Windows 7 deployment

Automated Installation en Deployment
Windows 7

Agenda
• Imaging Approaches
• Imaging C.R.A.P.
• WAIK
• MDT 2010
• WDS

Traditional vs. Modular Approach

Traditional Modular
• OS + Applications in • 1 base image (OS) for
1 image all hardware

• Image per hardware type • Apps/drivers delivered
as add-ons
• Time to integrate
new hardware • Easily integrate
new hardware
• High maintenance
• Reduced maintenance
• Requires a visit to costs
the desktop
• Automated build process
• Storage requirements
• Easy to customise

Traditional Approach

• Quick Win
• 1 x image per model
• high maintenance

Traditional vs. Modular Approach

Maintenance
Deployment
Development
Time

Traditional Modular

Imaging Strategy
• Thick image
– Core applications and language packs included
– Updates included
– Drivers included

• Thin image
– Core applications and language packs NOT included
– Updates NOT included
– Drivers NOT included

• Hybrid image
– Mixes thin and thick strategies

Imaging C.R.A.P
• Disk Controllers drivers (STOP 0x0000007B)
• HAL (Uniprocessor, Multiprocessor)
• x64 and x86 support
• Disk and Partition Setup
• Windows Updates
• Drivers (Built-In, ‘to be connected’ hardware)
• Custom Registry Settings
• Applications
• AMD and Intel support
• Applications

Microsoft Windows Imaging (WIM)
• Microsoft’s own image format

• File-based disk imaging is a core capability of
Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 2008

• Compared to sector-based formats,
a WIM image is file-based

• This WIM image format is hardware-agnostic,
meaning that you need only one image to address
many different hardware configurations.

• The WIM image format also lets you store multiple
images within one actual file.
• For example, Microsoft can ship multiple SKUs in
one WIM image file. You store images with and
without core applications in a single image file.
• Also, you can mark one of the images as
bootable, allowing you to start a computer from a
disk image contained in a WIM file.

• The WIM image format enables compression and
single instancing, thus reducing the size of image
files significantly.
• Single instancing is a technique that allows you to
store two or more copies of a file for the space
cost of one copy.
• For example, if images 1, 2, and 3 all contain file
A, single-instancing stores a single copy of the file
A and points images 1, 2, and 3 to that copy.

• The WIM image format allows you to service an image
offline. You can add or delete certain operating system
components, patches, and drivers without creating a new
image.
• Rather than spending a few hours updating an image,
which you do now with Microsoft Windows XP, for
example, you can update an image in minutes.
• For example, to add a patch to a Windows XP image, you
must boot the master image, add the patch, and then
prepare the image again.
• With Windows 7, you can simply service the image offline.

• The WIM image format lets you install a disk image on
partitions of any size, unlike sector-based image formats
that require you to deploy a disk image to a partition that's
the same size or larger than the source disk.

Windows Automated Installation Kit
• The Windows® Automated Installation Kit (Windows AIK)
is a set of tools and documentation that support the
configuration and deployment of Windows® operating
systems.

Windows Automated Installation Kit
• By using Windows AIK, you can automate Windows
installations, capture Windows images with ImageX,
configure and modify images using Deployment Imaging
Servicing and Management (DISM), create Windows PE
images, and migrate user profiles and data with the User
State Migration Tool (USMT).

• Windows AIK also includes the Volume Activation
Management Tool (VAMT), which enables IT professionals
to automate and centrally manage the volume activation
process using a Multiple Activation Key (MAK).

DISM
• Deployment Image Servicing and Management Tool

Unattended Windows setup
• Unattend.xml
• AutoUnattend.xml

• As a rule, only answer files named Unattend.xml are used.
• However, because some answer files include destructive actions such
as disk partitioning, you must rename your Unattend.xml file to
Autounattend.xml in the windowsPE and offlineServicing configuration
passes.
These passes run when you first run Windows PE or Setup.exe.
• You typically use the Autounattend.xml file when you use the Windows
Setup DVD boot method and supply an answer file on a USB flash
drive (UFD) or floppy disk.

Passes
• windowsPE
• offlineServicing
• generalize
• Specialize
• auditSystem
• auditUser
• oobeSystem

Windows PE
• Windows PE is a minimal Win32 subsystem with limited
services, based on the Windows 7 kernel running in
protected mode.
• It contains the minimal functionality that you need to run
Setup, install Windows from a network share, automate
basic processes, and perform hardware validation.
• Windows PE was developed specifically to address
desktop and server deployment scenarios.

Passes – windowsPE
• Configures Windows PE options as well as basic Windows Setup
options. These options can include configuring a disk or language
settings.

Passes - offlineServicing
• Applies updates to a Windows 7 image.

• Also applies packages, including software fixes,
language packs, and other security updates.

Passes - generalize
• The generalize pass runs only if you run sysprep
/generalize. In this pass, you can minimally configure
Windows 7 as well as configure other settings that must
persist on your master image.

• The sysprep /generalize command removes system-
specific information. For example, the unique SID and
other hardware-specific settings are removed from the
image.

Passes - specialize
• Creates and applies system-specific information.

• For example, you can configure:

– network settings
– international settings
– domain information.

Passes - auditSystem
• Processes unattended Setup settings while Windows 7 is
running in system context, before a user logs on to the
computer in audit mode.

• The auditSystem pass runs only if you boot in audit mode.

Passes - auditUser
• Processes unattended Setup settings after a user logs on
to the computer in audit mode.

• The auditUser pass runs only if you boot in audit mode.

Passes - oobeSystem
• Applies settings to Windows 7 before
Windows Welcome starts.

Mini Setup Phase
• Windows XP
– driver installation
– Joining domain
– Sysprep.inf was the answer file for this phase
• Windows 7
– This phase is now called the ‘Specialize’ pass
– (Auto)Unattend.xml is the answer file for this pass

Include custom files
• If you wish to include custom files to include in the
Windows 7 installation (such as files in the program files,
system32 folder, OOBE (Out Of Box Experience) etc.) then
make a folder called $OEM$ inside the sources folder.

• From there, the following folder structures must apply
(many changed from Windows 2000 and
Windows XP $OEM$ days) …..

• $$

Contains files that Windows Setup copies to the
%WINDIR% (for example, C:windows) folder during
installation.

• $$System32

Contains files that Windows Setup copies to the
%WINDIR%System32 folder during installation.

• $1

Represents the root of the drive on which you installed
Windows (also called the boot partition) and contains files
that Windows Setup copies to the boot partition during
installation.

• $1Pnpdrivers

Contains new or updated Plug-and-Play (PnP) drivers. The
user specifies the folder name in the Unattend.xml file for
unattended installations. For example, this folder might be
named $OEM$ Folders$1Pnpdrvs.

• drive_lettersubfolder

• A subfolder of the drive that contains files that Windows
Setup copies to the subfolder during installation. Multiple
instances of this type of folder may exist under the
$OEM$ Foldersdrive_letter folder, for example, $OEM$
FoldersDMyFolder.

• $$SetupScriptsSetupComplete.cmd

Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010
• Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010 (MDT 2010) provides a
common console with the comprehensive tools and
guidance needed to efficiently manage deployment of
Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2.

• Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010 is the recommended
process and toolset to automate desktop and server
deployment.

• Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010 provides detailed
guidance and job aids for every organizational role
involved with large-scale deployment projects.

MDT 2010 Requirements

• Microsoft Management Console (MMC)
version 3.0
• Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 or later
• Windows PowerShell™ command-line
interface (CLI) version 1.0 or 2.0,
Community Technology Preview 3 (CTP3)
or later
• Windows Automated Installation Kit
(Windows AIK) for Windows 7

Deployment scenario’s - LTI
• Lite Touch Installation
• Allows selection of the level of automation
• Has minimal infrastructure requirements
• Supports deployments over a network using a shared
folder or locally using removable storage such as a CD,
DVD, or UFD
• The deployment process can be initiated manually or
automatically using Windows Deployment Services
• Requires little or no infrastructure to support deployment

Deployment scenario’s - ZTI
• Zero Touch Installation
• Supports only fully automated deployments
• Requires System Center Configuration Manager
• Supports deployments only from System Center
Configuration Manager distribution points
• The installation process can be initiated by System Center
Configuration Manager or Windows Deployment Services
• Requires an infrastructure sufficient to deploy operating
system images

Lite Touch Installation (LTI) deployments

• MDT Teamblog:

http://blogs.technet.com/msdeployment/default.aspx

Windows 7 deployment

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