To be clear, did you define it at Home > Deployment Portal, then by choosing OS Licenses from the slideout menu?

Are the keys listed there under OS Licenses by Operating System?

What are the options you have under Product Key when you create a Deploy Image task -- only Current Key, or no options?

Yes, we defined the License Key at Home > Deployment Portal in the OS Licenses and the key is listed there as a Windows 2003 R2 key. When we create a Deploy Image Task we get no options under Product Key.

Did you check sysprep in the create image job?
What OS license do you use? Do you use Microsoft Volume Licenses?
If you distribute the image, you also need to check the sysprep option.

We have checked Sysprep while creating the image and we have tried it 3-4 times already.
We are using Volume Licenses for Windows Server 2003 R2.

Hi,

please check how the image is tagged by altiris. Just go to Manage --> All Resources and search for your image. RightClick --> ResourceManager. In the details under View --> Inventory you find Software Management and Image Resource Component. The value OSType decribes the Operating System which Altirs tagged while Preparing for Capture. The OSName must match the name of the LicenseType you entered under licensing. If it don't match you will not be able to select a key.

Regards

Hello, 

we went to the Resource Manager but can't seem to find Software Management and Image Resource Component as well as OSType. I am attaching a screenshot of the Resource Manager. I am also attaching a screenshot of the License and of the Deploy Image screen.

Regards

You need to go to Resource Manager for the image, not the computer.  So go to Manage > All Resources

Indeed the OSType is set as "Unknown", so does this mean that we are doing something wrong while capturing the image?

I want to be honest: yes, it seems something is going wrong ;)

no, please explain or show the task "prepare for image capture" you used. in which environment you boot after the task? It is important that this job runs successfully and afterwards you take the image imediately in preboot environment.

There is a workaround to get the image tagged correctly, but the "prepare for image capture" is the correct onboard way.

Regards

I attach the task "prepare for image capture" as a screenshot.

okay, you really captured the image in automation environment? did the task run successfully?

the correct way is to build job with exact this tasks: prepare for capture --> capture image --> reboot. these tasks must reside in one job.

If you look at the attached screenshot we used the three tasks as one job indeed. The three tasks finished successfully according to Altiris. Should we have used the PXE Environment to reboot to instead?

In PXE Environment it works very well. Do you have an PXE-Environment? Or do you work in automation?  Is the client really rebooting after Prepare for Capture to automation or comes it back to OS?

When you are able to, so just try with PXE, but automation must work the same, when correct implemented.

As far as I know we have a PXE Environment as well and we will try it there ASAP. If I remember well, the client is rebooting after Prepare for Capture, I will ask my colleague (we are 2 on the project) when possible.
What could we have implemented wrongly in the automation?

The image must be captured in preboot environment (which one doesn't matter). But that in fact makes the decision.
When the client after prepare for capture only restarts and comes back to OS, the image capture always ends in this behavior with unknown OSType in database. It must be taken in PE.

Big question: do you use both: automation and pxe or only pxe (most people choose this)? Is automation overall working? Do you really used it before?

When you have time, just try with PXE. Change the Prepare for capture task and choose pxe and then test the job on machine and verify how your preboot environment is set.

Hello,

I have an update from my colleague:
The procedure in order to take the image is the following:
1. The server with the OS is restarted and booted from PXE to our Altiris Server
2. After the server has booted in PXE and the task list is empty we send the job (with the 3 tasks) from our Altiris Server.
3. Altiris starts the Ghost program and takes the image successfully.

What we want to mention is that in task 1/3 (Sysprep), due to not having an OS, the task shows as successfully completed, but it can't be run, therefore it doesn't reboot. Hence, even if we change from Automation to PXE in the task, the system will not restart nevertheless.

Hi,

the solution is the follows:

The Server must be booted normal. In OS you have to install Altiris Agent with Deployment Plugin. Now you can send the job while the server is in production.

The prepare for image capture task only works in production, never in automation or pxe!

1. Boot server to production
2. Prepare for image capture with boot to pxe after it
3. Capture image
4. Ready

Ok,

first of all of course a big thank you for the answers. We will follow your solution and try it out. But, to continue bothering :-) I still want to ask whether there is a solution without Altiris Agent.

Hello again,

we tried the solution you suggested without the Agent and it worked very well for us. As far as I understand my colleague it is exactly what we need, so I guess we won't need to try the other methods.

Thank you very much for your time