Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (2010): Difference between revisions
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The actual MDT2010 program can be installed on any computer, but the deployment share where all the installation and capture files will be stored should be set up on a server. In this case, we are using '''\\Hurricane\software\windows\deployment2'''. | The actual MDT2010 program can be installed on any computer, but the deployment share where all the installation and capture files will be stored should be set up on a server. In this case, we are using '''\\Hurricane\software\windows\deployment2'''. | ||
== | == Useful Tips == | ||
* Although Windows 7 reference machines can be built using virtual machines, for XP, it is strongly recommended to use a physical machine. | * Although Windows 7 reference machines can be built using virtual machines, for XP, it is strongly recommended to use a physical machine. | ||
* If you are going to use a virtual machine for your reference, make sure you add the drivers (network, scsi, etc) for that vm to the Out of Box drivers in the Task Sequence. | * If you are going to use a virtual machine for your reference, make sure you add the drivers (network, scsi, etc) for that vm to the Out of Box drivers in the Task Sequence. | ||
Revision as of 20:20, 3 February 2011
NOTE: This article is in progress.
Overview
As of January 2011, we are now using the Microsoft Development Toolkit (MDT2010) for deploying installations of Windows XP and Windows 7.
MDT2010 is a free toolset that allows us to automate:
- installation of Windows operating systems,
- installation of software,
- installation of drivers and service packs,
- capturing images of virtual and physical computers,
- and deploying images of virtual and physical computers.
Operating systems and software can be using three different installation types:
- Thin: The installation files for the OS and drivers are stored on the deployment server and run on each deployment target machine.
- Thick: The installation file is based on an image of a reference target machine that is fully-installed with the OS and all the available applications.
- Hybrid: Basically a thick image but with only the OS and only the absolutely necessary software.
Because we load our computers with a rather large group of programs, many of which have very long installation times, we are going to use the thick model for our MDT deployment process. Because programs have already been installed into a thick image, no time is spent on unpacking installation files during deployment. Installing XP and the standard program load onto a machine by hand used to take around 6 hours. Now it can be done in about one hour.
How It Works
The actual MDT2010 program can be installed on any computer, but the deployment share where all the installation and capture files will be stored should be set up on a server. In this case, we are using \\Hurricane\software\windows\deployment2.
Useful Tips
- Although Windows 7 reference machines can be built using virtual machines, for XP, it is strongly recommended to use a physical machine.
- If you are going to use a virtual machine for your reference, make sure you add the drivers (network, scsi, etc) for that vm to the Out of Box drivers in the Task Sequence.
- An XP deployment that was built using a 32-bit reference machine will probably not work when deployed to a 64-bit machine.