Step-by-Step Guide for Windows Deployment

Services in Windows Server 2008

Microsoft Corporation
Published: September 2007
Author: Trina Gorman
Editor: Dia Reeves

Abstract
This guide provides an introduction to Windows Deployment Services in Windows Server® 2008.
It includes an overview of features, tasks you can use to test Windows Deployment Services, and
details about the technology.

1
Copyright Information
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Contents
Windows Deployment Services Role Step-by-Step Guide ............................................................5
In this guide .............................................................................................................................5
What is Windows Deployment Services?..................................................................................5
What’s new in Windows Deployment Services? ....................................................................6
Who should use this guide? ..................................................................................................7
Benefits of Windows Deployment Services............................................................................7
Installing Windows Deployment Services .................................................................................8
Prerequisites for installing Windows Deployment Services ....................................................8
Steps for installing Windows Deployment Services................................................................9
Upgrading from a server running Windows Server 2003 with SP1 or SP2 .................................9
Configuring Windows Deployment Services ...........................................................................10
Known issues with configuring Windows Deployment Services ...........................................11
Steps for configuring Windows Deployment Services ..........................................................11
Using the Windows interface............................................................................................12
Using WDSUTIL at a command prompt ...........................................................................13
Configuring the boot menu .....................................................................................................13
Prerequisites for configuring the boot menu ........................................................................13
Known issues with configuring the boot menu .....................................................................14
Steps for configuring the boot menu....................................................................................14
Creating and modifying images ..............................................................................................15
Prerequisites for creating and modifying images .................................................................16
Known issues with creating images.....................................................................................16
Steps for creating images ...................................................................................................16
Boot images ....................................................................................................................16
Install images ..................................................................................................................19
Installing an operating system ................................................................................................21
Prerequisites for installing an operating system...................................................................21
Steps for installing an operating system ..............................................................................21
Using unattend files................................................................................................................21
Prerequisites for using unattend files...................................................................................22
Known issues with using unattend files ...............................................................................22
Steps for using unattend files ..............................................................................................22
Configuring unattended installation for the Windows Deployment Services client .............22
Configuring unattend installation for Windows Setup........................................................23
Creating a multicast transmission ...........................................................................................24
Prerequisites for creating a multicast transmission ..............................................................24
Known issues in creating a multicast transmission ..............................................................24

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 Steps for creating a multicast transmission..........................................................................25
Using the Windows interface............................................................................................25
Using WDSUTIL ..............................................................................................................26
Transport Server ....................................................................................................................28
Configuring Transport Server ..............................................................................................28
Known issues with configuring Transport Server ..............................................................28
Steps for configuring Transport Server.............................................................................28
Creating a namespace with Transport Server......................................................................29
Prerequisites for creating a namespace with Transport Server .........................................29
Steps for creating a namespace with Transport Server ....................................................29
Steps for client computers to join a namespace ...............................................................32
Additional references .............................................................................................................33
Appendix A: Sample client unattend file..................................................................................33

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Windows Deployment Services Role Step-by-
Step Guide
This guide contains step-by-step guidance for how to use the Windows Deployment Services role
in Windows Server® 2008. This guide does not pertain to the Windows Deployment Services
Update for Windows Server 2003 (which is included in Windows Automated Installation Kit
(Windows AIK) and in Windows Server 2003 SP2). For more information about the update, see
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=66145.
To download a .doc version of this guide, see http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=89381.
To provide feedback about this topic, e-mail [email protected].

Note
This guide focuses primarily on the functionality of the complete installation of Windows
Deployment Services (Deployment Server). For information about how to configure and
use Transport Server, see the Transport Server section.

In this guide
• What is Windows Deployment Services?
• Installing Windows Deployment Services
• Upgrading from a server running Windows Server 2003 with SP1 or SP2
• Configuring Windows Deployment Services
• Configuring the boot menu
• Creating and modifying images
• Installing an operating system
• Using unattend files
• Creating a multicast transmission
• Transport Server
• Additional references
• Appendix A: Sample client unattend file

What is Windows Deployment Services?

The Windows Deployment Services role in Windows Server 2008 is the updated and redesigned
version of Remote Installation Services (RIS). Windows Deployment Services enables you to
deploy Windows operating systems, particularly Windows Vista® and Windows Server 2008. You

5
can use it to set up new computers by using a network-based installation. This means that you do
not have to be physically present at each computer and you do not have to install each operating
system directly from a CD or DVD. The components of Windows Deployment Services are
organized into the following three categories:
• Server components. These components include a Pre-Boot Execution Environment (PXE)
server and Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) server for network booting a client to load
and install an operating system. Also included is a shared folder and image repository that
contains boot images, install images, and files that you need specifically for network boot.
There is also a networking layer, a multicast component, and a diagnostics component.
• Client components. These components include a graphical user interface that runs within
the Windows Pre-Installation Environment (Windows PE). When a user selects an operating
system image, the client components communicate with the server components to install the
image.
• Management components. These components are a set of tools that you use to manage
the server, operating system images, and client computer accounts.

What’s new in Windows Deployment Services?

Windows Deployment Services for Windows Server 2008 includes several modifications to RIS
features. There are also modifications from Windows Deployment Services that you can install
onto computers running Windows Server 2003.

Changes from RIS Changes from Windows Deployment Services on

Windows Server 2003

• Ability to deploy Windows Vista and • Ability to transmit data and images using
Windows Server 2008. multicast functionality.
• Support for Windows PE as a boot • Ability to transmit data and images using
operating system. multicast functionality on a standalone
• Support for the Windows image (.wim) server (when you install Transport Server).
format. • Does not support RISETUP images or
• Ability to transmit data and images using OSChooser screens.
multicast functionality. • Enhanced TFTP server.
• Ability to transmit data and images using • Supports network boots of x64-based
multicast functionality on a standalone computers with Extensible Firmware
server (when you install Transport Server). Interface (EFI).
• An extensible and higher-performing PXE • Metric reporting for installations.
server component.
• A new boot menu format for selecting boot
operating systems.

6
Changes from RIS Changes from Windows Deployment Services on
Windows Server 2003
• A new graphical user interface that you can
use to select and deploy images and to
manage Windows Deployment Services
servers and clients.

Who should use this guide?

Windows Deployment Services is intended for deployment specialists who are responsible for the
deployment of Windows operating systems in an organization. This guide assumes that you have
a working knowledge of common desktop deployment technologies, networking components
including Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), Domain Name System (DNS), and
Active Directory® Domain Services. The target audiences are:
• IT planners or analysts evaluating Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008
• Enterprise IT planners or designers
• Deployment specialists interested in deploying images to computers without operating
systems

Benefits of Windows Deployment Services

Windows Deployment Services provides the following benefits:
• Reduces the complexity of deployments and the cost associated with inefficient manual
installation processes.
• Allows network-based installation of Windows operating systems including Windows Vista
and Windows Server 2008.
• Deploys Windows images to computers without operating systems.
• Supports mixed environments that include Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Microsoft
Windows XP and Microsoft Windows Server 2003.
• Provides an end-to-end solution for the deployment of Windows operating systems to client
computers and servers.
• Built on standard Windows Server 2008 setup technologies including Windows PE, .wim files,
and image-based setup.

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Installing Windows Deployment Services
Prerequisites for installing Windows Deployment Services
The following are requirements for installing this role, depending on if you choose Deployment
Server or Transport Server during the installation.

Deployment Server Transport Server

• Active Directory Domain Services. A There are no requirements for installing

Windows Deployment Services server must Transport Server. However, see Prerequisites
be either a member of an Active Directory for creating a namespace with transport server
Domain Services domain or a domain for a list of requirements that you need to use
controller for an Active Directory Domain the functionality of Transport Server.
Services domain. The Active Directory
Important
Domain Services domain and forest
versions are irrelevant; all domain and This guide focuses primarily on the
forest configurations support Windows functionality of Deployment Server. For
Deployment Services. information about how to configure and
use Transport Server, see Transport
• DHCP. You must have a working Dynamic
Server.
Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server
with an active scope on the network
because Windows Deployment Services
uses Pre-Boot Execution Environment
(PXE), which relies on DHCP for IP
addressing.
• DNS. You must have a working Dynamic
Name Services (DNS) server on the
network to run Windows Deployment
Services.
• NTFS volume. The server running
Windows Deployment Services requires an
NTFS file system volume for the image
store.
• Credentials. To install the role, you must
be a member of the Local Administrators
group on the Windows Deployment
Services server. To start the Windows
Deployment Services client, you must be a
member of the Domain Users group.

8
Steps for installing Windows Deployment Services
You can install Windows Deployment Services using the Initial Configuration Wizard or Server
Manager.
• To start the installation using the Initial Configuration Wizard, click Add roles on the Initial
Configuration Tasks startup screen. Click Next and then select Windows Deployment
Services.
• To start the installation using Server Manager, click Add roles which is located within the
Roles Summary pane. Click Next and then select Windows Deployment Services.
During the installation, you have two installation options to choose from:
• Transport Server. This option provides a subset of the functionality of Windows Deployment
Services. It contains only the core networking parts. You can use Transport Server to create
multicast namespaces that transmit data (including operating system images) from a
standalone server. You should use this option if you want to transmit data using multicasting,
but do not want to incorporate all of Windows Deployment Services.
• Deployment Server. This option provides the full functionality of Windows Deployment
Services, which you can use to configure and remotely install Windows operating systems.
With Windows Deployment Services, you can create and customize images and then use
them to re-image computers. Deployment Server is dependent on the core parts of Transport
Server.

Important
This guide focuses primarily on the functionality of Deployment Server. For
information about how to configure and use Transport Server, see Transport Server.

Upgrading from a server running Windows Server

2003 with SP1 or SP2
There are three modes of operation for Windows Deployment Services in Windows Server 2003:
Legacy, Mixed, and Native. Only servers in Native mode can upgrade to Windows Server 2008.
Your upgrade will be blocked if RIS is configured, or if the Windows Deployment Services is in
Legacy or Mixed mode. To check the operating mode that you are in, run WDSUTIL /get-server
/show:config.
Consider the following scenarios:
• If RIS is currently running on the server but you do not have Windows Deployment Services
installed, then you must install it before upgrading. Windows Deployment Services is included
in the Windows Automated Installation Kit (Windows AIK) and Windows Server 2003 Service
Pack 2. For more information about how to install and configure, see the Windows
Deployment Services Update Step-by-Step Guide for Windows Server 2003

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 (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=94643). Then use the instructions below to change
from Legacy mode (default) to Native mode.
• If RIS was installed on the server when you installed Windows Deployment Services, it will be
in Legacy or Mixed mode—you will need to change it to Native mode before upgrading.
• If RIS was not installed on the server when you installed Windows Deployment Services, the
server will be in Native mode and therefore ready to be upgraded to Windows Server 2008.
Use the following procedures to change the server mode to Native.

To change the server mode from Legacy to Mixed

1. Initialize the server by doing one of the following:
• Using the MMC snap-in. On the Start menu, click Administrative Tools, and then
click Windows Deployment Services. Right-click the server and select Initialize
Server.
• Using WDSUTIL. Run WDSUTIL /Initialize-Server /RemInst:C:\RemoteInstall
(assuming C:\RemoteInstall is the location of your REMINST shared folder).
2. When the process completes, use the following procedure to change the server mode to
Native.

To change a server mode from Mixed to Native

1. Decide whether to retire your RISETUP and RIPREP images or convert them to .wim
format. To retire them, simply delete the images. If you wish to convert them, you have
two options:
• Offline conversion (RIPREP images only)
• Deploy and recapture (RIPREP or RISETUP images)
For more information about these options, download the guide located at
(http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=81031) and see "Chapter 7: Working With
Images".
2. Run WDSUTIL /Set-Server /ForceNative.
3. When the process completes, the server is ready to be upgraded to Windows
Server 2008.

Configuring Windows Deployment Services

You can configure Windows Deployment Services by using the Windows Deployment Services
MMC snap-in or by using WDSUTIL at the command prompt. Configuring Windows Deployment
Services involves the following actions:

10
• Creating a shared folder that contains the files necessary for PXE boot, the files for booting
Windows PE into RAMDISK, Windows PE boot images, and install images for Windows Vista
or Windows Server 2008.
• Configuring the answer settings of the PXE listener to control whether and how the server
services incoming client boot requests.
• If Microsoft DHCP is installed on the same physical computer as Windows Deployment
Services, the configuration wizard does the following (if you configure Windows Deployment
Services by using WDSUTIL, you have to manually make these changes):
• Adds DHCP option tag 60, with the PXE client setting selected, to all DHCP scopes (as a
DHCP global option). This is necessary so that a booting PXE client can be notified that
there is a listening PXE server on the network.
• Selects the Do not Listen on port 67 option. This is necessary so that booting clients
can find the DHCP server on the network.

Known issues with configuring Windows Deployment Services

You should note the following issues when configuring your server:
• IPv6 is not supported for this version of Windows Deployment Services. Even though the
management utilities show that you can specify the IPv6 address range, these options do
nothing in this version of Windows Deployment Services.
• You should use only the boot.wim file from the Windows Server 2008 DVD. If you use the
boot.wim file from the Windows Vista DVD, you will not be able to use the full functionality of
Windows Deployment Services (for example, multicasting).
• If you are running Windows Deployment Services and a non-Microsoft DHCP server on the
same computer, in addition to configuring the server to not listen on port 67, you will need to
use your DHCP tools to add Option 60 to their DHCP scopes.
• If DHCP is installed on a server that is located in a different subnet, then you will need to do
one of the following:
• (recommended) Configure your IP Helper tables. All DHCP broadcasts on UDP port 67
by client computers should be forwarded directly to both the DHCP server and the
Windows Deployment Services PXE server. Also, all traffic to UDP port 4011 from the
client computers to the Windows Deployment Services PXE server should be routed
appropriately (these requests direct traffic to the server, not broadcasts).
• Add DHCP options 66 and 67.

Steps for configuring Windows Deployment Services

You can configure Windows Deployment Services by using either of the following:
• The Windows interface.

11
• WDSUTIL at a command prompt.

Using the Windows interface

To configure Windows Deployment Services

1. Click Start, click Administrative Tools, and then click Windows Deployment Services.
2. In the left-hand pane of the Windows Deployment Services MMC snap-in, click to expand
the server list.
3. Right-click the server and click Configure Server.
4. Follow the instructions in the wizard.
5. When the configuration is complete, click to clear the Add images to Windows
Deployment Services now check box and then click Finish.

To add the default boot image included in the product installation DVD
1. Click the server to which you want to add the boot image.
2. Right-click the Boot Images node, and then click Add Boot Image.
3. Browse to choose the default boot image (boot.wim) located on the Windows
Server 2008 DVD, in the \Sources directory.
4. Click Open, and then click Next.
5. Follow the instructions in the wizard to add the image.

To add the default install image(s) included in the product installation DVD
1. Click the server to which you want to add the install image.
2. Right-click the Install Images node, and then click Add Install Image.
3. Specify a name for the image group, and then click Next.
4. Browse to select the default install image (install.wim) located on the Windows Vista or
Windows Server 2008 DVD, in the \Sources directory, and then click Open.
5. To add a subset of the images included in the install.wim, then clear the check boxes for
the images that you do not want to add to the server. You should only add the images for
which you have licenses.
6. Follow the instructions in the wizard to add the images.

To add additional custom images

• Follow the instructions in Creating and modifying images if you would like to do the
following:
• Create a capture image based on the boot image that you added in the previous

12
 procedure.
• Create a custom install image.

Using WDSUTIL at a command prompt

To configure from a command prompt

1. Click Start, right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator.
2. Type the following command where <driveletter> is the name of the NTFS formatted drive
and <foldername> is the name of the directory where you want to create the shared
folder:
WDSUTIL /initialize-server /reminst:"<driveletter>\<foldername>"
3. To set the answer policy to answer all clients, run:
WDSUTIL /Set-Server /AnswerClients:all
4. If you are installing Windows Deployment Services on a computer with Microsoft DHCP
installed, run WDSUTIL /Set-Server /UseDHCPPorts:no /DHCPoption60:yes
5. To add a boot image, run the following command where <bootimage> is the full path to
the boot image:
WDSUTIL /Add-Image /ImageFile:<bootimage> /ImageType:boot
6. To add an install image, run the following where <installimage> is the full path to the
install image and <name> is the name of the image group to create. (You can append
/SingleImage:<imagename> to add only one of the images included in the install.wim.):
WDSUTIL /add-image /ImageFile:<installimage> /ImageType:install
/ImageGroup:<name>

Note
Help for WDSUTIL is available by typing WDSUTIL /? at a command prompt.

Configuring the boot menu

When you PXE boot a computer, the Windows Deployment Services client presents a boot menu.
The boot menu allows Windows Deployment Services to support separate boot architectures and
a choice of boot images for each architecture type. This mechanism uses the same Boot
Configuration Data (BCD) menu structure that is used in Windows Vista and Windows
Server 2008.

Prerequisites for configuring the boot menu

To complete this task, ensure that you are a member of the Local Administrators Group on the
Windows Deployment Services server.

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Known issues with configuring the boot menu
Note the following issues and limitations with the boot menu:
• The boot menu can contain no more than 13 boot images. This is because of a limitation
in the number of characters displayed from within the operating system loader boot menu.
• The name of the .wim file that contains the boot image cannot contain any spaces. This
file can contain only letters or numbers.
• Double-byte character sets used as image names might not display properly in the
boot menu. This issue pertains to localized strings. Limitations within the BIOS character
sets do not allow the characters to display properly.

Steps for configuring the boot menu

The Windows Deployment Services boot menu will appear when you PXE boot a computer, and
more than one supported boot image exists on the Windows Deployment Services server. You
can accomplish many tasks by using Windows PE boot images—for example, you could have
boot images that:
• Launch Setup to install Windows.
• Reformat the hard disks to support BitLocker Drive Encryption (using unattend) and then
install Windows.
• Contain the Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE) that you want to use when a
computer fails to start.
• Contain the Windows Deployment Services Image Capture Wizard, which creates an install
image from the client computer's operating system.
• Includes a Windows PE image for administrators who want perform other operations from
within Windows PE.
In addition, x64-based computers can run x86-based or x64-based Windows PE boot images.
Therefore, for each of these tasks, you could have two boot images—one for x86 and one for
x64. In this case, the boot menu on x86-based computers will only display the x86 boot images
(because x86-based computers cannot run x64 boot images).

Note
The default behavior is for x64-based computers to display both x86-based and x64-
based boot images when both are available. To change this default, run WDSUTIL /Set-
Server /Defaultx86x64ImageType:{x86|x64|both}.
The following procedures outline how to add more boot images to the boot menu. To view help
for WDSUTIL, type WDSUTIL /? at a command prompt.

To add an additional boot image by using the Windows interface

1. In the left-hand pane of the Windows Deployment Services MMC snap-in, click to expand

14
 the server list, and then choose the server to which you want to add the boot image.
2. Right-click the Boot Images node, and then click Add Boot Image.
3. Click Browse to locate the boot image that you want to add. The boot image must be
located on the server and it can be the same or different architecture.
4. Follow the instructions in the wizard to add an additional boot image.
5. When you have completed this procedure and you PXE boot a client computer, a boot
menu will appear that shows both boot images.

To add an additional boot image at a command prompt

1. Click Start, right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator.
2. Run the following command to add an additional boot image, where <bootimage> is the
full path to the boot image on the server. The image can be the same or a different
architecture.
WDSUTIL /Add-Image /ImageFile:<bootimage> /ImageType:boot
3. When you have completed this procedure and you PXE boot a client computer, a boot
menu will appear that shows both boot images.

Note
Help for WDSUTIL is available by typing WDSUTIL /? at a command prompt.

To make any additional changes to the boot menu, use Bcdedit.exe to edit the default.bcd file
located at %REMINST%\boot\<architecture>. You can run bcdedit /? at a command prompt to
see the command line options.
For more information about Bcdedit, see Boot Configuration Data Editor Frequently Asked
Questions (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=65818).

Creating and modifying images

With Windows Deployment Services you can create and modify boot images and install images.
• Boot images. Boot images are the images that you boot a client computer into to perform an
operating system installation.
• Install images. Install images are the operating system images that you deploy to the client
computer.
You can modify images to add files or drivers without having to create a new image using the
tools in the Windows AIK. The processes are similar for a boot or install image, however the tool
sets and syntax vary between image types. Detailed information about modifying .wim files is
available in the Windows AIK User's Guide for Windows Vista
(http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=53552).

15
Prerequisites for creating and modifying images
To create and modify boot or install images, adhere to the following prerequisites:
• Ensure that there is enough disk space to create and store the new images.
• Be a member of the Local Administrators Group on the Windows Deployment Services
server.
• Match the version of Sysprep.exe with the version of the operating system that you want to
capture.
• Install the Windows AIK if you are creating bootable ISO images
(http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=81030).
• Have a writeable CD or DVD and a disk-burning utility (if you are burning an image to
media—for example a discover image),

Known issues with creating images

You cannot add split .wim (.swm) files to your Windows Deployment Services server. Instead, you
must combine the split images into a single .wim file.

Steps for creating images

The information in this section explains how you can create and modify boot images and install
images.

Boot images
Boot images are the images that you boot a client computer into before installing the operating
system image. The boot image presents a boot menu that contains the images that users can
install onto their computers. These images contain Windows PE 2.0 and the Windows
Deployment Services client. You can use the default boot image (boot.wim) that is included in the
Windows Server 2008 installation media in the \Sources directory. Except in advanced scenarios
(for example, if you need to add drivers to the image), you will not need to modify this file.

Important
You should use only the boot.wim file from the Windows Server 2008 DVD. If you use the
boot.wim file from the Windows Vista DVD, you will not be able to use the full functionality
of Windows Deployment Services (for example, multicasting).
You can create the following types of boot images using Windows Deployment Services:
• Capture images. The images that you boot a client computer into in order to capture the
operating system into a .wim file.
• Discover images. The images used to install an operating system onto a computer that is
not PXE enabled.

16
Create a capture image to capture a custom operating system into a .wim file
Capture images are boot images that launch the Windows Deployment Services Capture Utility
instead of Setup. When you boot a reference computer (that has been prepared with Sysprep)
into a capture image, a wizard creates an install image of the reference computer and saves it as
a .wim file.
You can also create media (CD, DVD, USB drive, and so on) that contains a capture image, and
then boot a computer from the media. After you create the install image, you can add the image
to the server for PXE boot deployment. These images provide an alternative to the command-line
utility, ImageX.exe.

To create a capture image using the Windows interface

1. In the Windows Deployment Services MMC snap-in, expand the Boot Images node.
2. Right-click the image to use it as a capture image.
3. Click Create Capture Boot Image.
4. Type a name, description, and the location to save a local copy of the file. You must
specify a location in case there is a problem with the network when you deploy the
capture image.
5. Continue to follow the instructions in the wizard, and when it is complete, click Finish.
6. Right-click the boot image folder.
7. Click Add Boot Image.
8. Browse and select the new capture image, and then click Next.
9. Follow the instructions in the Windows Deployment Services Capture Utility.
10. Once you have created the capture image, follow the instructions in the Install Image
section to boot a client computer into the capture image and capture the operating
system.

To create a capture image at a command prompt

1. Click Start, right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator.
2. Type the following where <bootimage> is the name of the boot image you want to use to
create the capture image, and <captureimage> is the file path and file name of the new
capture image:
WDSUTIL /New-CaptureImage /Image:<bootimage> /Architecture:x86
/Filepath:<captureimage>
3. Type the following where <captureimage> is the file path and file name of the capture
image you want to add to the image store:

17
 WDSUTIL /Add-Image /Imagefile:<captureimage> /ImageType:boot

Note
Help for WDSUTIL is available by typing WDSUTIL /? at a command prompt.
4. Once you have created the capture image, follow the instructions in the Install Image
section to boot a client computer into the capture image and capture the operating
system.

Create a discover image to install an image onto a computer that is not PXE enabled
Discover images are boot images that force Setup.exe to launch in Windows Deployment
Services mode and then discover a Windows Deployment Services server. These images are
typically used to deploy images to computers that are not PXE enabled or that are on networks
that do not allow PXE. When you create a discover image and save it to media (CD, DVD, USB
drive, and so on), you can then boot a computer to the media. The discover image on the media
locates a Windows Deployment Services server, and the server deploys the install image to the
computer.

Note
You can configure discover images to target a specific Windows Deployment Services
server. This means that if you have multiple servers in your environment, you can create
a discover image for each, and then name them based on the name of the server.

To create a discover image by using the Windows interface

1. In the Windows Deployment Services MMC snap-in, expand the Boot images node.
2. Right-click the image you want to use as a discover image.
3. Click Create Discover Boot Image.
4. Follow the instructions in the wizard, and when it is complete, click Finish.
5. Right-click the boot image folder.
6. Click Add Boot Image.
7. Browse and select the new discover image, and then click Next.
8. Follow the instructions in the wizard.

To create a discover image at a command prompt

1. Click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, right-click Command Prompt, and
then click Run as administrator.
2. Type the following where <bootimage> is the name of the boot image that you want to
use to create the discover image, and <discoverimage> is the file path and file name of
the new discover image:
WDSUTIL /New-DiscoverImage /Image:<bootimage> /Architecture:x86

18
 /Filepath:<discoverimage>
3. If you want to add the discover image back to the image store, type the following where
<discoverimage> is the file path and file name of the discover image you want to add to
the image store:
WDSUTIL /Add-Image /ImageFile:<discoverimage> /ImageType:boot

Note
Help for WDSUTIL is available by typing WDSUTIL /? at a command prompt.

To create media that contains the discover image

1. Download and install the Windows AIK (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=81030).
2. Open a command prompt and change to the PETools folder:
Cd C:\Program Files\Windows AIK\Tools\PETools
3. To create a Windows PE build environment, type:
CopyPE <architecture> C:\Winpe
4. To copy the discover image that you created in the previous procedure, type:
Copy /y c:\boot.wim c:\Winpe\ISO\Sources
5. To change back to the PETools folder, type:
Cd C:\Program Files\Windows AIK\Tools\PETools
6. To create the bootable ISO image, type:
Oscdimg -n -bc:\winpe\ISO\boot\etfsboot.com c:\winpe\ISO c:\winpe.iso
7. Use a utility that can create a CD or DVD to transfer the ISO image to the appropriate
media.

Note
Using the Windows copy command to copy the image to media will not create a
bootable disk.

Install images
You can build custom install images from reference computers and deploy them to client
computers. A reference computer can be a computer with a standard Windows installation or a
Windows installation that has been configured for a specific environment. First, you boot a
computer (which has been prepared with Sysprep) into a capture image, then the capture image
creates an install image of the computer.

To create an custom install image of a reference computer

1. Create a capture image and add it to the Windows Deployment Services server (See

19
 Create a capture image to capture a custom operating system in .wim format for more
information).
2. Create a reference computer (install the operating system, applications, and make any
other changes that you want).
3. At a command prompt on the reference computer, change folders to
\Windows\System32\Sysprep or the folder that contains Sysprep.exe and Setupcl.exe.
4. Type one of the following:
• On computers running Windows Vista, run sysprep /oobe /generalize /reboot

Note
If you prefer, you can also use the Sysprep graphical user interface by
double-clicking Sysprep.exe.
• On computers running Windows XP, run sysprep -mini -reseal
5. When the computer restarts, press F12.
6. In Windows Boot Manager, select the capture image, and then click Next.
7. Choose the appropriate drive, and then provide a name and description for the image.
Click Next to continue.

Important
You will only see drives that contain operating systems prepared with Sysprep. If
you do not run the command in step 4, you will not see any drives to capture.
8. Click Browse and browse to a local location where you want to store the captured install
image.

Important
You must enter a local location to save the new image or you will not be able to
capture the image. This requirement is enforced to avoid image corruption in the
event of a network malfunction.
9. Type a name for the image (use the .wim file name extension), and then click Save.
10. Click Upload image to WDS server.
11. Type the name of the Windows Deployment Services server, and then click Connect.
12. If prompted for credentials, provide a user name and password for an account with
sufficient permissions to connect to the Windows Deployment Services server.
13. On the Image Group list, choose the image group in which to store the image.
14. Click Finish.

20
Installing an operating system
Windows Deployment Services relies on Pre-Boot Execution Environment (PXE) technology to
allow a client computer to network boot and remotely connect over a TCP/IP network connection
to a Windows Deployment Services server.

Prerequisites for installing an operating system

The following are the requirements to remotely connect to a Windows Deployment Services
server:
• The client computer must be capable of PXE boot.
• An appropriately configured Windows Deployment Services server must be available in the
domain.
• Your user account must be a member of the Domain Users group.
• The client computer must have 512 MB of RAM, which is required to use Windows PE).

Steps for installing an operating system

To PXE boot a computer to install an image, complete the steps in this section.

To install an operating system

1. Configure the BIOS of the computer to enable PXE boot, and set the boot order so that it
is booting from the network is first.
2. Restart the computer and when prompted, press F12 to initiate the PXE boot process.
3. Select the appropriate boot image from the boot menu. (This boot image selection menu
will only be available if you have two or more boot images on the Windows Deployment
Services server. For more information, see Configuring the boot menu)
4. Select the locale that you want Setup to run in.
5. When prompted, provide a user name and password with sufficient credentials to install
images from the Windows Deployment Services server.
6. Continue to follow the instructions in the Windows Deployment Services client.
7. When installation is complete, the computer will reboot and Setup will continue.

Using unattend files

Windows Deployment Services allows you to automate the Windows Deployment Services client
and the latter stages of Windows Setup. This two-stage approach is accomplished by using two
different unattend files.

21
• Windows Deployment Services client unattend file. This file uses the Unattend.xml format
and is stored on the Windows Deployment Services server in the \WDSClientUnattend folder.
It is used to automate the Windows Deployment Services client user interface screens (such
as entering credentials, choosing an install image, and configuring the disk).
• Image unattend file. This file uses the Unattend.xml or Sysprep.inf format, depending upon
the version of the operating system in the image. It is stored in a subfolder (either $OEM$
structure or \Unattend) in the per-image folder. It is used to automate the remaining phases of
setup (for example, offline servicing, Sysprep specialize, and mini-setup).

Prerequisites for using unattend files

• Ensure that you are a member of the Local Administrators Group on the Windows
Deployment Services server.
• Ensure that you have sufficient credentials to add a computer to a domain.

Known issues with using unattend files

Windows Deployment Services management tools only assign install image unattend files for
Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 images. For down-level images, you must use your
existing Sysprep.inf files and manually create a $OEM$ directory structure.

Steps for using unattend files

To automate the installation, create the appropriate unattend file depending on whether you are
configuring the Windows Deployment Services client or Windows Setup. We recommend that you
use Windows System Image Manager, (included as part of the Windows AIK) to author the
unattend files. Then copy the unattend file to the appropriate location, and assign it for use. You
can assign it at the server level or the client level. The server level assignment can further be
broken down by architecture, allowing you to have differing settings for x86-based and x64-based
clients. Assignment at the client level overrides the server-level settings.

Configuring unattended installation for the Windows Deployment Services

client

To associate a client unattend file by architecture using the Windows interface

1. Create an Unattend.xml file with settings applicable to the Windows Deployment Services
client.
See Appendix A for a sample client unattend file.
2. Copy the client unattend file to RemoteInstall\WDSClientUnattend.
3. Open the Windows Deployment Services MMC snap-in, and right-click the server that
contains the Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008 image that you want to associate
22
 the unattend file to, and then click Properties.
4. On the Client tab, select Enable unattended installation, browse to the appropriate
unattend file, and then click Open.
5. Click OK to close the Properties page.

To associate a client unattend file by architecture using a command line

1. Click Start, right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator.
2. Type the following where <filepath> is the path name and file name of the client unattend
file, and architecture is the architecture of the client to automate (x86 or x64):
WDSUTIL /Set-Server /WDSUnattend /Policy:enabled /File:<filepath>
/Architecture:<arch>

Note
Help for WDSUTIL is available by typing WDSUTIL /? at a command prompt.

To associate a client unattend file per computer at a command prompt

1. Click Start, right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator.
2. Type the following where <relative path>is the path from the REMINST share to the
folder that contains client unattend file:
WDSUTIL /Set-Device /Device:<computername> /ID:<GUID or MAC address>
/WDSClientUnattend:<relative path>

Configuring unattend installation for Windows Setup

To associate a image unattend file to an image by using the Windows interface

1. From the Windows Deployment Services MMC snap-in, click to expand the image group
that contains the Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008 image.
2. Right-click the image that you want to associate the unattend file to, and click Properties.
3. On the General tab, click Allow image to install in unattend mode.
4. Click Select File, browse to select the unattend file and then click OK.
5. Click OK.

To associate a image unattend file to an image at a command prompt

1. Click Start, right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator.
2. Type the following, where:
• <imagename> is the name of the image with which to associate the unattend file.

23
 • <imagegroupname> is the name of the image group containing the image file.
• <unattendfile> is the path and file name of the unattend file to associate with the
image.
WDSUTIL /Set-Image /Image:<imagename> /ImageType:install
/ImageGroup:<imagegroupname> /UnattendFile:<unattendfile>

Creating a multicast transmission

Multicast transmissions allow you to deploy an image to a large number of client computers
without overburdening the network. When you create a multicast transmission, the image is sent
over the network only once, which can drastically reduce the network bandwidth that is used.

Note
For information about using multicast functionality with Transport Server, see the
Transport Server section.

Prerequisites for creating a multicast transmission

To implement this feature in your organization, you must have:
• Routers that support multicasting.
• At least one install image (that you want to transmit) on the server.
• The boot.wim file from the Windows Server 2008 media (located in the \Sources folder).

Known issues in creating a multicast transmission

You may encounter the following issues when implementing multicasting:
• The boot.wim from the Windows Vista DVD will not work with multicast transmission. You
must use the boot.wim from the Windows Server 2008 media. If you use the Windows Vista
file, you will be able to create the transmission, but people who boot into it will not be able to
join a transmission.
• Multicasting in this version of Windows Deployment Services does not work with Multicast
Address Dynamic Client Allocation Protocol (MADCAP).
• If multiple servers are using multicast functionality on a network (Transport Server,
Deployment Server, or another solution), it is important that each server is configured so that
the multicast IP addresses do not collide. Otherwise, you may encounter excessive traffic
when you enable multicasting. Note that each Windows Deployment Services server will
have the same default range. To workaround this issue, specify static ranges that do not
overlap to ensure that each server is using a unique IP address.
• After you configure Windows Deployment Services server, if you modify the Multicast IP
Address, the UDP Port Range, or the RPC port number (by running wdsutil /set-server

24
 /rpcport:<portnum>), you must restart the service before the changes will take effect. If you
do not restart the service, the server will use the old values and may not answer clients. To
restart the service, you can either 1) right-click Windows Deployment Services in the MMC
snap-in and click Restart or 2) run net stop wdsserver and then run net start wdsserver
from the command line.

Steps for creating a multicast transmission

You can create transmissions through either of the following options.
• Using the Windows interface
• Using WDSUTIL

Using the Windows interface

To enable multicasting for an image, you must create a multicast transmission for it. In Windows,
you have two options for creating a multicast transmission:
• Right-click the Multicast Transmission node, and then click Create Multicast
Transmission.
• Right-click an image, and then click Create Multicast Transmission.

Selecting multicast type

There are two types of multicast transmissions:
• Auto-Cast. This option indicates that as soon as an applicable client requests an install
image, a multicast transmission of the selected image begins. Then, as other clients request
the same image, they too are joined to the transmission that is already started.
• Scheduled-Cast. This option sets the start criteria for the transmission based on the number
of clients that are requesting an image and/or a specific day and time. If you do not select
either of these check boxes, then the transmission will not start until you manually start the
transmission. Note that in addition to these criteria, you can start a transmission manually at
any time by right-clicking the transmission and clicking Start.

Note
Content is transferred over the network only if clients request data. If no clients are
connected (that is, the transmission is idle), then data will not be sent over the
network.

Configuring transmissions
After a transmission is created, you can do the following:
• Start the transmission. If the transmission is on a Scheduled-Cast, there is at least one
client, and the transmission has not started yet, you can right-click the transmission, and click
Start.

25
• Delete the transmission. If you right-click the transmission and click Delete, the multicast
transmission stops and each client installation will fall back to using unicast. That is, the client
installations will not be deleted or stopped, but they will not use the multicast transmission to
complete the installation.
• Deactivate the transmission. If you right-click and click Deactivate, each client that is
currently installing will continue, but no new clients will be joined to the transmission. After
each current client installation is complete, the transmission will be deleted. If there are no
clients when you click this option, then it will be deleted instantly.
• View properties. To view the properties, right-click the transmission, and click Properties.
Note that you cannot edit the properties of a transmission after it is created. To make a
change after you have created a transmission, you need to delete and recreate it.
• Refresh the transmissions and data. To do this, right-click a transmission and click
Refresh. You can also refresh the data by pressing F5.

Configuring clients in a transmission

After you have created the transmission, client computers join the transmission by selecting the
image in the Windows Deployment Services client. Client computers can also join a transmission
using Wdsmcast.exe—a command line tool included in the Windows AIK. When there are clients
in a transmission, you can:
• Viewclients and see progress. To view any connected clients, expand the Multicast
Transmissions node, and click the image. The connected clients (including the current
installation time and the percent complete) are shown in the right pane.
• Stop a client installation. To stop the installation completely, right-click a client and click
Disconnect. You should use this option with caution because the installation will fail and the
computer could be left in an unusable state.
• Disconnect a client from a multicast transmission. To discontinue the transmission for a
particular client but continue to transfer the image through unicasting, right-click the client,
and then click Bypass multicast.

Using WDSUTIL
Creating a multicast transmission for an install image
You have two options for transmission type: Auto-Cast and Scheduled-Cast.
• To create an Auto-Cast transmission, run:
WDSUTIL /New-MulticastTransmission /Image:<image name> /FriendlyName:<friendly
name> /ImageType:Install /ImageGroup:<Image group name> /TransmissionType:AutoCast
• To create a Scheduled-Cast transmission, run:

26
 WDSUTIL /New-MulticastTransmission /Image:<image name> /FriendlyName:<friendly
name> /ImageType:Install /ImageGroup:<Image group name>
/TransmissionType:ScheduledCast [/Time:<yyyy/mm/dd:hh:mm>][/Clients:<no of clients>]

Configuring transmissions
After a transmission is created, you can start it, delete it, deactivate it, and view its properties.
• To start the transmission, run:
WDSUTIL /Start-MulticastTransmission /Image:<image name> /ImageType:Install
/ImageGroup:<image group name>

Note
You can only start the transmission if it is on a Scheduled-Cast, there is at least one
client, and the transmission is not started.
• To delete the transmission, run:
WDSUTIL /Remove-MulticastTransmission /Image:<image name> /ImageType:Install
/ImageGroup:<image group name> /Force
• To deactivate the transmission, run:
WDSUTIL /Remove-MulticastTransmission /Image:<image name> /ImageType:Install
/ImageGroup:<image group name>
• To view properties, run:
WDSUTIL /Get-MulticastTransmission /Image:<image name> /ImageType:Install
/ImageGroup:<image group name>

Configuring clients in a transmission

After you have created the transmission, client computers join the transmission by selecting the
image in the Windows Deployment Services client. Client computers can also join a transmission
through Wdsmcast.exe—a command line tool that is included in the Windows AIK. When there
are clients in a transmission, you can do the following actions:
• To view clients and see progress, run:
WDSUTIL /Get-MulticastTransmission /Image:<image name> /ImageType:Install
/ImageGroup:<image group name> /show:clients
• To stop a client installation completely, run:
WDSUTIL /Disconnect-Client /ClientID:<id> /Force.

Note
You should use this option with caution because the installation will fail and the
computer could be left in an unusable state.
• To disconnect a client from a multicast transmission but continue to transfer the
image by using unicasting, run:

27
 WDSUTIL /Disconnect-Client /ClientID:<id>
• To view client <id> for each transmission, run:
WDSUTIL /Get-MulticastTransmission /Image:<image name> /ImageType:Install
/ImageGroup:<image group name> /show:clients

Transport Server
During installation, you can choose to install only Transport Server. This option provides a subset
of the functionality of Windows Deployment Services. It contains only the core networking parts.
You can use Transport Server to create multicast namespaces that transmit data (including
operating system images) from a standalone server. The standalone server does not need Active
Directory, DHCP or DNS. You can use Transport Server in advanced scenarios as a part of a
custom deployment solution.

Configuring Transport Server

Known issues with configuring Transport Server

Note the following issues with configuring Transport Server:
• If multiple servers are using multicast functionality on a network (Transport Server,
Deployment Server, or another solution), it is important that each server is configured so that
the multicast IP addresses do not collide. Otherwise, you may encounter excessive traffic
when you enable multicasting. Note that each Windows Deployment Services server will
have the same default range. To workaround this issue, specify static ranges that do not
overlap to ensure that each server is using a unique IP address.
• Multicasting in this version of Windows Deployment Services does not work with Multicast
Address Dynamic Client Allocation Protocol (MADCAP).

Steps for configuring Transport Server

Transport Server does not require any configuration. However, you can perform the following
optional configurations:

Important
After configuring any of these settings, you must restart the WDSServer service to apply
the changes. To restart the service, run net stop wdsserver and then run net start
wdsserver at a command prompt.
• To configure multicast IP addressing, run:
WDSUTIL /Set-TransportServer /ObtainIPv4From:Range /Start:<start Ipv4 Address>
/End:<end Ipv4 Address>
• To set the UDP port range, run
28
 WDSUTIL /Set-TransportServer [/Server:<name>] /StartPort:x /EndPort:y
• To set the network profile, run
WDSUTIL /Set-TransportServer [/Server:<name>] /Profile:{10Mbps|100Mbps|1Gbps|Custom}

Creating a namespace with Transport Server

You can use Transport Server to create namespaces. A namespaces is a transmission that does
not have any settings already set for you. For example, with namespaces, you have to manually
set the names for the data and data groups, the content provider, and the path to the folder that
contains the data.

Prerequisites for creating a namespace with Transport Server

To create a namespace with Transport Server, you need the following:
• A content provider. You can use the Windows Deployment Services content provider
(named WDS) that is included when you install Transport Server. Or you can create your own
using the tools in the Windows SDK.
• Data to transmit. You can transmit any data that your content provider knows how to find
(for example operating system images, data files, or an MP3 archive), The Windows
Deployment Services content provider knows how to find any file within a directory.
• Familiarity with WDSUTIL. The only way to manage Transport Server is through the
WDSUSTIL command line tool.
• A way to boot clients because Transport Server does not include a PXE listener.
• Routers. The routers in your environment must support multicasting.

Steps for creating a namespace with Transport Server

You can create Scheduled-Cast and Auto-Cast namespaces. See Options explanation for more
information about each parameter.
• To create a Scheduled-Cast namespace, run:
WDSUTIL /New-Namespace [/Server:<server name>] /Namespace:<namespace name>
/FriendlyName:<friendly name> [/Description:<description>] /ContentProvider:<name>
/ConfigString:<config string> /NamespaceType:ScheduledCast
[/Time:<YYYY/MM/DD:hh:mm>] [/Clients:<number of clients>]
For example:
WDSUTIL /New-Namespace /Server:MyWDSServer /FriendlyName:"Custom Scheduled
Namespace" /Namespace:"Custom Scheduled 1" /ContentProvider:WDS
/ConfigString:D:\Images /NamespaceType:ScheduledCast
/Time:"2006/11/20:17:00" /Clients:20
• To create an AutoCast namespace, run:

29
 WDSUTIL /New-Namespace [/Server:<server>] /Namespace:<namespace name>
/FriendlyName:<friendly name> [/Description:<description>] /ContentProvider:<name>
/ConfigString:<config string> /NamespaceType:AutoCast
For example:
WDSUTIL /New-Namespace /FriendlyName:"Custom AutoCast Namespace"
/Namespace:"Custom Auto 1" /ContentProvider:WDS /ConfigString:D:\Images
/NamespaceType:AutoCast

Common commands
The following are the most commonly used commands with Transport Server. See Options
explanation for more information about each parameter.
• To start the transmission, run:
WDSUTIL /Start-Namespace /Namespace:<name>

Note
To start a transmission, the transmission must be a Scheduled-Cast and there must
be at least one client who has requested the transmission of data.
• To display information about a namespace and the clients connected to it (for
example, computer name, MAC address, IP address, speed, and percent complete),
run:
WDSUTIL /Get-Namespace /Namespace:<name> /Show:Clients
• To remove a namespace, run:
WDSUTIL /Remove-Namespace [/Server:<server name>] /Namespace:<namespace name>
[/Force]
For example:
• To remove the namespace after current client downloads are complete, run: WDSUTIL
/Remove-Namespace /Namespace:"Custom Auto 1"
• To remove the namespace immediately and stop any current client downloads, run:
WDSUTIL /Remove-Namespace /Server:MyWDSServer /Namespace:"Custom Auto 1"
/Force
• To stop a client installation completely, run:
WDSUTIL /Disconnect-Client /ClientID:<id> /Force

Important
You should use this option with caution because the installation will fail and the
computer could be left in an unusable state.
• To discontinue the download for a client but continue to transfer the image through
another method (such as SMB copy), run:
WDSUTIL /Disconnect-Client /ClientID:<id>
30
• To view the client <id> for each namespace, run:
WDSUTIL /Get-Namespace /Namespace:<name> /show:clients

Options explanation

Option Description

/Server:<server name> Specifies the name of the Windows Deployment Services

server. This can be either the NetBIOS name or the
FQDN. If not specified, the local server will be used.

/Namespace:<Namespace name> Specifies the name of the namespace. This is not the
friendly name and it must be unique.
• Deployment Server: The syntax for namespace name
is
/Namspace:WDS:<ImageGroup>/<ImageName>/<Ind
ex>. For example: WDS:ImageGroup1/install.wim/1
• Transport Server: This value should match the name
given when creating the namespace on the server.

/FriendlyName:<friendly name> Specifies the friendly name of the namespace. This name
does not need to be unique.

/Description:<description> Specifies a description of the namespace.

/ContentProvider:<name> Specifies the name of the content provider that supplies

data to the multicast server. If you are using the Windows
Deployment Services content provider, specify WDS.

/ConfigString:<config string> Specifies the configuration string for the content provider.
If you are using the Windows Deployment Services
content provider (WDS), specify the path to the directory
where content is stored (for example
D:\Photos\Landscapes). This path can be anywhere on
the server.

/NamespaceType: Specifies the type of namespace to create.

{AutoCast|ScheduledCast}

/Time:<YYYY/MM/DD:hh:mm> Specifies the time on server when the namespace will

start (allowed only for Scheduled-Cast).

/Clients:<Num of Clients> Specifies the number of clients to wait for before

31
Option Description
namespace will start (allowed only for Scheduled-Cast).

/Force Deletes the transmission—even if there are current client

installations. If you do not specify /Force, the
transmission will be in the Delete Pending state. (After
clients downloads are complete, the transmission will be
removed.)

Steps for client computers to join a namespace

In Transport Server, client computers join a transmission using Wdsmcast.exe (a command-line
tool included in the Windows AIK). Wdsmcast.exe runs on Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista,
Windows Server 2008, or Windows PE 2.0.

To join a namespace
1. Install Wdsmcast.exe onto the client computer.
• If the client has an operating system (Windows Vista or Windows Server 2003), you
can install the Windows AIK. Wdsmcast.exe is in the Tools directory.
• If the client does not have an operating system, then you need to add Wdsmcast.exe
to a Windows PE image and boot the client into the image. Instructions for doing this
are included in the Windows AIK (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=81030).
2. Run the following from the client computer:
WDSMCAST /Transfer-File /Server:<server name> /Namespace:<namespace name>
/Username:<domain and user name> [/Password:<password>] /SourceFile:<file path>
/DestinationFile:<file path>

Option Explanation

/Server:<server name> Specifies the name of the Windows Deployment Services

server. This can be either the NetBIOS name or the
FQDN.

/Namespace:<Namespace name> Specifies the name of the namespace. This is not the
friendly name and it must be unique.
• Deployment Server: The syntax for namespace name
is
/Namspace:WDS:<ImageGroup>/<ImageName>/<Ind
ex>. For example: WDS:ImageGroup1/install.wim/1
• Transport Server: This value should match the name

32
Option Explanation
given when creating the namespace on the server.

/Username:<domain and user name> Domain and user name to connect to the server with. Can
be in the format Domain\User or User@Domain.

[/Password:<password>] Password for the user. If this is not specified, you will be
prompted to enter it.

/SourceFile:<file path> Path to the file to be transferred, relative to the root

directory of the content provider (for example, if you are
using the Windows Deployment Services content provider
(named WDS), the path is relative to the ConfigString
directory).

/DestinationFile:<file path> Complete file path and name for the destination file.

Additional references
• For a newsgroup about Windows Deployment Services, see Setup and Deployment
(http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=87628)
• Windows AIK (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=81030)
• Windows AIK User's Guide for Windows Vista (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=53552)
• Sysprep (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=87732)
• For more information about the Windows Deployment Services Update for Windows
Server 2003, see the following:
• Windows Deployment Services Update Step-by-Step Guide for Windows Server 2003
(http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=66145)
• Deploying and Managing the Windows Deployment Services Update on Windows
Server 2003 (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=81031)

Appendix A: Sample client unattend file

The following is a sample Windows Deployment Services client unattend file:
<?xml version="1.0" ?>

<unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend">

<settings pass="windowsPE">

<component name="Microsoft-Windows-Setup" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35"

language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" processorArchitecture="x86">

33
<WindowsDeploymentServices>

<Login>

<WillShowUI>OnError</WillShowUI>

<Credentials>

<Username>username</Username>

<Domain>wds-dom</Domain>

<Password>my_password</Password>

</Credentials>

</Login>

<ImageSelection>

<WillShowUI>OnError</WillShowUI>

<InstallImage>

<ImageName>Windows Vista with Office</ImageName>

<ImageGroup>ImageGroup1</ImageGroup>

<Filename>Install.wim</Filename>

</InstallImage>

<InstallTo>

<DiskID>0</DiskID>

<PartitionID>1</PartitionID>

</InstallTo>

</ImageSelection>

</WindowsDeploymentServices>

<DiskConfiguration>

<WillShowUI>OnError</WillShowUI>

<Disk>

<DiskID>0</DiskID>

<WillWipeDisk>false</WillWipeDisk>

<ModifyPartitions>

<ModifyPartition>

<Order>1</Order>

<PartitionID>1</PartitionID>

<Letter>C</Letter>

34
 <Label>TestOS</Label>

<Format>NTFS</Format>

<Active>true</Active>

<Extend>false</Extend>

</ModifyPartition>

</ModifyPartitions>

</Disk>

</DiskConfiguration>

</component>

<component name="Microsoft-Windows-International-Core-WinPE"
publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35"

language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" processorArchitecture="x86">

<SetupUILanguage>

<WillShowUI>OnError</WillShowUI>

<UILanguage>en-US</UILanguage>

</SetupUILanguage>

<UILanguage>en-US</UILanguage>

</component>

</settings>

</unattend>

35