USING WDS TO DEPLOY IMAGES FROM WINDOWS SERVER 2008

Follow these steps to use WDS to deploy images from Windows
Server 2008:
1. Click on Start | Administrative Tools | Windows Deployment
Services.
2. In the left pane of the Windows Deployment Services MMC snap-in,
expand the server list.
3. Click the server that you want to manage.
4. Right-click the Install Images folder and select Add Install Image.
5. Create a new image group and click Next.
6. Browse to the install media of Vista or Server 2008; in the \source
directory choose the install.wim file and click Next, as shown in
Figure 1.35.

Figure 1.35 The Add Image Wizard


7. Name the capture image, as shown in Figure 1.36, and click Next.

Figure 1.36 Naming the Capture Image

8. Select a place to save the capture image and click Next. Once
the boot and install images have been created, you can start
deploying images to PXE-enabled clients.

Capturing WDS Images

WDS allows you to capture the following kinds of images using the Windows Image
(.wim) format:
■ Boot Image Windows PE 2.0 is the new boot image format and it presents
you with a boot menu that contains a list of images that users can
install. The standard boot images included with Vista and Server 2008 are
located on the installation media at \Sources\boot.wim.
■ Capture Image This launches the WDS capture utility instead of Set-up.
The reference computer previously prepared with Sysprep boots into a
capture image and becomes the host from which an image is created, and
then saves the image as a .wim file.
■ Discover Image This forces the client computer to start in WDS mode
to discover the WDS server. This is meant for computers that are not
PXE-enabled.
■ Install Image The standard install image included with Vista and
Windows Server 2008 is located on the installation media at \Sources\
install.wim.
The following prerequisites are required for creating images:
■ Sufficient disk space is needed when creating new images; also, images
must be kept on an NTFS volume.
■ A writable CD or DVD drive with writable media is required for creating
bootable media.
■ Local Administrator membership is required.
■ The version of sysprep.exe that is running to prepare a client computer
to be captured must match the version of sysprep.exe located on that
operating system.
■ Windows IAK is needed to create bootable .ISO images.
You can also associate an unattend file with an image. This means you will be
able to deploy images with WDS to client computers and have the unattend.xml
file answer all the questions needed by user input (such as entering credentials,
choosing an install image, and configuring the disk), making the operating system
rollout completely automatic. The unattend file is stored on the WDS server in the
\WDSClientUnattend folder. This is called the WDS client unattend file.
A second unattend file is called the Image unattend file. It is used to automate
the remaining phases of setup (e.g., offline servicing, Sysprep specialize, and
Mini-Setup).
In addition to installing the Deployment Server you also have the choice of
installing the Transport Server. The Transport Server will be used to enable multicast
downloads of data. This is a subset of the functionality of WDS. The Transport
Server can be a stand-alone server and does not need the AD DS, DHCP, or DNS
server roles to function.
Creating multicast transmissions of images allows you to deploy a large number
of client computers without putting a burden on the network. By default, this feature
is disabled. The following two options are available for the multicast type:
■ Auto-Cast As two clients request the same image at different timed intervals
they are both joined to the same transmission.
■ Scheduled-Cast Based on a schedule specified by date and or start time,
the transmission will begin for a number of clients requesting images.

CONFIGURING WDS ON WINDOWS SERVER 2008

1. On the Add Server Roles Wizard page (Figure 1.26), click the
Windows Deployment Services checkbox, and then click Next

Figure 1.26 Selecting Windows Deployment Services

2. If necessary, review the information on the Windows Deployment
Services page (Figure 1.27), and then click Next.

Figure 1.27 Reviewing WDS Information

3. On the Select Role Services page (Figure 1.28), check the boxes
required and then click Next.

Figure 1.28 Selecting the Role Services to Install

4. On the Confirm Installation Selections page (Figure 1.29),
click Install.

Figure 1.29 Confirming the Installation Selections

5. On the Welcome Page of the WDS installation page (Figure 1.30),
click Next.

Figure 1.30 The Configuration Wizard Welcome Page

6. On the System Volume Warning page (Figure 1.31), click Next.

Figure 1.31 The System Volume Warning

7. On the DHCP Option 60 page (Figure 1.32), select whether you want
to configure the server to not listen on port 67 and to configure
DHCP option 60 to PXE client, and then click Next.

8. On the PXE Server Initial Settings page (Figure 1.33), specify how
you would like the WDS server to respond to client computers,
and then click Finish.

Figure 1.33 Configuring PXE Server Initial Settings

9. On the Configuration Complete page (Figure 1.34), choose
whether you would like to add images to the WDS Server now
and then click Finish.
Figure 1.33 Configuring PXE Server Initial Settings

Figure 1.34 The Configuration Complete Page

Configuring WDS

Configuring and installing WDS on Windows Server 2003 is an update available
in the Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIK) and in SP2 for Server 2003.

However, installing WDS on a Windows Server 2008 computer is much easier
because you can use the server manager to install the WDS Role. Together with the
requirements, WDS is an easy-to-install and easy-to-use solution for deploying Vista
and Server 2008 operating systems.

What Is WDS?

WDS consists of the following components:
■ Server components Pre-Boot Execution Environment (PXE) server and
Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) server
■ Client components Windows Pre-Installation Environment (Windows PE)
■ Management components Tools that can be used to manage the server,
OS images, and client computer accounts
Table 1.4 shows the changes.
Table 1.4 Windows Deployment Modifications Made in WDS
for Windows Server 2008
Changes from RIS Changes from WDS on Windows Server 2003
Ability to deploy Windows Ability to create multicast transmissions of
Vista and Windows 2008. data and images.
Windows PE is the boot Ability to transmit data and images using
operating system. multicasting on a stand-alone server (when
you install Transport Server).
Image-based installation
using Windows image
(.wim) files.
Ability to create multicast Does not support RISETUP images or
transmissions of data OSChooser screens.
and images.
Ability to transmit data Enhanced TFTP server.
and images using multicasting Ability to network-boot x64-based computers
on a stand-alone server with Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI).
(when you install Transport
Server).
An extensible and Metric reporting for installations.
higher-performing PXE server.

Deploying Servers • Chapter 1 43

The following are the requirements for installing WDS:
■ AD DS (member server or DC)
■ DHCP (WDS works with PXE, which works with DHCP)
■ DNS.
■ NTFS volume (required for storing images)
■ Credentials (to install WDS, local administrator rights are needed)
Table 1.4 Continued. Windows Deployment Modifications Made in WDS
for Windows Server 2008
Changes from RIS Changes from WDS on Windows Server 2003
A new boot menu format
for selecting boot images.
A new GUI that you can use
to select and deploy images
and to manage WDS
servers and clients.

The Deployment Server requires that AD DS, DHCP, and DNS are available
on your network. The Transport Server does not require any additional
roles or services. Both of these services require an NTFS partition
for the file store.
Before you begin, you need to configure WDS by running either the
Windows Deployment Services Configuration Wizard or WDSUtil.exe.
You will also need to add at least one boot image and one install image
to the image store.
To install Windows operating systems from a WDS server, either the
client computers must be PXE-enabled or you must use the Windows
Server 2008 version of Windows PE.

The Windows Deployment Service

RIS has been updated and redesigned to become Windows Deployment Services
(WDS) in Windows Server 2008; it has a number of changes relating to RIS features.
This also applies to WDS installed on Windows Server 2003. WDS enables deployments
of operating systems such as Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista in
small environments, to rollouts of up to hundreds of servers or client-operating systems.
WDS allows you to set up operating systems on computers without physically
being present at the computer with a DC or DVD by creating operating system
images from the server and storing them on the server for later use, while deploying
client or server operating systems. WDS can use it to set up new computers by using
a network-based installation.

INSTALLING A NEW WINDOWS SERVER 2008 FOREST USING THE WINDOWS INTERFACE

Follow these steps to install a new Windows Server 2008 forest by using
the Windows interface. To perform this procedure, you must be logged
on as the local Administrator for the computer.
1. On the Select Server Roles page (Figure 1.9), click the Active
Directory Domain Services checkbox, and then click Next.

Figure 1.9 Installing AD DS

2. If necessary, review the information on the Active Directory
Domain Services page (Figure 1.10) and then click Next.

Figure 1.10 AD DS Introduction

3. On the Confirm Installation Selections page (Figure 1.11),
click Install.


Figure 1.11 Confirming the Installation

4. Figure 1.12 shows the result of the installation and gives you the
option to run dcpromo.exe. Click Next.

Figure 1.12 Installation Result

5. On the Installation Results page (Figure 1.12), click Close
this wizard and launch the Active Directory Domain Services
Installation Wizard (dcpromo.exe). Alternatively, click Start | Run,
type dcpromo.exe, and click OK. Figure 1.13 shows the Welcome
Page to the AD DS Installation Wizard; click Next. You can select
the Use advanced mode installation checkbox to get additional
installation options.


Figure 1.13 The Welcome Page

6. On the Operating System Compatibility page (Figure 1.14), review
the warning about the default security settings for Windows
Server 2008 DCs and then click Next.


Figure 1.14 Operating System Compatibility Page

7. On the Choose a Deployment Configuration page (Figure 1.15),
click Create a new domain in a new forest, and then click Next.

Figure 1.15 Choosing a Deployment Configuration

8. On the Name the Forest Root Domain page (Figure 1.16), type
the full DNS name for the forest root domain, and then click Next
(e.g., Syngress.com).

Figure 1.16 Naming the Forest Root Domain

9. On the Set Forest Functional Level page (Figure 1.17), select the
forest functional level that accommodates the DCs you plan to
install anywhere in the forest, and then click Next.

Figure 1.17 Setting the Forest Functional Level

10. On the Additional Domain Controller Options page (Figure 1.18),
DNS server is selected by default so that your forest DNS infrastructure
can be created during AD DS installation. If you plan to
use Active Directory-integrated DNS, click Next. If you have an
existing DNS infrastructure and you do not want this DC to be a
DNS server, clear the DNS server checkbox, and then click Next.

Figure 1.18 Additional DC Options

11. On the Static IP assignment page (Figure 1.19), it is picked up that
the server does not have a static Internet Protocol (IP) address
assigned to its network card. It is recommended that you assign
a static IP to the network card and then continue with the installation.
Click No, I will assign static IP addresses to all physical network
adapters; this will display the screen shown in Figure 1.18
again. Assign a static IP to the network card and click Next (configure
a static IPv4 and IPv6 IP address for this prompt to stop).
If the wizard cannot create a delegation for the DNS server, it
displays a message to indicate that you can create the delegation
manually. To continue, click Yes (see Figure 1.20).


Figure 1.19 Assigning a Static IP Address

Figure 1.20 DNS Prompts
 

12. On the Location for Database, Log Files, and SYSVOL page
(Figure 1.21), type or browse to the volume and folder locations
for the database file, the directory service log files, and the SYSVOL
files, and then click Next. Windows Server Back-up backs up the
directory service by volume. For backup and recovery efficiency, store
these files on separate volumes that do not contain applications
or other nondirectory files.

Figure 1.21 The Location for the Database

13. On the Directory Services Restore Mode Administrator Password
page (Figure 1.22), type and confirm the restore mode password,
and then click Next. This password must be used to start AD DS in
Directory Service Restore Mode for tasks that must be performed
offline. It is recommended that this password is NOT the same as
the domain administrator password.


Figure 1.22 Directory Services Restore Mode Password

14. On the Summary page (Figure 1.23), review your selection. Click
Back to change any selection, if necessary. To save the selected
settings to an answer file that you can use to automate subsequent
AD DS operations, click Export settings. Type the name for
your answer file, and then click Save. When you are sure that
your selections are accurate, click Next to install AD DS.


Figure 1.23 The Summary Page

15. You can either select the Reboot on completion checkbox
(Figure 1.24) to have the server restart automatically, or you can
restart the server to complete the AD DS installation when you
are prompted to do so.

Figure 1.24 The AD DS Installation Wizard

16. On the Completion page (Figure 1.25), you should see a message
stating that the installation was successful and is complete.
Click Finish.


Figure 1.25 The Completion Page