Help me develop a process for OS deployment

[nweaver]

actually, I work for an outsource test company....and I can tell you how crappy some stuff is, even after a few mill of testing, and the devs not fixing....

We should be up to 800 physical PC's within a few months, and I also "manage" about 250 blades in 5 data centers.

We also have 150 (burstable to 250) mb/s internet connection

 

[dclive]

That would explain why the company is willing to pay Altiris's pricetag - if you reimage (the same) machines all the time, their price is a bargain.

 

[MrChad]

Sorry guys for not updating.

These are Dell OEM licenses, so I'm guessing that re-imaging is a no-no. That said, I don't see why I couldn't create an unattended install DVD with the CD key mentioned in this TechNet article. The install DVD would use the OEMBIOS files provided by Dell and preserve the OEM pre-activation.

The hardware models vary, but most are Inspiron 5150, 5160, 9300 and 9400 models.

We're also talking about a limited number of reinstalls ... a handful of machines per month at most. With that in mind, should I continue looking into unattended install CD options?

 

[MrChad]

Just to add ...

I've been reading MSFN.org's unattended Windows guide as well as the forums. There's a great wealth of information on unattended installs.

I'd like to add Microsoft Office 2003 to the automated install process, but unfortunately, we buy our Office licenses with our hardware (i.e. they're OEM). I'm guessing that means each license has its own key and automating the process is not really an option. Any thoughts on this?

 

[nweaver]

you can set altiris to change licenses...


btw, we started/spun off altiris, so our licenses are VERY cheap.

 

[Seeruk]

Originally posted by: nweaver
We also have 150 (burstable to 250) mb/s internet connection

That's torrentastic.... err I mean great

 

[Seeruk]

Originally posted by: MrChad
Just to add ...

I've been reading MSFN.org's unattended Windows guide as well as the forums. There's a great wealth of information on unattended installs.

I'd like to add Microsoft Office 2003 to the automated install process, but unfortunately, we buy our Office licenses with our hardware (i.e. they're OEM). I'm guessing that means each license has its own key and automating the process is not really an option. Any thoughts on this?

I'd say an unattended disc would be the best in that situation, flexible enough to handle the different hardware configs (and being almost all dell's you will find a lot of drivers are the same anyway such NIC's)

We have an enterprise license scheme for office so the key isnt such an issue, but (and I may very well be wrong... in fact sure I am !) but at the end of the day the key in use isnt the issue, if the microsoft police turn up at your place as long as you own enough licences, the fact you only used one key for ease of installation isnt going to make them mad.

 

[Smilin]

Originally posted by: dclive
Install RIS on your 2003 Server box.
Using RISetup (Start, run, risetup) the wizard will guide you thru copying your XPSP2 CDROM to your server's RIS directory. Modify the RIS folder with an $OEM$ folder with the appropriate drivers, and modify the ristndrd.sif file with the appropriate paths to those drivers. This will take care of the basic OS deployment plus any customized drivers you may have (you'd put them in $OEM$). (To deploy a machine, boot from its' NIC and you'd then be able to select that XP image.)

Using Windows 2003's Group Policy Management Console (grab the latest from MS), set up a GPO to hit all of your PCs. Tell it to deploy your software, and copy the software from your source CDs to a place on the 2003 Server box. Note that this assumes your software is .MSIs - all MS stuff is, and many, many other vendors are as well.) When done, just the act of a new PC booting up and being in your domain and in the right OU will cause all the software to automatically install with no user interaction. Installing new software is effortless.

There are lots and lots of ways to do this, but that's what I prefer. Another path is to eliminate GPOs and instead use RIPREP - first use RIS to build a PC, then put all the software you want onto it, then use RIPREP to blast it back up to the RIS server, and from then on, any machine can PXE boot and get that 'image'.

I see GPOs for software deployment as vastly easier than RIPREP, though, and customizing GPOs/standard RIS with new drivers and software is trivial.

:thumbsup:xInfinity.


I used to work in the Setup team at MS. We supported every deployment scenario you can think of. RIS is THE way to go.