Using Windows Deployment Services with Ghost Solution Suite 2.5

This article addresses the need for a deployment solution using Windows Deployment Services (WDS) PXE (Preboot Execution Environment) in Native (non-RIS) mode. Currently, the Ghost Boot Wizard supports creating boot images for RIS and WDS in Legacy (RIS) mode. WDS requires a Windows Image (WIM, or *.wim file) to boot from. Ghost Solution Suite 2.5 and later creates WIMs when the Ghost Boot Wizard is used to create Windows PE-based boot media.

Windows Deployment Services is a tool for distributing Windows operating systems to machines, the successor to Remote Installation Services (RIS). It is able to deploy a Windows image in a specific format, *.WIM. This is also the format that Windows PE images are created in, and, as such, Ghost Solution Suite 2.5 users can use WDS to deploy a Windows PE-based Ghost boot package for the purpose of deploying Ghost images.

The advantages to this are that the WDS PXE (Preboot Execution Environment) is a more modern PXE service and is more widely supported than other PXE services, such as 3COM Boot Services, Deploycenter PXE and TFTPD32 and is supported directly by Microsoft.

The advantages of using this technology include the following:

• Ability to deploy images over a network.
• Ability to deploy images to machines with operating systems, eliminating the need for installing a base operating system on individual machines.
• Consistency in delivering a standard image to multiple machines.
• Ability to deploy image to many machines at once.
• Eliminates necessity of having physical Ghost boot media to join Ghostcast session.

Skill prerequisites:

Please note that the skillset required for this operation is greater than required for using either the Ghostcast method or the Ghost Console. Before you try this, make sure you have a strong working knowledge of Active Directory, Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) and Domain Name System (DNS). Please note that without this skillset, you will have difficulty setting this up.

Disclaimer:

This article is provided as a courtesy by Symantec. Windows Deployment Services is a Microsoft product and Symantec does not provide support for it. If you encounter problems with setting up Windows Deployment Services, please contact Microsoft Corporation.

Steps:

1. Installing Windows Deployment Services.
2. Creating Windows Image (WIM) through the Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIK).
3. Configuring the Ghostcast Server.

1. Installing Windows Deployment Services

(Source: Step-by-Step Guide for Windows Deployment Services in Windows Server 2003, linked below)

Note: This is not a comprehensive guide.

Prerequisites for installing Windows Deployment Services

Your computing environment must meet the following technical requirements to install Windows Deployment Services:

• Active Directory - A Windows Deployment Services server must be either a member of an Active Directory domain or a domain controller for an Active Directory domain. The Active Directory domain and forest versions are irrelevant; all domain and forest configurations support Windows Deployment Services.
• DHCP - You must have a working Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server with an active scope on the network because Windows Deployment Services uses 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.
• An NTFS partition - 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 install an image, you must be a member of the Domain Users group.
• Windows Server 2003 SP1 or SP2 with RIS installed - RIS does not have to be configured, but must be installed.

Installing WDS depends on which service pack is installed on your Windows 2003 server; here are the scenarios:

Scenario 1: To install Windows Deployment Services onto a computer running Windows Server 2003 with SP1

1. Install RIS.
2. Download and install the Windows AIK.
3. Do one of the following:
   • Locate and double-click the Windows Deployment Services installation file (windows-deployment-services-update-amd64.exe or windows-deployment-services-update-x86.exe), and follow the instructions in the wizard.
   • Type the following at the command prompt where XXX is either amd64 or x86.
     

     windows-deployment-services-update-XXX.exe /quiet /forcerestart
     
     

4. When the installation is complete, restart the server.
5. Now that the installation is complete, you must configure the server using the instructions in the next section.

Scenario 2: To install Windows Deployment Services onto a computer running Windows Server 2003 with SP2

Windows Deployment Services is included in Windows Server 2003 SP2. The version included is identical to the version included in the Windows AIK.

• If you already had RIS installed and configured. When you install SP2, your computer will automatically be upgraded to Windows Deployment Services.
• If you had RIS installed but not configured. Install the Windows Deployment Services component from Add/Remove Windows Components. When the installation is complete, restart the server.

Now that the installation is complete, you must configure the server using the instructions in the next section.

There are three modes in which Windows Deployment Services can run: Native, Legacy and Mixed modes. The Legacy mode is supported through Ghost as Remote Installation Services (RIS) (see #4 in References, below). The other two modes, Native mode and Mixed mode, support delivering Windows PE *.WIM images via PXE. If you are setting this up initially, it is recommended that you use Native mode.

Known issues with configuring Windows Deployment Services

• 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. Option 66 should be set to the Windows Deployment Services server, and option 67 should be set to boot\x86\wdsnbp.com.

To configure Windows Deployment Services

1. On the Start menu, click Administrative Tools, and then click Windows Deployment Services.
2. In the left pane of the Windows Deployment Services MMC snap-in, expand the server list. If there is not a server listed under the Servers node, right-click the Servers node and click Add Server to add the local computer.
3. Right-click the server that you want to manage, and click Configure Server. If the server is not in the servers list, right-click the Servers node to add a server.
4. At the Welcome page, click Next.
5. At the Remote Installation Folder Location page, do one of the following:
   • If this is a new installation of Windows Deployment Services (that is, if the server has not been running RIS), click Next to accept the default location of C:\RemoteInstall.
   • If the server has been running RIS (that is, if you are moving from Legacy to Mixed modes) you should specify the location of your existing RemoteInstall folder. However, note that the location should not be on the system partition.
6. If the Microsoft DHCP service is on the server that is being configured as a Windows Deployment Services server, set DHCP Option 60 to PXEClient and set Windows Deployment Services to Do not listen on Port 67.
7. On the PXE Server Initial Settings page, select how you want the server to respond to clients. Known client computers are computers that have been created (prestaged) in Active Directory before the operating system is installed. For more information, see the PXE Boot chapter at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=81031.
8. Click Finish to complete the configuration.
9. Clear the Add images to Windows Deployment Services now check box, then click Finish.
10. If you want to modify any of the settings of the server, right-click the server in the MMC-snap in, and clicking Properties.

2. Creating Windows Image (WIM) through the Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIK)

See document:
How to build a Windows PE [Vista] CD/DVD that contains Ghost32.exe and then join a client machine to a Ghost Cast Server session to create or restore an image file.
http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/on-technology.nsf/docid/2007120608081560

3. Configuring the Ghostcast Server

Configure the Ghostcast Server as you would for a typical Ghostcast session:

1. Click on Start > Programs > Symantec Ghost > Ghostcast Server. The Ghostcast Server window will appear.
2. Provide a session name. If you added the command line switch -ja=<session name> (as explained in step 6 of the "Creating Windows Image (WIM) through the Ghost Boot Wizard" section), you will need to provide the session name specified.
3. Click the radio button for "Restore Image".
4. You must specify the disk number. For one disk only, use a value of 1. If you are restoring a single partition, specify the partition instead. Here is a screenshot of the Ghostcast Server:
   
   

   Click to view.

5. Click Accept Clients. The GhostCast Server will then wait for the client computers to join the session.
6. On the client computers, the temporary boot order should be set to perform a network boot first. This can often be set on a one-time basis by pressing F12 at boot and choosing the network boot option. For more information about how to invoke a temporary network boot, please contact your hardware manufacturer.
7. Upon network boot, a menu should appear based on the file name you gave your boot image. Note that if you only have one boot image, then you will not be prompted to choose a boot option.
8. Select the appropriate item from the menu and allow Windows PE to load. Once Windows PE has loaded, Ghost will automatically execute. If you included the -ja=sessionname switch in the Additional Parameters section in Step 2, the client should automatically join the Ghost Cast Server session.

References:

1. Step-by-Step Guide for Windows Deployment Services in Windows Server 2003
   http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc76632...
2. Introduction to Windows Deployment Services
   http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc77066...
3. How to make a Windows PE boot package with the Ghost Boot Wizard.
   http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/on-technology...
4. Using RIS with Ghost
   http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/on-technology...

Edit: 11/21/2008: Removed section on using the Ghost Boot Wizard to create WIM file. Added link to article on making WI through WAIK.