Microsoft Official Course

Module 11

Deploying and Maintaining Server

Images
Module Overview

• Overview of Windows Deployment Services

• Managing Images
• Implementing Deployment with Windows
Deployment Services
• Administering Windows Deployment Services
Lesson 1: Overview of Windows Deployment
Services

• What Is Windows Deployment Services?

• Windows Deployment Services Components
• Why Use Windows Deployment Services?
• Discussion: How to Use Windows Deployment
Services
What Is Windows Deployment Services?

Windows Deployment Services is a server role that is

provided with Windows Server 2012

• Windows Deployment Services:

• Enables you to perform network-based installations
• Simplifies the deployment process
• Supports deployment to computers that have no installed
operating system
• Provides end-to-end deployment solutions for both client
and server computers
• Uses existing technologies, such as Windows Preinstallation
Environment (Windows PE), Windows image file (.wim) and
virtual hard disk (.vhd and .vhdx) image files, and image-
based deployment.
Operating Systems Components

• Windows Deployment Services uses the

componentized nature of Windows operating
systems. Components allow you to separate the
core functionality of the operating system in an
image by adding or removing components at any
time

• The following elements follow the component

infrastructure:
• Updates
• Service Packs
• Language packs
• Device drivers
Windows Deployment Services Components

• Windows Deployment Services (WDS) role is

composed of two components:
1. Transport Server
2. Deployment Server
1. Transport Server

• The transport server component provides the core

networking functionality of Windows Deployment
Services for multicast transmission

• The multicasting engine provides the main utility of the

Transport Server component. It allows you to push data
over a network to multiple computers simultaneously.
• This saves time and network bandwidth

• Using Windows PowerShell cmdlets for session

management
1. Transport Server

• The transport server component provides 2 types

of multicasting
1. Scheduled-Cast.
• Schedule-Cast is a multicast type that you can use to schedule
a multicast session. There are two ways to configure
Scheduled-Cast:
• Client count : the server waits until the defined count of connected
clients is reached, and then it starts to send the information
• Point in time : the server waits until the specified time and begins
deployment to connected client computers.
2. Autocast.
• Autocast is a type of multicast that automatically creates a new
session for each client connection received.
2. Deployment Server

• Deployment Server requires the installation of the

Transport Server.
• It uses the multicasting engine to push operating
system images across the network.
2. Deployment Server

• It provides the following functionality:

• Pre-Boot EXecution Environment (PXE) Server
• PXE servers listen for DHCP requests and respond to DHCP clients with
a PXE offer.
• Image store
• Managing images uploaded to a server running (WDS)
• Storing .wim, .vhd, and .vhdx images
• Using two types of images in (WDS):
• Boot image : Image store uses boot images to start PXE clients
• Install images : use an install images to apply an operating system to a hard
drive on a computer.
• Windows Deployment Services (WDS) Client
• responsible for connecting to a server running Windows Deployment
Services, joining a session, and applying an install image
• TFTP Server
• Windows Deployment Services acts as a trivial FTP (TFTP) server
Why Use Windows Deployment Services?

Consider the following scenarios:

1. In a small network consisting of a single server
and around 25 Windows XP computers, you
want to expedite the upgrade process of the
client computers to Windows 8.1

2. A medium-sized organization wants to deploy

multiple servers in branch offices that are
geographically dispersed. It would be time-
consuming and expensive to send experienced
IT staff to each location to deploy the servers
Discussion: How to Use Windows Deployment
Services

The A. Datum Corporation IT staff is about to

deploy Windows Server 2012 to various branch
offices. The following information has been
provided to the IT staff by management:
• The configuration of the various branch office servers is
expected to be fairly consistent.
How should you
• There is no requirement to
configure Windows
upgrade settings from existing
Deployment Services?
servers, as these are new branch
offices with no current IT
infrastructure in place.
• Automation of the deployment process is
important, as there are many servers to deploy.
Discussion: How to Use Windows Deployment
Services

A. Datum Corporation wants to deploy several

dozen new servers in their head offices. Windows
Server 2012 will be installed on these servers.
Following are the requirements provided to the IT
staff:
• The configuration of the various
How should you
servers is expected to vary configure Windows
slightly. There are two basic Deployment Services?
server configurations: full server,
and Server Core.
• Managing network traffic is critical, as the
network is near capacity.
Lesson 2: Managing Images

• The Role of Images in Windows Deployment

Services
• Windows ADK Tools for Image Management
• Image Types
• Creating an Install Image
• Managing and Maintaining Images
• Demonstration: Using DISM to Configure an
Image
The Role of Images in Windows Deployment Services

• Windows Deployment Services relies on images to start remote

computers by using PXE boot and to deploy an operating system
and any required applications to those same computers.

• There are two functional categories of images used by WDS:

• Boot images. need 2 boot images in WBS

• Image for computers running 32-bit processors
• Image for computers running 64-bit processors
• The boot image contains a scaled-down version of the Windows
operating system named Windows PE.

• Install images.
• Install images contain the operating system you want to deploy to a
given computer along with any applications, updates, roles, and settings
configured on the original computer that created the image.
• Install images are a mirror of a hard drive you can apply to any drive on
a WDS client computer.
The Role of Images in Windows Deployment Services

Three types of image files in WDS are used as

boot or install images
• WIM, VHD, and VHDX

Windows Imaging (WIM) File

WIM Metadata Metadata

Header Resource Resource

Integrity Table

Integrity Table
Lookup Table

Lookup Table
File Resource
File Resource

File Resource
File Resource
File Resource

File Resource

(Image 1) (Image 2)

XML Data

XML Data
Image 1 Image 2
.wim files.

• The .wim format is a file-based disk image format

• .wim files are compressed packages that contain
several related files. These related files are
grouped together in images.
• Each .wim file contains one or more image, as
shown on the slide. .wim files follow the structure
described below:
 .wim files structure
.wim header defines the .wim file content, such as .wim file
attributes, such as version, size, and compression type,
and the memory location of key resources such as
metadata resource, lookup table, and XML data

File resource is a series of packages that contain captured data, such

as source files
Metadata stores information on how captured data that includes
resource directory structure and file attributes is organized in the
.wim file
Lookup table contains the memory location of resource files in the
.wim file
XML data contains additional miscellaneous data, such as
directory and file counts, total bytes, creation and
modification times, and description information about
the .wim image
Integrity table Contains the security hash information against which
the integrity of an image is verified during an apply
operation
VHD files and VHDX files

• .vhd files are a representation of a hard drive

contained in a single file. You can mount .vhd files
as a drive on a computer, or use the file as a hard
drive for a virtual computer hosted by server
running Microsoft Hyper-V® Server 2012
• .vhdx files are similar to .vhd files, with a few
added features:
• Size limit. .vhd files can store up to 2GB of data, while
.vhdx files can store up to 64TB
• Metadata resource. .vhdx files contain a metadata
resource that is similar to the one found in .wim files.
Windows ADK Tools for Image Management

• Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit

(Windows ADK) is a collection of tools and
documentation that you can use to automate the
deployment of Windows operating systems and to
assess your environment.
• You can then create a report showing the changes
that you should make before deploying a new
Windows operating system.
• The core tools used in most Windows deployment
scenarios include the following:
 Windows ADK Tools for Image Management
core tools Description
enables you to create and manage unattended installation
answer files and distribution shares. Answer files replace user
Windows System
interactivity during an install and provide settings the installer
Image Manager
uses to configure the operating system. These files operate in
(Windows SIM)
conjunction with an image to apply settings to the operating
system.
is a minimal 32- or 64-bit operating system that has limited
services and is built on the Windows 8.1 kernel. Windows PE
loads during Windows installation and deployment. Windows PE
Windows PE provides read and write access to Windows file systems, and
supports a range of hardware drivers, including network
connectivity, which makes it useful for troubleshooting and
system recovery.
User State This tool enables you to migrate user settings from a previous
Migration Tool Windows operating system to Windows 8.1
(USMT)
Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) enables
you to service and manage Windows images. You can use DISM
DISM to apply updates, drivers, and language packs to a Windows
image, offline or online
Image Types

• Thin Image
• Contains only the operating system and possibly a few
agents, such as the Configuration Manager 2012 agent
• Thick Image
• Contains every application required by an end-user

• Hybrid Image
• Contains some of the applications required by most
users
Creating an Install Image

• The process of creating an install image

can be summarized as follows:
• Create a capture image
• Install Windows on a reference computer
• Customize settings on the reference computer
• Generalize the reference computer
• Capture the reference image
Managing and Maintaining Images

• DISM can be used to manage and maintain

images including:
• Apply updates, drivers, and language packages
• Add, remove, or enumerate packages and
drivers
• Enable or disable Windows features
• Apply changes based on the offlineServicing
section of an unattended answer file
• Configure locale settings
• Upgrade an image to a different edition of
Windows
Lesson 3: Implementing Deployment with Windows
Deployment Services

• Understanding Windows Deployment Services

Components
• Installing and Configuring Windows Deployment
Services
• Managing Deployments with Windows
Deployment Services
Understanding Windows Deployment Services
Components

Windows Deployment Services prerequisites

include:
• AD DS
• DHCP
• DNS
• NTFS volume

Use Windows Automated Deployment Tool Kit to

create answer files for automated deployment
Installing and Configuring Windows Deployment
Services

Install and configure Windows Deployment

Services by:
• Installing the Windows Deployment Services
server role
• Install the Deployment Server or Transport Server role
service
• Perform post-installation configuration of Windows
Deployment Services by:
• Specifying an image store location
• Configuring the DHCP server options, if required
• Configuring PXE server configuration
Managing Deployments with Windows Deployment
Services

• To service client computers with Windows

Deployment Services, you must:
• Configure boot settings
• Configure install settings
• Configure transmission settings
• Configure drivers
Lesson 4: Administering Windows Deployment
Services

• Common Administration Tasks

• Demonstration: How to Administer Images
• Automating Deployments
• Demonstration: How to Configure Multicast
Transmission
Common Administration Tasks

There are several common administrative tasks

and tools for Windows Deployment Services
• Tasks
• Configure DHCP
• Create and service images
• Manage the boot menu
• Prestage client computers
• Automate deployment
• Configure transmission

• Tools
• Windows Deployment Services console, WDSUtil.exe,
Dism.exe, Sysprep.exe, ImageX.exe, Windows SIM
Automating Deployments

To automate the Windows Setup process:

1. Create the Unattend.xml file
2. Copy the file to the Windows Deployment
Services server
3. View the properties of the appropriate install
image
4. Enable unattended mode and select the
answer file
Module Review and Takeaways

• Review Question(s)
• Real-world Issues and Scenarios
• Tools