Tag: MDT

Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) 2012 – RTM

A couple of hours ago, Microsoft released MDT 2012

In contains numerous bug fixes as well as support for SCCM 2007 and SCCM 2012.

Improvements for All MDT Technologies

The MDT improvements that affect all MDT technologies, which are discussed in a subsequent section, are as follows:

  • Support for upgrading from previous versions of MDT
  • Integration with security and compliance templates generated by Microsoft Security Compliance Manager (SCM) version 2.0
  • Run Windows PowerShell™ scripts within an MDT task sequence
  • Create partitions to support best practice recommendations for deployment of BitLocker® Drive Encryption
  • Automatically configure participation in the Windows Customer Experience Improvement Program (CEIP) and Windows Error Reporting (WER)
  • Guidance that describes how to use Microsoft SQL Server® 2008 R2 with Service Pack 1 (SP1) for all database needs within MDT
Improvements for LTI Deployments

MDT includes the following improvements for LTI deployments:

  • Support for Windows 8 Consumer Preview and Windows Server 8 Beta. Note: The deployment of Windows Server 8 Beta roles and features using the Install Roles and Features task sequence action is not supported.
  • Support for the Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (Windows ADK). Note: Currently, the Windows ADK is only supported for deploying Windows 8 Consumer Preview or Windows 7 in lab environments, not in production environments.

Windows ADK requires the Microsoft .NET Framework version 4.0. If not already installed, the Windows ADK installation installs the Microsoft .NET Framework version 4.0. For more information, see Introduction to the Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit.

  • Monitoring of LTI deployment process. MDT includes the new LTI monitoring feature that allows you to perform centralized monitoring of LTI deployments in the Monitoring node in the Deployment Workbench.
  • Deployment of Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE). Windows RE helps users troubleshoot and recover from startup-related problems on their computers.
  • Deployment of Microsoft Diagnostics and Recovery Toolkit (DaRT).
  • Deployment to computers that use the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI).
  • Deployment to computers that require the new globally unique identifier (GUID) Partition Table (GPT) format.
  • Deployment to virtual hard disks (VHDs) for native boot.
  • Support for Windows Thin PC.
  • Support for Windows Embedded POSReady 7.
  • Add local administrator accounts.
  • Deployment Wizard user experience improvements.
Improvements for Configuration Manager Deployments

MDT includes the following improvements for MDT deployments with Configuration Manager 2012 or Configuration Manager 2007 R3:

  • Support for System Center 2012 Configuration Manager. MDT includes support for System Center 2012 Configuration Manager for ZTI and UDI deployments
  • Support for new application model in Configuration Manager 2012.
  • Support for the user device affinity feature in Configuration Manager 2012.
  • Support for prestart command files.
  • Support for automatically starting a specific task sequence.
  • UDI Wizard user experience improvements.
  • The UDI Wizard has been completely revised to improve user experience.
  • UDI Wizard Designer user experience improvements.
  • The UDI Wizard Designer UI has been improved to make configuring the UDI Wizard even easier than previous versions.
  • Support for enabling BitLocker in UDI.
  • Support for MDT Replace Computer deployment scenario.
  • Localization of UDI Wizard.
  • Guidance for customizing UDI.
  • Upgrade tasks sequences created in Configuration Manager 2007 to Configuration Manager 2012.
  • Guidance for Configuration Manager 2007 R3.

Read more and download it from here 

Special thanks to Mikael Nystrom

HP takes the next step and provides ready-made driver packages for MDT and SCCM

HP takes the next step and provides ready-made driver packages for MDT and SCCM for the business models of notebooks, desktops and workstations. The packages can be obtained via SoftPaq Download Manager (SDM) or from the HP support website. It appears they are primarily for the current generation of products.
To get the download manager, navigate to the HP manageability website: www.hp.com/go/easydeploy or directly to www.hp.com/go/sdm

Here are screenshots from the new packages in SoftPaq Download Manager and from the HP support website.


Special Thanks to: Deploymentresearch

MDT 2012 Feature: Item Sorting

There is a new feature in MDT 2012 RC1. It will keep the list of items (applications, drivers OS packages, task sequences) in alphabetical order.

Now when you first install MDT 2012 RC1, you might notice that the items aren’t sorted right away – you have to change something in the folder first. As soon as you do (e.g. add an item, rename an item), the items in that folder will be sorted.

Keeping the list of folders sorted is a much bigger challenge, so at this point they will still show up in the order that they were added.

Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) 2012 RC1

The Solution Accelerators team released Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) 2012 RC1 is available for download on Connect now.

Download the MDT 2012 RC1 release now

New features and enhancements:

Support for Configuration Manager 2012 RC2: This update provides support for Configuration Manager 2012 RC2 releases. MDT 2012 fully leverages the capabilities provided by Configuration Manager 2012 for OS deployment. The latest version of MDT offers new User-Driven Installation components and extensibility for Configuration Manager 2007 and 2012. Users now also have the ability to migrate MDT 2012 task sequences from Configuration Manager 2007 to Configuration Manager 2012.

Customize deployment questions: For System Center Configuration Manager customers, MDT 2012 provides an improved, extensible wizard and designer for customizing deployment questions.

Ease Lite Touch installation: The Microsoft Diagnostics and Recovery Toolkit (DaRT) is now integrated with Lite Touch Installation, providing remote control and diagnostics. New monitoring capabilities are available to check on the status of currently running deployments. LTI now has an improved deployment wizard user experience. Enhanced partitioning support ensures that deployments work regardless of the current structure.

Secure Deployments: MDT 2012 offers integration with the Microsoft Security Compliance Manager (SCM) tool to ensure a secure Windows deployment from the start.

Reliability and flexibility: Existing MDT users will find more reliability and flexibility with the many small enhancements and bug fixes and a smooth and simple upgrade process.

Support for Windows 8: The RC1 release of MDT 2012 provides support for deploying Windows 8 Consumer Preview in a lab environment.

Key Benefits:

  • Full use of the capabilities provided by System Center Configuration Manager 2012 for OS deployment.
  • Improved Lite Touch user experience and functionality.
  • A smooth and simple upgrade process for all existing MDT users.

New Features:

For System Center Configuration Manager customers:

  • Support for Configuration Manager 2012 (while still supporting Configuration Manager 2007)
  • New User-Driven Installation components for Configuration Manager 2007 and Configuration Manager 2012
    • Extensible wizard and designer, additional integration with Configuration Manager to deliver a more customized OS experience, support for more imaging scenarios, and an enhanced end-user deployment experience
  • Ability to migrate MDT 2012 task sequences from Configuration Manager 2007 to Configuration Manager 2012

For Lite Touch Installation:

  • Integration with the Microsoft Diagnostics and Recovery Toolkit (DaRT) for remote control and diagnostics
  • New monitoring capabilities to see the progress of currently running deployments
  • Support for deploying Windows to computers using UEFIAbility to deploy Windows 7 so that the computer will start from a new VHD file, "Deploy to VHD"
  • Improved deployment wizard user experience

For all customers:

  • Integration with configuration templates from the Security Compliance Manager Solution Accelerator, ensuring Windows is secure from the start
  • A simple mechanism for running Windows PowerShell scripts during a deployment, with task sequence environment and logging integration
  • Better partitioning support, creating the recommended partitioning structures on new computers and ensuring deployments work regardless of the current structure
  • A smooth and simple upgrade process for all existing MDT users
  • Many small enhancements and bug fixes

Enable TPM devices on HP Laptops trough MDT

Yes, It can be done and it is pretty simple to. Here is what you need and how you should do it. Basically, the only thing you need is “BiosConfigUtility.EXE” and a text file with settings in it, add that to the TS and it will work like a charm, 🙂

Step One – Get the utility

The utility is a part of HP’s SSM (SP49507), SSM stands for “HP System Software Manager” and version I have been playing with is 2.14 Rev A. Download that from the ftp://ftp.hp.com/pub/softpaq/sp49501-50000/sp49507.exe and if you need to see if your PC is in the list, check ftp://ftp.hp.com/pub/softpaq/sp49501-50000/sp49507.html

Step Two – Create the file

This is how the file should look like and it should have the name TPMEnable.REPSET

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If you look at the picture, you can see that in every section there is a *. That is our default value that will be pushed into the bios.

Step Three – Create a Command and verify that it works

Now, be a bit careful, TPM is a security device and if you look your self out, it could be “tricky” to get back, so now you have been notified at least. So, we need a command to set all this and also to set a BIOS password and here it is:

BIOSConfigUtility /SetConfig:TPMEnable.REPSET /NewAdminPassword:"Password1"

So, if you take the BIOSConfigUtility.exe and TPMEnable.REPSET and put them in the same folder and run the command (elevated) with a password that is better then mine and then reboot the machine, you will see that it is going to enable the TPM chip and now you can just enable BitLocker on the machine.

Step Four – Getting stuff into the TS

Now, this can be done in different ways, one is to create a Script, or a batch file or an MDT Application. The reason for me to have an application, is very simple. When I work at customers I create a lot of “things”, if they are applications, they are pretty easy to copy inside the deployment workbench, from my personal Deployment share to the customers and vice versa. I like drag and drop, it makes life more…relaxed…:-) One other story, if they are applications, you could use the “MandatoryApplications001=” in CS.ini

So this is how it looks in my Task Sequence

image image

(No, sorry, my password for TPM is not 111-something, trust my…)

Now when I have the application I can open my Task Sequence and modify that like this:

image image

In the first picture you can see that I have added the application called “CUSTOM – Hewlett-Packard – BIOS Configuration” and in the other picture you can see that I have one condition to run this and that is same condition as the task “Enable Bitlocker” has.

So, that was pretty easy, right 🙂

Step Five – some more things…

Configure BitLocker:

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This is my settings (also default)

Just one small thing. Modify/Set this BDEKeyLocation= to something, otherwise the keyfile ends up locally on the c: drive…:-)

MDT 2012: New Features – Hide Shell

Here is a common scenario. You are deploying an operating system using MDT Lite Touch, during the deployment you install some user specific applications. However the users think that the deployment is completed an they close the application installs or perhaps start messing with the machine while it is still logged in as the local administrator. Now you could simply inform the user that they should not touch the computer until the deployment is completed. However in my experience this “don’t touch” approach has not always been 100% successful.

Well now we have a better way, you can hide explorer shell while MDT is “doing it’s thing”!

So how do we do this? It is simple, just add the following line to the customsettings.ini file:

HIDESHELL=YES

I have included before and after shots below:

Look explorer…

,image

No explorer…. that’s better!

image

Glimlach

MDT 2012 Beta 2 Monitoring

Today I upgraded a MDT 2010 installation to MDT 2012 Beta 2.

One of the new features is monitoring Glimlach

To Configure monitoring you find a tab Monitoring on properties of the Deployment Share.
You must set a V Enable monitoring of this deployment share

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Under the root of the Deployment Share u see now Monitoring. When you click on Monitoring you can see running deployments.

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MDT 2012 Beta 2 Released

The latest version of MDT is now available on Connect (Join the MDT 2012 Beta 2 Connect program here!)

MDT 2012 Beta 2 offers new User-Driven Installation components and extensibility for Configuration Manager 2007 and Configuration Manager 2012 as well as integration with the Microsoft Diagnostics and Recovery Toolkit (DaRT) for Lite Touch Installation remote control and diagnostics.

Key benefits include:

  • Full use of the capabilities provided by System Center Configuration Manager 2012 for OS deployment.
  • Improved Lite Touch user experience and functionality.
  • A smooth and simple upgrade process for all existing MDT users.

New features For System Center Configuration Manager customers:

  • Support for Configuration Manager 2012 (while still supporting Configuration Manager 2007)
  • New User-Driven Installation components for Configuration Manager 2007 and Configuration Manager 2012
    • Extensible wizard and designer, additional integration with Configuration Manager to deliver a more customized OS experience, support for more imaging scenarios, and an enhanced end-user deployment experience
  • Ability to migrate MDT 2012 task sequences from Configuration Manager 2007 to Configuration Manager 2012

New features For Lite Touch Installation:

  • Integration with the Microsoft Diagnostics and Recovery Toolkit (DaRT) for remote control and diagnostics
  • New monitoring capabilities to see the progress of currently running deployments
  • Support for deploying Windows to computers using UEFI
  • Ability to deploy Windows 7 so that the computer will start from a new VHD file, “Deploy to VHD”
  • Improved deployment wizard user experience

MDT 2012 the final release will be available download through to January 2012 I think.

Optimizing Windows 7 Images for use in VDI

One of our MCS deployment guys in the UK – Jonathan Bennett (you may know Jonathan as the author of the autoit tools and GImageX) has developed a tool for configuring Windows 7/Windows Vista/Server 2008 images for use in a VDI environment. The tool called VDI Optimizer outputs a VBScript (based on the selections you make in the GUI interface), which can then be used to apply performance and configuration settings to images that will be deployed via VDI platforms – this is particularly useful if you are using MDT 2010 for your image engineering process as the VBScript can bolted into the task sequence using a Run Command Line task.

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You can make machine based selections for turning off services and functions that may not be required when the operating system is running in a VDI environment such as hibernation, system restore, and background defrag, as well as adjusting some user based settings such as visual effects, font smoothing and off-screen composition for Internet Explorer.

The beta of this tool is available from http://www.autoitscript.com/files/tools/VDIOptimizer.zip but please remember The tool is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, confers no rights, and is not supported by the authors or Microsoft Corporation.

Source: Optimizing Windows 7 images for use in VDI

MDT Restricting the available Task Sequences by user

  1. Within DeploymentWorkbench go to Deployment Shares\<YourDeploymentshare>\Task Sequences.

  2. Organize the available task sequences into folders. Task sequences that aren’t in a folder can’t be restricted.

    image

  3. Within DeploymentWorkbench go to Deployment Shares\<YourDeploymentshare>\Advanced Configuration\Selection Profiles.

  4. Create a new selection profile and at “Select the folders that should be included in this selection profile” select the folders below Task Sequences that should be visible for this profile.

    image

  5. Edit CustomSettings.ini, add UserID to Priority before the value Deffault under [Settings]: 

    [Settings]
Priority=UserID, Default

  6. Define a section in CustomSettings.ini in the form [userid]. Example: if the User ID is Helpdesk then the section should be [helpdesk].

  7. Define the selection profile to be used for this user below this section. Example: to give helpdesk access to the Helpdesk selection profile, add the following:

    [helpdesk]
WizardSelectionProfile=Helpdesk

  8. Create a selection profile in which no folder has been selected and place a WizardSelectionProfile=nameofemptyselectionprofile below [Default] if you want none other than the defined user IDs to have access to the task sequences.

  9. Now when the user logs into the wizard in the WinPE environment, he/she sees only the task sequences that are available in the selection profile.

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    Source:Microsoft TechNet – MDT Forum – How to hide/show task sequence for specific users/user groups?

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