Deployment Solution

Hi

I have been tasked with deploying windows7 Pro using DS6.9 SP5 and having issues. Firstly would appreciate if someone could outline the exacts steps required to deploy hardware independent windows 7 image. Some screenshots would be nice...something like attached

I have created the following jobs to try and deploy the image. My first problem is that copying of unattend.xml from temp location to D:\windows\panther folder fails. And secondly, after I manually copy the file using winpe, the unattend.xml is not applied. I have attached screenshot of the jobs and answer file.

What I would like to achive is

- boot pc to automation

- rename the pc to what the actual computer name should be after image is deployed

- install dagent

- detect pc model and download drivers

- install downloaded drivers

- apply unattend.xml and join the pc the domain

Any help will be much appreciated.

Thanks

MK

Attachment(s)

win7deploy.docx   66 KB 1 version

unattend.xml   5 KB 1 version

Hi MK,

Independent of what sort of imaging you perform, here a couple of items I do for our environmrnt:

- I don't do Sysprep images as that forces updating the images again and again. I use Silent installations, works great and is also HW indipendent !! (just for your consideration though...)

1. From winthin WinPE, you have plenty of choices to detect the hardware, so what you could do is something like running a VBS to detect the coputer system details and then copy over the appropriate driver set (attached the VBS I use).

2. Dagent installation works in various ways:

- As part of the XML you use for Windows setup (Could be something like the FirstLogonCommands) and there you could add in something like this:

<CommandLine>MSIEXEC /I C:\YOURPATH\DAgent_x64.msi /qn TCPPORT=402 TCPADDR=%DSSERVER%</CommandLine>

- Of course before using it like that, you will have to run a ReplaceTokens command against the file and copy the file with the final server in it over to the client.

3. I usually do not care about naming machines prior to having completed imaging, but there are various ways to get that done. Same is valid for joining clients to the domain (for that I use a PS script as I also have a conditional build process for clients that already exist (refresh) and new builds.

I hope this is a bit of help...?

Regards,

-BBC

Attachment(s)

Drivers.vbs_.TXT   1 KB 1 version

Hi BBC

Thanks for your post above, it surely help. However I am still struggling to pass through the computer. My answer file uses %COMPNAME% variable in the answer. So I thought that the name showing in DS console will be passed through to be the computer name. Is this not correct? I need to change the computer after applying the image. How can this be done?

cheers

MK

You will need to run a ReplaceTokens command against the file, which results in a temporary file that is created and that you then copy to the client. An example would be this:

Step 1:

Run Script task on the console containing this line

REM ReplaceTokens .\AutoUnattend.xml .\temp\%ID%.xml

That will create a file under express\Temp with a unique ID number to which you can refer lateron in your process and copy it over using a task like i.e.

Step 2:

COPY /Y \\%DSSERVER%\eXpress\temp\%ID%.xml C:\Windows\Panther\AutoUnattend.xml

This should result in any tokens you have in the XML that are recognized by the DS being replaced with whatever value the DS has. In your case, you will get the same name injected into the XML file, which the client has on the console. Just make sure you check the Computer Name and not the Display Name ! This is different and very much important.

-BBC

On my image, I have changed the %compname% to an * on my unattend.xml file on my image so it looks like this:

<ComputerName>*</ComputerName>  However, the unattend.xml file on my express share still has %COMPNAME% in it.  What happens is that before the image applies, the following script is run:

REM Replace tokens in unattend.xml
REM ReplaceTokens .\sysprep_w7\unattend.xml .\temp\%ID%.inf

Once I've applied my WIM image, I run the following to drop the name back into the unattend file on my newly installed image for Windows setup:

y:
cd y:\
copy "y:\temp\%ID%.inf" "W:\Windows\panther\unattend\unattend.xml" /Y

I'm a little bit different in that I'm applying my image using imageX called out in a script.  I guess what I'm saying is that this info may or may not help you depending on how you are doing things.  Hopefully it somewhat helps.

James

Hi BBC

I am currently doing what you have explained. Only difference is that i am copying back unattend.xml to C:\windows\panther and you are copying autounattend.xml. I dont think this matters.

Probably I didnt make myself clear enough. I am trying to pass through the display name rather then the computer name. Meaning computername of the machine being deployed should be the display name. Hope this is clear.

With the xp images we are using something like %#!computer@name% in an inf file and it passes the display name, however xml file rejects this for windows7.

Thanks

MK

Looks like using %NAME% for computer name does the trick..will confirm

Hi BBC

I am getting error 255 excuting script error when running the script through altiris. Any ideas??

Thanks

MK

Hi MK,

Which script is causing that error? Is the environment set correctly (i.e. to run in Windows/WinPE for VBS or in DOS, locally on the DS on on the client...)?

Thanks, -BBC

Hi BBC

I am getting the error with driver download script that attached. I just updated the source and destination. Script is using windows/winpe environment. If I run the script using altiris it gives error 255 but if manually run the script on the pc in winpe, it runs fine.

Thanks

MK

Hi BBC

I have put in a work around for now. Created two new jobs in altiris. First one to copy the script to local disk and then second job to run the script.

Also using %name% for computername doesnt exactly work. Replace Token created a new xml file with the correct computer. After deploying the image when the pc boots up for the first, the computer name shows correctly and also joined to domain. However after it reboots for the second time, computer goes back to being in workgroup and also the computer name changes to original name. I dont know what is causing the second reboot and why the name changes. Might log a call with Symantec Support for this one..

Thanks

MK

hi MK,

That was my bad about the VBS as I do that by default and missed to mention this.

With regards to changing the computer name and then reverting it back and me not knowing if you run any tasks on SetupComplete or post image deployment thru the DS, it is hard to say what causes this. What I would do first is to create a copy of the image you deploy, the make sure you do not have any XML files remain in there as you only need and want the one you inject and second confirm you do not have any tasks configured thru registry.

-BBC

PS: you can also drop me a line in case - might be a quicker communication way...