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Changing the Way Systems are Deployed

*Exorcising ghost

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*Where we were

*Ghost since 1999

*Almost 4500 licenses

*Prior to 2007 license count increase of 5% or greater a year

*Last three years license count increase less then .05% a year

*Across campus over 40 images

*Half within Distributed Support Services (DSS)

*Most were essentially identical

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*What Brought on Change?

*Request from management to consolidate images

*“Can a single base image be created for everyone’s use?”

*Too many people doing the same thing

*Do more with less

*Microsoft released Vista and its associated deployment tool Imagex

*Microsoft changed the OS architecture

*Hardware architectures changed

Advantages*NO licensing cost

*Smaller image sizes

*Mostly non-destructive

*File & folder based

*Single instance file storage

*Disk accessible after imaging without reboot

*Mount image as a folder for editing

*Vista/7 offline image servicing

Disadvantages*Multicasting needs WDS

*Extra Partitioning Step

*Extra Formatting Step

*Why WIM (Windows Imaging)?

XP Vista Combined0

2000000

4000000

6000000

8000000

10000000

12000000WIMGHOST

*Single Instance File Storage

XP SP3

Vista SP1

Vista SP2

XP SP3 & Vista SP1

Vista SP1 & SP2

XP SP3 & Vista SP1 & SP2

4,840,858.0

5,633,026.0

6,038,820.0

8,420,507.0

6,217,264.0

9,005,505.0

10,473,884.0

11,671,846.0

16,512,704.0

Multiple FilesSingle File

*Using Fast Compression

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*What We Did

*Acquired Universal Imaging Utility (UIU)

*Solves issues with XP on multiple system models

*HAL changes

*Mass storage controller changes

*Provides a collection of drivers

*Determined base software install

*Created base image for XP, Vista, Windows 7

*Created a deployment tool

In the Past

*OS

*Service Packs & Updates

*All Drivers for supported hardware

*Lots of Software

*Software Updates

Current Baseline image

*OS

*Service Packs & Updates

*Drivers (Varies by OS, XP = UIU, Windows 7 manually collected)

*Office 2007 SP2

*Security products

*Firefox CE

* Internet Plugins

*Acrobat Reader

*Cisco VPN

*Cisco Clean Access

*Citrix Client

* In the Image

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*Creating Windows PE

Media

*Install WAIK (Windows Automated Installation Kit) on Technician machine

*From “Windows PE Tools Command Prompt”

*Run: copype.cmd x86 c:\winpe_x86

*Mount boot image

*Copy servicing tools

*Make additional desired changes

*Unmount image and commit changes

*Create CD ISO or copy files to USB flash drive

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Nothing to be afraid of they don’t bite any more than Ghost images do.

*Creating the WIM

*Create reference system

*Sysprep

*Shutdown

*Boot from Windows PE Media

*Capture partition(s) to image using ImageX

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*Deploying the WIM

*Boot from Windows PE Media

*Partition and format drive

*Apply image(s) to partitions using ImageX

*Update Boot Configuration Data if needed

*Reboot

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*Created boot media using Windows 7 PE

*Creating WIM Images for System Deployment Using Windows 7 PE 3.0

*DSS Deployment Tool

*Initializes the network

*Authenticates user to network share

*If no network or authentication assume image on local media

*Launch Deployment tool

*Created boot media using Vista’s Windows PE

*Creating WIM Images for System Deployment Using Windows Vista PE 2

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Imaging In the Past* Boot from Ghost boot media

* Image machine

* Reboot

* Windows Mini-Setup Runs

* Begin PostGhost Process

* Rename system

* Reboot

* Join Domain

* Reboot

* Install MS Updates

* Install Software

* Further Customizations

* Finish deployment

* Shutdown

* Deliver

Imaging now* Boot from Deployment tool boot media

* Select imaging options

* Partition drive

* Apply Image

* Modify Answer file (automatic)

* Reboot

* Windows Mini-Setup runs

* GUIRunOnceEX (FirstRun)

* Script Install MS Updates

* Reboot

* Software Installation

* Finish deployment

* Shutdown

* Deliver

*Turning the World Upside Down

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*Deployment Tool v1

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*Deployment Tool v2

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*Issues Encountered

*Multicasting

*Some support areas replace large quantities of machines all at once and pre-stage all at once

*Windows PE has limited application and browser functionality

*Cisco NAC

*Unable to authenticate a bare metal system to Cisco Clean Access via Windows PE

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*Where we are

*WIM & Ghost

*Additional Ghost licenses purchased last year is less than 10% what were purchased before switching

*Number of images reduced by more than half

*Many remaining images start with the DSS Base Image and build on from there

*One image for each OS, including Virtual Machines

*VMWare, Virtual PC, Fusion, VMWare View (VDI), Parallels*,

Boot Camp**

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*Expectations in the Next Year

*Ghost license count renewal to begin to drop

*Ghost used only in areas requiring multicast functionality until WDS is in place

*WDS brought online July 2010

*Number of images reduced to less than 10

*Not including lab images could be as low as 4

*Non direct OIT supported departments starting to use

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*Where We are Headed

*Vista is gone

*No department expressed interest in deploying Vista going forward

*Windows Deployment Services

*Attached to SCCM (Configuration Manager)

*Multicast capabilities

*Wake On Lan

*Networking and IT Sec may prevent this

* Intel Active Management Technology

*Task Sequences to further modify base image

*Potentially no more “image” required

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*Questions

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*Session Evaluation

http://www.resnetsymposium.org/rspm/evaluation