Deployment

Windows Deployment: PXE booting between VLAN’s

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If you’re looking to PXE boot between VLAN’s (ie. a vlan for servers and a vlan for clients), you’ll need to add a couple of extra options into your DHCP server settings.

Its an easy enough process, following these steps should get things working for you:

In Windows DHCP, expand your VLAN’s DHCP scope, and select scope options.

svr-nja-dhcp-scope-options

add option 66 – enter the FQDN of your deployment server.

add option 67 – enter \boot\x64\wdsnbp.com (or if you’re deploying 32bit images: boot\x86\wdsnbp.com). 

For reference you’ll find this file is in your deployment servers REMINST directory.

svr-nja-dhcp-for-pxe

When you boot up your client computer, it will now receive the correct tftp response and will be able PXE boot!

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Windows Deployment – Advanced Part 2: Using WSUS to inject updates during OS deployment

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In this article, I’m going to demonstrate how to configure WSUS to work with MDT (or rather MDT to work with WSUS).

Now, updating the odd computer with the latest updates isn’t really an issue, even on the slowest of internet connections. But what if your trying to update tens, or hundreds of client computers during your image deployment? Every one of those clients is going to individually attempt to contact Microsoft and download necessary updates. You’ll find this quickly bottlenecks your internet feed, even on the fastest of connections.

What’s a WSUS?

No, cast that image that weedy person to one side!

WeedyMan

Because we’re talking about Microsoft WSUS!!

WSUS Logo

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Using Microsoft WDS & MDT 2013 to deploy Windows 8.1 Part 3

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Windows Deployment, Part 3: Installing and Configuring WADK

We now need to install WADK (We’re concentrating on Windows 8.1 deployments (if you want to deploy Windows 7, you would need WAIK http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=5753  – WAIK cannot coexist with WADK!)

Download WADK from: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=30652 It is several GB in size (16-07-2015 – link updated to Windows 8.1 Update version of the WADK).

Get WADK for Windows 10 here

Run the adksetup installer (you’ll be given the option to download the full package for use on another computer – I recommend this).

Accept the default options.

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