XP Automated Deployment: RIS, WDS, SCCM. Which one?
Hi,We have over 20 different types of PC laptop and servers over 1500 units. My aim is to have a system where I can deploy a complete image from OS up onto any one of these machines regardles of HAL. Besides 20 different types of HAL, I have identified 121 different software requirements /configurations depending on the users requirements. I am looking for a product that I can build up a list of required items for the machine to contain. For example:Machine 1 Select --> Windows XP pro SP2, Sofos, Office 2k3 Std, AutoCAD, TextpadMachine 2 Select --> Windows XP pro SP2, Sofos, Bespoke App1, Bespoke App2etc...And in the morning the machine has built as requested. I know this could be done through AD GPO's (User Conf, Software Settings, Software installations) but it would be fidly to set up and I am sure their must be a better way, especially if a user were to use a different computer, their app selection would be installed on the other machine.All the apps would be MSI's with silent installation configurations possible.If I go down the image creation route of an existing machine, then in theory I could end up with 2420 (121 x 20) WDS or RIS images!! Anyway, I have been fiddling with WDS but it seems more bent on this new thing they call Vista. (We've still got 2K pro clients and probably won't move to Vista until MS stops supporting XP) and I haven't found anything telling me how to build a clean install image from CD. It seems to work on taking images of built machines = HAL limitations = 20 different base images.I read a technet magazine (Jan, 2008) article on Business Desktop Deployment 2007 yet on microsoft.com it appears to have been replaced with MS Deployment toolkit already. Again this seems more for Vista and 2008. I have downloaded it and will play with it in the near future.This brings me on to the last option I can think of and that is System Center Configuration Manager. Expensive, but would it achieve my goals?Any hint or suggestions would be greatly apreciatedMany thanksTexP.S. I haven't mentioned sysprep, however, I am familiar with it and if it were RIS, then I would set up the answer file to deploy the additional software.
January 25th, 2008 3:36am

So... Tex....Here it is ... what 9 months later and ... I find myself in a situation almost identical to yours.Perhaps the only difference is that my machines are spread across 300 or so locations that are connected back to the HQ location via a slow WAN link, a complicating factor to be sure....Did you ever get any helpful advice?If you would not mind sharing, what solution have you devised? Would you change anything if you could start over? ;-)Thanks!IT_Hoser
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October 19th, 2009 6:24pm

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