OS Deployment

Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2012 Update 1 released

9 months ago

by Ronni Pedersen

Microsoft has released MDT 2012 Update 1, and supports now deployment of both Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012.

Some of the key changes in MDT 2012 Update 1 are:

Added support for Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012.
Support for System Center 2012 Configuration Manager SP1 CTP: Added support in MDT for deploying Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 with Configuration Manager 2012 SP1 CTP, while supporting all new Configuration Manager functionality (offline BitLocker, UEFI, and Assessment and Deployment Kit).
Support for DaRT 8 Beta: Updated MDT to support DaRT 8 for Windows 8 deployments, More >

Hydration Kit for ConfigMgr 2012 RTM is available

1 year ago

by Ronni Pedersen

ConfigMgr 2012 was officially announced at MMS 2012 in Las Vegas earlier today. If you want to start playing around with the product, you should take a look a Johan Arwidmarks updated version of the Hydration Kit to install a virtual test lab (Fully automated). Both VMware and Hyper-V is supported.

Learn more and download the Hydration Kit here:

http://www.deploymentresearch.com/Blog/tabid/62/EntryId/57/The-Hydration-Kit-for-ConfigMgr-2012-RTM-is-available-for-download.aspx

SCCM 2012 – Offline Service for OS Images

1 year ago

by Ronni Pedersen

OS Deployment and patch management has always been big challenge for many admins around the world. Not just the testing, but also to get the customer image patched made many ConfigMgr admins a lot older .

One of the new features in ConfigMgr 2012 allows you to apply updates to an OS image that’s been imported to the ConfigMgr 2012 library. This feature only supports “Component Based Servicing” (CBS) updates, and can be applied to Windows Vista and above.

To use this feature, navigate to Software Library -> Overview -> Operating Systems – Operating System Images, select the Image that you wish More >

Importing drivers for OSD in ConfigMgr 2012

1 year ago

by Ronni Pedersen

Before you start adding drivers to Configuration Manager, you should spend a few minutes to decide where and how you wish to structure your drivers. There is no “one-size fits all”, but this model should fit most customers.

The Driver Source The driver source, is the path where the drivers are imported from. The source files should always be placed on at network share, that can be accessed from the Configuration Manager Site Server. I always prefer to use DFS, as it provide me the flexibility I need when migrating ConfigMgr or the file servers hosting the source files.

This is how I like to More >

Monitoring ConfigMgr 2012 OS Deployment using State Messages

1 year ago

by Ronni Pedersen

When troubleshooting OS Deployment in System Center 2012 Configuration Manager, I really miss the state messages from the advertisement status in ConfigMgr 2007.

You can find the same information in reports, but for this scenario, I really prefer the Status Messages.

This guide will help you create a Status Message Query for a Specific Deployment ID.

First you need to get the deployment ID of the Task Sequence you wish to monitor.

Monitoring -> Overview -> Deployments. (The Deployment ID are not displayed by default).

Navigate to the Status Message Queries:

Monitoring -> Overview -> System More >

SCUG.dk User Group Meeting: Session update

1 year ago

by Ronni Pedersen

The scheduled breakout session on “Deploying Windows 7 using MDT 2012 and ConfigMgr 2012” with Johan Arwidmark, wil be replaced with the following session:

Title: Inside Windows 8 – Deployment Tools Update

Abstract: What’s new in Windows 8 Deployment – Join Johan Arwidmark guiding you through the new features, including Windows 8 WDS, ADK, WinPE 4.0, Performance Assessment and much more.

Speaker: Johan Arwidmark | Chief Technical Architect | Knowledge Factory

System Center User Group Meeting – October 2011 More >

Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2012 Beta 1

1 year ago

by Ronni Pedersen

Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) 2012 Beta 1 rides the next wave of System Center releases with support for System Center Configuration Manager 2012. For Lite Touch installations, MDT 2012 improves the overall client-side user experience, while also providing behind-the-scenes enhancements for partitioning, UEFI, and user state migration. These features, combined with many small enhancements, bug fixes, and a smooth and simple upgrade process, make MDT 2012 Beta 1 more reliable and flexible than ever.

Join the MDT 2012 Beta 1.

Coming soon: Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2012 Beta 1!

1 year ago

by Ronni Pedersen

New features include support for Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2012, an improved Lite Touch user experience, and more!

Visit the MDT home page and subscribe to the news feed to be notified when he beta is available for download (releasing in early June).

Source: Microsoft Solution Accelerators May Newsletter!

USMT 4.0 Hotfix: Support for Office 2010

1 year ago

by Ronni Pedersen

Earlier this year Microsoft released an update to USMT 4.0, adding support for Office 2010 and a few other minor updates:

The XML rules included in the default Migapp.xml file are updated to include new rules that support migrating Office 2010 application settings.
Changes that resolve an issue that creates many temporary files, that does not correctly remove the temporary files in a hard-link migration, and that causes poor LoadState performance.
An issue that prevents migration in certain time zones is corrected.

You can download the update from Here.

Run Command Line in Task Sequence for a 64-bit OS

1 year ago

by Ronni Pedersen

When running certain applications and commands through the “Run Command Line” task sequence in System Center Configuration Manager 2007 for a 64-bit Operating System you might find that the task will fail. This is true for applications that don’t fully support 64-bit mode. Some commands are not available by default when running in 32-bit mode, for example “manage-bde.exe” or “winsat.exe.

To work around this issue, simply disable the “64-bit file system redirection” in the task sequence when running such applications or commands.