Cross network deployment

[Sunny Bharucha]

With the new cloud deployment available, will we be able to leverage that across networks? Of course initially we'd have to image on the original network even using the cloud deployment but I'm wondering, after initial imaging, would we be able to pull up the console, pull up the machine in the computer management list, right click on the machine and schedule a deployment, even if they are off of the original network? As of right now, even with the cloud package set up, if I schedule a deployment, what package does that pull? The one on my SmartDeploy "server" or the one that I've cloud uploaded already? 

[Jeff Harris]

When you right-click a computer and click deploy, the network deployment package containing the SmartDeploy boot image and answer file is copied to the target computer (a few hundred MB). Then it will restart and boot into SmartDeploy and should your answer file have the instructions for an unattended cloud deployment, that's what would happen. 

I believe the recommendation is still to avoid this sort of scenario by keeping SmartDeploy installed on a VM on-site to act as the hub for console initiated network deployments. Maintaining connectivity without a site-to-site VPN can be problematic and may cause more work for you. 

[Sunny Bharucha]

Thanks for the quick response Jeff!

Quote

When you right-click a computer and click deploy, the network deployment package containing the SmartDeploy boot image and answer file is copied to the target computer (a few hundred MB).

In regards to that ~500 MB file; what actually is contained in that file? Is it just the SmartPE + Answer file? If so, my question really was, where is the actual image + platform pack being transferred from, if I've already uploaded my deployment package to the cloud? 

11 minutes ago, Jeff Harris said:

I believe the recommendation is still to avoid this sort of scenario by keeping SmartDeploy installed on a VM on-site to act as the hub for console initiated network deployments. Maintaining connectivity without a site-to-site VPN can be problematic and may cause more work for you. 

So we have this on-site hub. But eventually we'd like to move away from having a centralized server, and just be able to upload cloud packages, and initially deploy using SmartPE USB sticks pulling that cloud package. However, with this, still have the functionality that if the client is working remotely and has an issue, I can initiate a reimage that pulls everything from that cloud package. 

[Jeff Harris]

39 minutes ago, Sunny Bharucha said:

In regards to that ~500 MB file; what actually is contained in that file? Is it just the SmartPE + Answer file? If so, my question really was, where is the actual image + platform pack being transferred from, if I've already uploaded my deployment package to the cloud? 

Correct, the network deployment package contains the SmartPE boot image and your answer file. Provided you've walked through the steps to create an answer file for a cloud deployment, SmartDeploy will look to the cloud for the image and the platform pack. 

[Sunny Bharucha]

2 hours ago, Jeff Harris said:

Provided you've walked through the steps to create an answer file for a cloud deployment, SmartDeploy will look to the cloud for the image and the platform pack. 

That is what I was hoping and figuring. However, when going through the create media wizard,  trying to create standard network deployment media (testing out the cloud deployment today, even just within my own network) I get asked to specify platform packs that locally live on the server. However, I've already uploaded this platform pack to the cloud as a part of my cloud deployment package. Why does it ask me for the platform packs locally?