Client Management Suite

Step 5: Assemble and Automate

Now that all of the required files and tasks have been built and tested, you need to encapsulate them into a Deployment Server job sequence. This ensures that when one task completes, the next is triggered automatically. The migration process will include:

• Capture personality settings (using the template built in Step 4)
• Deploy the OS image (using the image built in Step 2)
• Install required applications (using the applications prepared in Step 3)
• Restore personality settings

The Deployment Server Console provides a Job Wizard that will simplify this step.

1. In the Deployment Server Console, go to the File menu and choose New > Job Wizard.
2. Choose Migrate computers and give the job a name.
3. If you are upgrading hardware as part of your migration process, choose Migrate one computer to another separate computer.
4. If you are performing an in-place migration, chose Migrate the same computer to another operating system.
5. Enable the option Install software packages prior to applying the personality on the destination computer and click Next.
6. If you chose to migrate to separate computers:
   1. Select all the computers that you will be migrating from and click Next.
   2. Select all the computers that you will be migrating to and click Next.
   3. At the Associate destination computers page, click each source computer listed and select its destination computer from the list.
   4. When you are done associating source and destination computers, click Next.

Capture Personality Settings

This process utilizes the the template built in Step 4.

1. At the Capture Personality Settings page, select the personality template file built in step 4 of this document.
2. Enter a UNC path to store the package such as "\\%DSSERVER%\eXpress\PCT\Packages". You may use Deployment Server Tokens in the UNC path. If you are performing in-place migration and wish to store the personality package on the client computer's hard drive, specify the path "C:\Preserve"
3. Enter the User name and Password of a domain account that has Administrative privileges on the client computers and read/write access to the package location.
4. Click Next twice.

Deploy The OS Image

This process utilizes the image built in Step 2.

1. At the Disk Image Source page, enter the path to the image file created in step 2 of this document. For example, \\%DSSERVER%\eXpress\Images\Win7.img.
2. If you use Deployment Server Tokens (as shown) in the UNC path, enable the option Disable image path validation.
3. If you are performing in-place migration and wish to store the personality package on the client computer's hard drive, type the following in Additional Parameters: -PRESERVE=C:\Preserve\
4. Click Next.
5. At the Schedule Job page, select Leave job unscheduled at this time, and click Finish.
   

   This will create two jobs one labeled "Capture" and the other "Distribute".

6. Select the Distribute job and double-click the Distribute Disk Image task.
7. Disable the option Boot to production to complete configuration task and click Finish.
8. If additional drivers will be required to successfully deploy Windows 7 to your computers, add the Hardware Independent Imaging tasks explained in Altiris KB Article 48891.

Install Required Applications

This process utilizes the applications prepared in Step 3.

1. Select the Distribute job. For each application you wish to install as part of the migration process, do the following:
2. Click Add > Distribute Software.
3. Enter the UNC path to the application installer (EXE or MSI), such as "\\%DSSERVER%\eXpress\Applications\installer.exe". You may use Deployment Server Tokens (as shown) in the UNC path.
4. Click Advanced, choose Run directly from file source, specify the User name and Password of an account that has Administrative privileges on the client computers and read/write access to the eXpress share, and click OK.
5. Under Additional command-line switches, provide any command-line switches required to perform a silent install (as verified in step 3).
6. Click Finish.

Restore Personality Settings

The Job Wizard created a personality restore task for you. At this point, all you need to do is make sure the task responsible for restoring personality settings is the last one in the job. It is the Install Package task referencing %COMPNAME%.exe.

When you are ready to perform the migration, you will first select the Capture job, right-click the source computer(s) you want to migrate from, and choose Start Now. When that is finished, you will then select the Distribute job, right-click the appropriate destination computer(s) and choose Start Now.

Execute and Report

This final phase leads you to the production rollout. This phase begins with a small-scale test and pilot. You will then implement the migration infrastructure designed in Phase 1. Finally, you will perform the production rollout and create migration reports.

Return to: Windows 7 Migration: Introduction