THENName the Multicast TransmissionChoose the image

Automatic OR Scheduled Cast?

Creating a Multicast Transmissiondemo

Automate the Installation

Server 2003 & XPWinnt.sifSysprep.inf

Server 2008, Vista and later OSsWindows System Image Manager (WSIM)

.xml scripts

Unattend.xml Scripts

You will need 2 scriptsWinPE Phase

Language of installationKeyboard layoutCredentials for ImageWhich Image to installDisk Configuration (partitioning)Where to install the image

The rest of the installation (specialize and OOBE)Computer nameUser accountTime zone

Viewing the Scriptsdemo

Where to Put the Scripts

WinPE scriptStore script in RemoteInstall\WDSClientUnattend folderWDS snap-in -> R-click server -> Properties Client tab

Enable unattended installationBrowse to WinPE scriptSets the script for all computers of that architecture

Scripts for a Specific Machine

New computer must be pre-staged in ADUCOn WDS server cmd type:

WDSUtil /Set-Device /Device:computername /ID:GUID or MAC /WDSClientUnattend:path & name of unattend.xmlExample:WDSUtil /Set-Device /Device:Client1 /ID:{8FD14D56-A2B0-6F06-2A00-FD3979EC51A1} /WDSClientUnattend:C:\UF\Unattend.xml

More Than One Script?

Unattend specificed from the cmdSetup /wds /unattend:x:\wdsclientunattend.xml

Unattend from Server PropertiesAutoUnattend.xml from root of removable media

The Image Script

Properties of the Image file in WDSGeneral tabAllow image to install in unattended modeSelect FileBrowse to answer file

Can be stored anywhereCan be named anything you choose Will be renamed to ImageUnattend.xml

Creating an Image Using WDS

Create a Capture ImageWDS snap-in -> open Boot ImagesR-click one

W7 or 2008 R2 boot.wim from DVD /SourcesChoose to Create Capture Image

Give it a name, description and path to store itWhen the wizard completes add the newly created Capture Boot Image to your list of Boot Images

Capture Imagedemo

Performance of WDS

Administrator tools -> Performance MonitorGet the big picture

RAMProcessorNICs

Get the nitty grittyWDS multicast ( demoted clients, slowdown requests)WDS Server (# of requests, # processed, # active)WDS TFTP (active requests & transfer rate)

Logs to Check

The logs that contain useful troubleshooting information are found in the %Windows% folder.

Setupact.logSetuperr.log

Turn on additional loggingCalled tracing

Verbose loggingDeployment Services Diagnostics logs (event viewer)

What we Covered

Intro to WDS (WinPE and Image files)Installing WDSConfiguring WDS

DHCP and WDSPre-staging clients

Automating the InstallationsMulticast TransmissionsCreating and deploying an imagePerformance and troubleshooting logs

Let Me Know if I Can Help…

Rhonda@DeploymentDR.Com

Thank you!

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