wbeck

Using the Media Wizard, I build boot media and check "For use with Windows Deployment Services (WDS) multicast. And when I boot from a usb thumb drive and manually authenticate with WDS, the multicast occurs correctly and appears as a multicast transmission in WDS. However, using custom answer file to automate the entire process, I upload a boot image to our WDS. Doing a PXE boot from this boot image, I'm unable to create a multicast transmission - it just gets deployed as a normal data transmission. In other words, the image is deployed and the process is completely automated - but it does not appear as a multicast transmission in WDS. Can you tell me what's wrong with my custom answer file? Is there a switch to enable multicast transmission? <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> <smartdeploy version="1.1" version_debug="1.1.1900"> <deploy_wizard mode="Unattended"> <welcome> <hide_options_button>false</hide_options_button> </welcome> <select_image> <image_file>Z:\Images\Laptop\Laptop.wim</image_file> <image_name>laptop</image_name> </select_image> <disk_options> <!-- 0 = Recreate drives, 1 = Wipe & load drives, 2 = SmartMigrate --> <disk_option>0</disk_option> </disk_options> <product_key> <product_key/> </product_key> <end_user_license_agreement> <accept_eula>false</accept_eula> </end_user_license_agreement> <user_information> <full_name>Gainesville State College</full_name> <organization_name>Gainesville State College</organization_name> </user_information> <regional_settings> <time_zone>(GMT-05:00) Eastern Time (US and Canada)</time_zone> <input_locale>English (United States)</input_locale> </regional_settings> <display_settings> <resolution>Auto Detect</resolution> <color_depth>Auto Detect</color_depth> <refresh_rate>Auto Detect</refresh_rate> </display_settings> <network_tcpip_settings> <ipv4> <!-- 0 = Obtain an IP address automatically, 1 = Use the following IP address --> <static>0</static> <ip_address/> <subnet_mask/> <default_gateway/> <preferred_dns_server/> <alternate_dns_server/> <preferred_wins_server/> <alternate_wins_server/> </ipv4> </network_tcpip_settings> <network_identification> <computer_name/> <!-- 0 = Domain, 1 = Workgroup --> <membership>1</membership> <domain/> <organizational_unit/> <workgroup>WORKGROUP</workgroup> </network_identification> <join_domain_credentials> <username/> <domain/> <password/> </join_domain_credentials> <wds_credentials> <server>ourserver</server> <username>ourusername</username> <domain>gc</domain> <password>8DCEB88...encrypted</password> </wds_credentials> <summary> <hide_export_button>false</hide_export_button> </summary> <completion/> <advanced_options> <general> <platform_pack>Z:\Images\Laptop\Laptops.ppk</platform_pack> <system_properties/> </general> <identification> <!-- 0 = Assign a new computer name automatically, 1 = Use the following naming method --> <naming_mode>1</naming_mode> <naming_methods><method>WMI</method><method>EXISTING</method><method>CUSTOM</method></naming_methods> <custom_naming_scheme></custom_naming_scheme> <prefix></prefix> <wmi_query>SELECT SerialNumber FROM Win32_BIOS</wmi_query> </identification> <migration> <protected_folder>Backup</protected_folder> <virtualization_platform>Microsoft Virtual PC 2007</virtualization_platform> <create_desktop_shortcut>true</create_desktop_shortcut> <files_to_exclude><exclude>$ntfs.log</exclude><exclude>$Recycle.Bin\*</exclude><exclude>[systemRoot]\CSC</exclude><exclude>[systemRoot]\Temp\*</exclude><exclude>hiberfil.sys</exclude><exclude>pagefile.sys</exclude><exclude>RECYCLER</exclude><exclude>System Volume Information</exclude></files_to_exclude> </migration> <tasks><task><phase>FIRSTBOOT</phase><command>c:\users\GSC\power.bat</command></task></tasks> </advanced_options> <settings> <active_directory/> <network_shares><network_share><local_name>Z:</local_name><remote_name>\\ourserver\reminst</remote_name><username>ourusername</username><domain>gc</domain><password>8DCEB882D0...encrypted</password></network_share></network_shares> <proxy_server> <proxy_server_url/> <username/> <password/> </proxy_server> <session_id/> <unattend_delay>10</unattend_delay> </settings> </deploy_wizard> </smartdeploy>

Hi Erik, Yes, I'm using 1900. The boot media has been added to WDS. I have noticed another problem with multicasting. I'm going to do a new post. Thanks! Wally

Hi Erik, It turns out there WDS was not functioning correctly on the server. I rebooted the server and it fixed the problem. The client now appears in the WDS multicast window. Hope this helps someone else. Wally

Hi Erik, It does appear that a multicast session is not occurring - this may be why to build time is taking 33 minutes. After going over the SmartDeploy/WDS blog, I receive the following error: "Deploy Wizard...An unknown error occurred while establishing a WDS multicast session to "XX"(our WDS server name). Error code 2." Background: I created a multicast session on our WDS server (I created it from the same image that I selected in the SmartDeploy GUI). In the SmartDeploy GUI, I made sure to click "YES" to "Is this image a Windows Deployment Services (WDS) multicast enabled image?". I entered WDS credentials. This error occurred after the "provisioning disk" step. If I do not create a multicast session on our WDS server, I receive this error: "Deploy Wizard...An unknown error occurred while establishing a WDS multicast session to "XX". Error code: -1054801659" "XX" refer to the name of our server, not the FQDN though - just it's computername. I even turned off the firewall on our server - no dice. Any ideas? Wally

Erik, Thanks for the information! The image is copied to the local PC during the "Deploy Wizard...Applying volume image 1 of 1..." phase, correct? If so, should this transmission appear in the WDS console as a multicast transmission? It's not appearing when I "Refresh" the multicast transmission. I'll need to retrace my steps using your SmartDeploy with WDS guide. Thanks for clearing up my confusion on sysprep. I did not realizes that sysprep was being run post image capture. Wally

Hi, I'm using SmartDeploy and WDS to install Windows 7 64-bit. You have a GREAT product! Ghost has become useless because it doesn't support WIM files and Microsoft's MDT is a mess. I followed the excellent guides and created a 6GB image from a VMWare virtual Win7 64-bit PC. Can you provide me with any tips to speed up the deployment process? It's taking about 33 minutes to deploy an image (from PXE boot to final login to Windows 7 desktop). For example, the "Deploy Wizard" GUI that says "Please wait while the image is deployed" and "Applying volume image 1 of 1, please wait" takes about 15 minutes over a 100MB network link on a 4yr old PC. I've used other tips in my automated xml file like: <unattend_delay>10</unattend_delay> This trick was a good time saver instead of having to wait 1 minute. I've also deleted other all the non-"Windows 7 x64" drivers from the platform packs. I ran sysprep on the image before it was captured. The rebuild process appears as: 1. SmartDeploy and "Deploy Wizard" GUI (15 minutes) 2. Reboot 3. Sysprep..."Processing generalize phase Sysprep plugins", "Setup is preparing your computer for first use" (5 minutes) 4. Reboot 5. "Setup is updating registry files", "Setup is starting services", "Setup is installing devices", "Setup is applying system settings" (9 minutes) 6. Reboot 7. "Starting Windows", "Setup is preparing your computer for first use", "Setup is checking video performance" (4 minutes) 8. Reboot 9. Windows 7 desktop appears. PROCESS COMPLETE! It almost seems like it would be much faster to not run Sysprep (but use a utility to change the SID) and just have a separate image for each PC model. It wouldn't be hard because I could just use the same wim file and apply one model's platform pack for that model's image. Or am I missing something? Do you have any other recommendations for decreasing build time - perhaps on cutting down on the number of reboots and such? Thanks! Wally

Thanks! changing it to lowercase m (ex:mode="Unattended")made all the difference. It's working now. Wally

Erik, Oddly, this switch is not automating the process. When I boot the laptop to the USB drive, it brings up the default SmartDeploy GUI and just sits there. I used the media wizard to build the USB boot drive and made sure to include my answer file. The answer file was created at the root of the usb thumb drive and is called SmartDeploy.xml. Here's my answer file (below). Do you see any problems? If I click Next, all the information seems to be populated. the usb thumb drive has the following files ..\z\Default.ppk (~341MB), ..\z\Win7x64ver6.swm (~4GB), ..\z\Win7x64ver62.swm (~2GB). Thank you! Wally <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> <smartdeploy version="1.1" version_debug="1.1.1890"> <deploy_wizard Mode="Unattended"> <welcome> <hide_options_button>false</hide_options_button> </welcome> <select_image> <image_file>[AnswerFolder]\z\Win7x64ver6.swm</image_file> <image_name>Windows 7 for Laptops</image_name> </select_image> <disk_options> <!-- 0 = Recreate drives, 1 = Wipe & load drives, 2 = SmartMigrate --> <disk_option>0</disk_option> </disk_options> <product_key> <product_key/> </product_key> <end_user_license_agreement> <accept_eula>false</accept_eula> </end_user_license_agreement> <user_information> <full_name>Gainesville State College</full_name> <organization_name>Gainesville State College</organization_name> </user_information> <regional_settings> <time_zone>(GMT-05:00) Eastern Time (US and Canada)</time_zone> <input_locale>English (United States)</input_locale> </regional_settings> <display_settings> <resolution>Auto Detect</resolution> <color_depth>Auto Detect</color_depth> <refresh_rate>Auto Detect</refresh_rate> </display_settings> <network_tcpip_settings> <ipv4> <!-- 0 = Obtain an IP address automatically, 1 = Use the following IP address --> <static>0</static> <ip_address/> <subnet_mask/> <default_gateway/> <preferred_dns_server/> <alternate_dns_server/> <preferred_wins_server/> <alternate_wins_server/> </ipv4> </network_tcpip_settings> <network_identification> <computer_name/> <!-- 0 = Domain, 1 = Workgroup --> <membership>1</membership> <domain/> <organizational_unit/> <workgroup>WORKGROUP</workgroup> </network_identification> <join_domain_credentials> <username/> <domain/> <password/> </join_domain_credentials> <wds_credentials> <server/> <username/> <domain/> <password/> </wds_credentials> <summary> <hide_export_button>false</hide_export_button> </summary> <completion/> <advanced_options> <general> <platform_pack></platform_pack> <system_properties/> </general> <identification> <!-- 0 = Assign a new computer name automatically, 1 = Use the following naming method --> <naming_mode>1</naming_mode> <naming_methods><method>WMI</method><method>EXISTING</method><method>CUSTOM</method></naming_methods> <custom_naming_scheme></custom_naming_scheme> <prefix></prefix> <wmi_query>SELECT SerialNumber FROM Win32_BIOS</wmi_query> </identification> <migration> <protected_folder>Backup</protected_folder> <protected_folder>Backup</protected_folder> <virtualization_platform>Microsoft Virtual PC 2007</virtualization_platform> <create_desktop_shortcut>true</create_desktop_shortcut> <files_to_exclude><exclude>$ntfs.log</exclude><exclude>$Recycle.Bin\*</exclude><exclude>[systemRoot]\CSC</exclude><exclude>[systemRoot]\Temp\*</exclude><exclude>hiberfil.sys</exclude><exclude>pagefile.sys</exclude><exclude>RECYCLER</exclude><exclude>System Volume Information</exclude></files_to_exclude> </migration> <tasks><task><phase>FIRSTBOOT</phase><command>c:\users\GSC\power.bat</command></task></tasks> </advanced_options> <settings> <active_directory/> <network_shares/> <proxy_server> <proxy_server_url/> <username/> <password/> </proxy_server> <session_id/> <unattend_delay/> </settings> </deploy_wizard> </smartdeploy>

Hi Erik, I'm still having a problem getting this automated. The images from your previous post did not appear. Could you include an example SmartDeploy.xml showing how to automate the answer file? Thanks! Wally

After doing some tests, a USB Flash drive won't show up under Windows XP. It only shows up on Vista and Windows 7. Wally

I've tried several different USB Flash drives in my Dell OptiPlex 980MT. However, the process described above fails when I type "select disk 1". It turns out there is no disk 1 - only a disk 0 which is the hard drive. Also, the media wizard fails to create a bootable usb flash drive. Any ideas on how to fix this? I'm using WinXP SP3. Wally

Devon, I performed the steps you suggested and the values are being entered correctly. However, I still have to click NEXT through every dialog box. Is there any way to completely automate this so I don't have to click NEXT? Thanks! Wally

Figured it out. You boot from a SmartDeploy DVD you created using Media Wizard. Then, you put in the settings you want and click Export on one of the last dialog boxes. The file exports to a usb flash drive or c: drive as an xml file. One really cool feature is the ability to set the computer name to the Dell Service Tag automatically - using the Computername/WMI dialog box. Wally

Erik, I understand what you're talking about now. Symantec Ghost does not support deployment of .WIM files. One of the good things about Ghost is that you can run a task to rebuild many PCs at once by doing a single multicast session. Can WDS do this? Or does WDS just do one PC at a time? Thanks! Wally

Can anyone share their custom answer file that is used to automate the deployment process. This is the answer file that is in .xml format and is added using the Media Wizard. Thanks! Wally