Monday, August 6, 2007

Deploy Windows Server 2003 using WDS


  • Install WS 2008 and WDS

  • Copy boot.wim from \sources folder from a Vista DVD

  • Use WDS to add that boot.wim to the boot images

  • Right-click this image, and select "Create capture boot image", call it Capture or something similar

  • Add this capture image to the boot images

  • Disable all boot images, except for the capture image

  • Install Windows Server 2003 with service packs, updates, applications,... on a new server

  • Extract the content of \support\tools\deploy.cab from the ws 2003 cd to c:\sysprep on the new server

  • Run c:\sysprep\setupmgr.exe to create a sysprep answer file for future deployments

  • Save the answerfile as sysprep.inf and copy it to the WDS server

  • Run c:\sysprep\sysprep.exe /reseal /mini /reboot

  • When the server reboots, press F12 twice to do a PXE boot and load the winPE for capturing

  • Follow the steps until you get to the Image Capture Source screen, here you can select the volume, usually this would be C:\, you have the option to immediately upload the captured image to the WDS server, be sure to have created an image group first. Type the ip address of the WDS server, and then you have to type the credentials to connect (turn off the windows firewall)


WDS Capture Image


  • When finished, click close, the server will reboot and load the sysprep wizard, complete this wizard. In future deployments this will be done by sysprep.inf

  • Copy the sysprep.inf that you saved earlier on the WDS server to \RemoteInstall\Images\<imagegroup>\<imagename>\$OEM$\$1\Sysprep\ (you have to create this structure)

  • Create an unattended file for the WDS client and attach this to the WDS server:


<?xml version="1.0" ?>
<unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend">
<settings pass="windowsPE">
<component name="Microsoft-Windows-Setup" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35"
language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" processorArchitecture="x86">
<WindowsDeploymentServices>
<Login>
<WillShowUI>OnError</WillShowUI>
<Credentials>
<Username>**username**</Username>
<Domain>**domain**</Domain>
<Password>**password**</Password>
</Credentials>
</Login>
<ImageSelection>
<WillShowUI>Never</WillShowUI>
<InstallImage>
<ImageName>**imagename**</ImageName>
<ImageGroup>**imagegroup**</ImageGroup>
<Filename>**filename.wim**</Filename>
</InstallImage>
<InstallTo>
<DiskID>0</DiskID>
<PartitionID>1</PartitionID>
</InstallTo>
</ImageSelection>
</WindowsDeploymentServices>
<DiskConfiguration>
<WillShowUI>Never</WillShowUI>
<Disk>
<CreatePartitions>
<CreatePartition>
<Order>1</Order>
<Type>Primary</Type>
<Extend>true</Extend>
</CreatePartition>
</CreatePartitions>
<DiskID>0</DiskID>
<WillWipeDisk>true</WillWipeDisk>
<ModifyPartitions>
<ModifyPartition>
<Active>true</Active>
<Extend>False</Extend>
<Format>NTFS</Format>
<Label>SYSTEM</Label>
<Letter>C</Letter>
<PartitionID>1</PartitionID>
<Order>1</Order>
</ModifyPartition>
</ModifyPartitions>
</Disk>
</DiskConfiguration>
</component>
</settings>
</unattend>


  • Create an auto-cast session for this image to be deployed on other machines

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