Richard Smith

The Last Post...!

2008-03-13T19:00:00Z

I am sad to say that this is my last post to my personal blog site - but don't worry I've become part of something bigger and better.

Myself and my fellow individual Microsoft Deployment blogger's have been thinking for a while that there are so many different blogs out there with useful deployment information - wouldn't it be great if all this stuff could be in one place?.

With this in mind myself and a number of the other guys have decided to combine our efforts into one blog called The Deployment Guys.

So click on over to this new blog site and update your favourites to get new posts from Ben Hunter, Daniel Oxley and myself as well as a host of others. We have a lot planned.

I have high hopes for this new blog hopefully you will find it useful as well.

So subscribe to the RSS feed and enjoy.

Useful Script Number 1 - Start and Stop Services

2008-03-10T12:03:33Z

So over the next few weeks, I will be presenting a mini series of scripts that may useful in your deployments. All of the scripts will be BDD/MDT specific - meaning that they can be run from the task sequencer and will have the correct format for using the BDD/MDT framework for logging/utilities etc.

The first script in this series is one for starting and stopping services - originally I created this script because I needed to stop and start the SMS service so that SMS auto site allocation could take place, but then my colleague Richard Trusson suggested that I build this into something that is more flexible....

The code looks like this (cut and paste into a new file called zCFG-Services.wsf and place in your Deployment Point\Scripts Directory):

<job id="zCFG-Services">
    <script language="VBScript" src="ZTIUtility.vbs"/>
    <script language="VBScript">
' //***************************************************************************
' // ***** Script Header *****
' //
' // Solution: Solution Accelerator for Business Desktop Deployment/Microsoft Deployment
' // File:      zCFG-Services.wsf
' //
' // Purpose:   Starts or stops services based on command line entries
' //
' // Usage:     cscript zCFG-Services.wsf [/service:ServiceName] [/state:Start or Stop] [/debug:true]
' //            NOTE: /service:ServiceName is case sensitive. /state: can be Start or Stop only
' //
' // Microsoft Solution Version: NA
' // Microsoft Script Version:    NA
' //
' // Microsoft History:
' //
' // Custom History:
' // 1.0.0        RAS    29/01/08    Starts and stops services as specified on the command line.
' //
' //
' // ***** End Header *****
' //***************************************************************************

'//----------------------------------------------------------------------------
'//
'// Global constant and variable declarations
'//
'//----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Option Explicit
Dim iRetVal

'//----------------------------------------------------------------------------
'// End declarations
'//----------------------------------------------------------------------------

'//----------------------------------------------------------------------------
'// Main routine
'//----------------------------------------------------------------------------

'On Error Resume Next
iRetVal = ZTIProcess
ProcessResults iRetVal
On Error Goto 0

'//---------------------------------------------------------------------------
'//
'// Function: ZTIProcess()
'//
'// Input:    None
'//
'// Return:   Success - 0   Failure - non-zero
'//
'// Purpose: Perform main ZTI processing
'//
'//---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Function ZTIProcess()

Dim objWMIService, objItem, objService
Dim colListOfServices, strComputer, strService, strState, strSName, objExecute
ZTIProcess=1

oLogging.CreateEntry ": Starting Actions ************************************************************ ",LogTypeInfo

strSName=oUtility.ScriptName
strComputer = "."
strService = oUtility.Arguments("service")
'Note: strService is case sensitive.
strState = oUtility.Arguments("state")
'Note: strState must be Start or Stop

If strService="" Then
    oLogging.CreateEntry strSName & ": No service was specified on command line.",LogTypeError
    ZTIProcess=90
    Exit Function
Else
    oLogging.CreateEntry strSName & ": Service that will be actioned has been set to: " & strService,LogTypeInfo
End if

If strState="" Then
    oLogging.CreateEntry strSName & ": No state was specified on command line.",LogTypeError
    ZTIProcess=90
    Exit Function
Else
    oLogging.CreateEntry strSName & ": State of specified service will be set to: " & strState,LogTypeInfo
End if

Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:" & "{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\" & strComputer & "\root\cimv2")
Set colListOfServices = objWMIService.ExecQuery ("Select * from Win32_Service Where Name = '"&strService&"'")
oLogging.CreateEntry strSName & ": Number of services identified as " & strService & " = " &colListOfServices.count,LogTypeInfo

For Each objService in colListOfServices
objExecute = "objService." & strState & "Service()"
oLogging.CreateEntry strSName & ": Executing " & strState & " of service: " & strService,LogTypeInfo
execute(objExecute)
If Err<>0 Then
oLogging.CreateEntry strSName & ": Failed to carry out " & strState & " of service: " & strService & " error code = " & Err,LogTypeError
ZTIProcess=50
Exit Function
Else
oLogging.CreateEntry strSName & ": Service: " & strService & " " & strState & "ed successfully",LogTypeInfo
End If

Next
oLogging.CreateEntry ": Completed Actions ************************************************************ ",LogTypeInfo
ZTIProcess = 0
End Function

</script>
</job>

The script takes two inputs on the command line - /service:ServiceName and /state:Start or Stop

The input /service: is case sensitive and needs to match exactly the service as shown on the properties page for the service-for example the service name for the SMS agent is CcmExec so the input would be /service:CcmExec

The input /state: sets the state of the service and can be either Start or Stop, meaning that you can use the script multiple times in the task sequencer to set service state as required.

The script is then run at the required place in the task sequencer by adding a task and specifying the following as the command line:

cscript.exe "%SCRIPTROOT%\zCFG-Services.wsf" /service:CcmExec /state:Stop

Later in the task sequence, you can use the same script to re-start the service by creating a new task and specifying the following as the command line:

cscript.exe "%SCRIPTROOT%\zCFG-Services.wsf" /service:CcmExec /state:Start

This post was contributed by Richard Smith a Senior Consultant with Microsoft Services, UK.

The Deployment Guys blog has landed

2008-01-28T17:23:44Z

What is The Deployment Guys blog?

"The Deployment Guys" is a blog focused on deployment.

"The Deployment Guys" is a combined effort.

There are many different blogs out there including this one with useful deployment information. This is great but it can be difficult to keep track of them all... there must be a better way?

With this in mind myself and my fellow deployment blogger's have decided to combine out deployment related blogs into one blog to rule them all - The Deployment Guys!

But that is not all.... We have also managed to convince a number of deployment gurus from within Microsoft Services that do not currently have blogs to contribute. These are guys that have great information to contribute and will really add something to the blog.

So look out for posts from myself, Daniel Oxley, Ben Hunter and Michael Niehaus as well as a host of others. We have a lot planned.

We have high hopes for The Deployment Guys blog hopefully you will find it useful as well - however this does mean is that I will be ramping down entries on my personal blog to concentrate on The Deployment Guys

GUI Interface for USMT

2008-01-11T16:36:00Z

Dan Cunningham has written a GUI wrapper for the User State Migration Tool (USMT) In Dan's interface, USMT provides the logic and mechanisms for the actual capture / restore process, but because USMT is entirely command-line, Dan decided to set about creating a .NET-based wrapper for it to simplify data capture/restore.

Here’s some of the nice features in Workstation Migration Assistant:

Migrate via a pre-defined network storage location, external USB drive, or user-specified location. USB drive detection is automatic
Optional Hard Disk Health Check will run a CHKDSK prior to capture and fix errors if any are found
Optional Encryption using a pre-defined company encryption key, or per-user customised encryption (for highly sensitive data that can’t be stored on a server without being encrypted)
Use different configurations for a multi-OS, XP > XP and Vista > Vista migrations (useful when on XP to force the /TargetXP switch, and if you’re Vista migration can exclude XP-only obsolete files)
Automatically run pre and post capture/restore scripts (very useful to further configure machine settings)
Migrate domain only accounts, or domain and local
Automatically exclude certain domain or local accounts from the migration
Automatically send log files to an e-mail address via SMTP after the migration
On-screen status during every stage of the migration, including ETA
Option to limit migrations to a certain size, i.e. if over 20GB of data to backup, then fail and inform user.
Very configurable through configuration file
Command-line automation

Dan is hoping to release the tool soon - so keep checking http://dcunningham.net/2007/11/22/a-quick-look-at-workstation-migration-assistant/ for updates

powercfg - Useful if you know the GUIDS!

2007-11-29T21:50:50Z

So I have been doing some work with powercfg - and found it a very useful tool for scripting power management options during builds. This command utility is installed with Windows Vista and you can use it to control power settings and configure computers to default to Hibernate or Standby modes.

The following command-line options are available for powercfg.

powercfg [-l ] [-q ] [-x ] [-changename ] [-duplicatescheme ] [-d ] [-deletesetting ] [-setactive ] [-getactivescheme ] [-setacvalueindex ] [-setdcvalueindex ] [-h ] [-a ] [-devicequery ] [-deviceenablewake ] [-devicedisablewake ] [-import ] [-export ] [-lastwake ] [-?] [-aliases ] [-setsecuritydescriptor ] [-getsecuritydescriptor ]

Full details of the switches can be found here

So having delved into this utility a little more - here are my top commands for powercfg ready to use in your scripts:

sets the power configuration to High Performance
powercfg -setactive 8c5e7fda-e8bf-4a96-9a85-a6e23a8c635c

tweaks the basic power settings
powercfg -change -hibernate-timeout-ac 0
powercfg -change -hibernate-timeout-dc 0

turns hibernation off
powercfg -hibernate OFF

require password when console wakes up (0=false, 1=true)
powercfg -setacvalueindex 8c5e7fda-e8bf-4a96-9a85-a6e23a8c635c fea3413e-7e05-4911-9a71-700331f1c294 0e796bdb-100d-47d6-a2d5-f7d2daa51f51 0
powercfg -setdcvalueindex 8c5e7fda-e8bf-4a96-9a85-a6e23a8c635c fea3413e-7e05-4911-9a71-700331f1c294 0e796bdb-100d-47d6-a2d5-f7d2daa51f51 0

also needed to show up on Power Menus...
powercfg -setacvalueindex 381b4222-f694-41f0-9685-ff5bb260df2e fea3413e-7e05-4911-9a71-700331f1c294 0e796bdb-100d-47d6-a2d5-f7d2daa51f51 0
powercfg -setdcvalueindex 381b4222-f694-41f0-9685-ff5bb260df2e fea3413e-7e05-4911-9a71-700331f1c294 0e796bdb-100d-47d6-a2d5-f7d2daa51f51 0

power plan type (0=power saver, 1=high performance, 2=balanced)
powercfg -setacvalueindex 8c5e7fda-e8bf-4a96-9a85-a6e23a8c635c fea3413e-7e05-4911-9a71-700331f1c294 245d8541-3943-4422-b025-13a784f679b7 1
powercfg -setdcvalueindex 8c5e7fda-e8bf-4a96-9a85-a6e23a8c635c fea3413e-7e05-4911-9a71-700331f1c294 245d8541-3943-4422-b025-13a784f679b7 1

hard disk timeout
powercfg -setacvalueindex 8c5e7fda-e8bf-4a96-9a85-a6e23a8c635c 0012ee47-9041-4b5d-9b77-535fba8b1442 6738e2c4-e8a5-4a42-b16a-e040e769756e 0
powercfg -setdcvalueindex 8c5e7fda-e8bf-4a96-9a85-a6e23a8c635c 0012ee47-9041-4b5d-9b77-535fba8b1442 6738e2c4-e8a5-4a42-b16a-e040e769756e 0

wireless adapter power (0=max perf, 1=low power saving, 2=med power saving, 3=max power saving)
powercfg -setacvalueindex 8c5e7fda-e8bf-4a96-9a85-a6e23a8c635c 19cbb8fa-5279-450e-9fac-8a3d5fedd0c1 12bbebe6-58d6-4636-95bb-3217ef867c1a 0
powercfg -setdcvalueindex 8c5e7fda-e8bf-4a96-9a85-a6e23a8c635c 19cbb8fa-5279-450e-9fac-8a3d5fedd0c1 12bbebe6-58d6-4636-95bb-3217ef867c1a 0

sleep timeout
powercfg -setacvalueindex 8c5e7fda-e8bf-4a96-9a85-a6e23a8c635c 238c9fa8-0aad-41ed-83f4-97be242c8f20 29f6c1db-86da-48c5-9fdb-f2b67b1f44da 0
powercfg -setdcvalueindex 8c5e7fda-e8bf-4a96-9a85-a6e23a8c635c 238c9fa8-0aad-41ed-83f4-97be242c8f20 29f6c1db-86da-48c5-9fdb-f2b67b1f44da 0

close action (0=do nothing, 1=sleep, 2=hibernate, 3=shutdown)
powercfg -setacvalueindex 8c5e7fda-e8bf-4a96-9a85-a6e23a8c635c 4f971e89-eebd-4455-a8de-9e59040e7347 5ca83367-6e45-459f-a27b-476b1d01c936 0
powercfg -setdcvalueindex 8c5e7fda-e8bf-4a96-9a85-a6e23a8c635c 4f971e89-eebd-4455-a8de-9e59040e7347 5ca83367-6e45-459f-a27b-476b1d01c936 0

also needed to show up on Power Menus...
powercfg -setacvalueindex 381b4222-f694-41f0-9685-ff5bb260df2e 4f971e89-eebd-4455-a8de-9e59040e7347 5ca83367-6e45-459f-a27b-476b1d01c936 0
powercfg -setdcvalueindex 381b4222-f694-41f0-9685-ff5bb260df2e 4f971e89-eebd-4455-a8de-9e59040e7347 5ca83367-6e45-459f-a27b-476b1d01c936 0

processor power cstate (0,1=power saver, 2,3=balanced, 4,5=high perf)
powercfg -setacvalueindex 8c5e7fda-e8bf-4a96-9a85-a6e23a8c635c 54533251-82be-4824-96c1-47b60b740d00 68f262a7-f621-4069-b9a5-4874169be23c 4
powercfg -setdcvalueindex 8c5e7fda-e8bf-4a96-9a85-a6e23a8c635c 54533251-82be-4824-96c1-47b60b740d00 68f262a7-f621-4069-b9a5-4874169be23c 4

minimum processor state
powercfg -setacvalueindex 8c5e7fda-e8bf-4a96-9a85-a6e23a8c635c 54533251-82be-4824-96c1-47b60b740d00 893dee8e-2bef-41e0-89c6-b55d0929964c 100
powercfg -setdcvalueindex 8c5e7fda-e8bf-4a96-9a85-a6e23a8c635c 54533251-82be-4824-96c1-47b60b740d00 893dee8e-2bef-41e0-89c6-b55d0929964c 100

processor power perfstate settings
powercfg -setacvalueindex 8c5e7fda-e8bf-4a96-9a85-a6e23a8c635c 54533251-82be-4824-96c1-47b60b740d00 bbdc3814-18e9-4463-8a55-d197327c45c0 4
powercfg -setdcvalueindex 8c5e7fda-e8bf-4a96-9a85-a6e23a8c635c 54533251-82be-4824-96c1-47b60b740d00 bbdc3814-18e9-4463-8a55-d197327c45c0 4

monitor timeout
powercfg -setacvalueindex 8c5e7fda-e8bf-4a96-9a85-a6e23a8c635c 7516b95f-f776-4464-8c53-06167f40cc99 3c0bc021-c8a8-4e07-a973-6b14cbcb2b7e 0
powercfg -setdcvalueindex 8c5e7fda-e8bf-4a96-9a85-a6e23a8c635c 7516b95f-f776-4464-8c53-06167f40cc99 3c0bc021-c8a8-4e07-a973-6b14cbcb2b7e 0

multimedia settings (0=take no action, 1=prevent computer from sleeping, 2=enable away mode)
powercfg -setacvalueindex 8c5e7fda-e8bf-4a96-9a85-a6e23a8c635c 9596fb26-9850-41fd-ac3e-f7c3c00afd4b 03680956-93bc-4294-bba6-4e0f09bb717f 2
powercfg -setdcvalueindex 8c5e7fda-e8bf-4a96-9a85-a6e23a8c635c 9596fb26-9850-41fd-ac3e-f7c3c00afd4b 03680956-93bc-4294-bba6-4e0f09bb717f 2

set the absentia power scheme (the scheme used when no one is logged in)
powercfg -setabsentia 8c5e7fda-e8bf-4a96-9a85-a6e23a8c635c

Enjoy... :-)

System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Toolkit released

2007-11-23T16:21:32Z

For those that haven't seen it , we have just released the SCCM 2007 Toolkit for download. This excellent toolkit contains:

Client Spy - A tool to help troubleshoot issues related to software distribution, inventory, and software metering on Configuration Manager 2007 clients.

Policy Spy - A policy viewer to help review and troubleshoot the policy system on Configuration Manager 2007 clients.

Trace32 - A log viewer that provides a way to easily view and monitor log files created and updated by Configuration Manager 2007 clients and servers.

Security Configuration Wizard Template for Configuration Manager 2007 - An attack-surface reduction tool for the Microsoft Windows Server 2003 operating system with Service Pack 1 and Service Pack 2 (SP1 and SP2) that determines the minimum functionality required for a server's role or roles, and disables functionality that is not required.

DCM Model Verification - A tool used by desired configuration management content administrators for the validation and testing of configuration items and baselines authored externally from the Configuration Manager console.

DCM Digest Conversion - A tool used by desired configuration management content administrators to convert existing SMS 2003 Desired Configuration Management Solution templates to Desired Configuration Management 2007 configuration items.

DCM Substitution Variables - A tool used by desired configuration management content administrators for authoring desired configuration management configuration items that use chained setting and object discovery.

I would encourage anyone who uses BDD 2007 or Microsoft Deployment to download this toolkit for the excellent Trace32 tool that makes troubleshooting BDD/MDT log files so much easier.

You can download the SCCM 2007 Toolkit from:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=948e477e-fd3b-4a09-9015-141683c7ad5f&DisplayLang=en

Windows Vista Deployment Planning - Part 3

2007-11-23T16:07:10Z

In Windows Vista Client Build and Deployment Process, I presented the diagram that I use when scoping deployment projects, so in this post I'll continue discussing the process in more detail - previous posts have covered Infrastructure Prerequisites and Client requirements. In part 3 of this series, I will consider Application Compatibility.

Before starting down the application compatibility testing and remediation route, it is worth considering where the application compatibility issues will arise. From experience this usually falls into two distinct areas that Windows Vista introduces - security enhancements and operating system changes and innovations.

The following new security enhancement features in Windows Vista may cause compatibility issues with applications:

User Account Control provides a method of separating standard user privileges and tasks from those that require administrator access. UAC increases security by improving the computer experience for users running standard user accounts. Users can now perform more tasks and enjoy higher application compatibility without the need to log on to their client computers with administrative-level privileges. This helps reduce the affect of malware, unauthorised software installation, and unapproved system changes. UAC can introduce problems in applications that are not compliant with this technology enhancement. For this reason, it is important to test applications with UAC enabled before you deploy them. For more information about application compatibility testing, see the BDD Application Compatibility Feature Team Guide.
Windows Resource Protection is a new feature in Windows Vista that helps safeguard system files and protected registry locations to help improve the overall security and stability of the operating system. Most applications that previously accessed or modified these locations are automatically redirected to temporary locations, which they can then use to continue to operate without issues. However, applications that require full access to these protected areas and cannot handle the automatic redirection process will not operate properly with Windows Vista. In these cases, the applications must be modified so that they function as intended.
Protected Mode is a new feature of Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 that helps to protect computers running Windows Vista from the installation of malware and other harmful software by running the browser with lower, more secure rights. When Internet Explorer is in Protected Mode, the browser can only interact with very specific areas of the file system and registry. Although Protected Mode helps maintain the integrity of client computers running Windows Vista, it can affect the operation of older Internet and intranet Web applications. Such Web applications may need to be modified to run them in a more restrictive Internet Explorer 7 environment.

The following operating system changes and innovations in Windows Vista may cause compatibility issues with applications:

Application programming interfaces (APIs) expose layers of the Windows Vista operating system differently than in previous versions of Windows. Antivirus and firewall software are examples of applications that rely on these new APIs to properly monitor and safeguard Windows Vista. Applications that perform these functions need to be upgraded to versions that are compatible with Windows Vista.
16-bit applications and 32-bit drivers are not supported in the Windows Vista 64-bit environment. Automatic registry and system file redirection is not available for the 64-bit environment. For these reasons, new 64-bit applications must comply with the full Windows Vista application standards.
Many older applications check for specific versions of Windows. When third-party applications cannot detect a specific operating system version, many of them stop responding.

The Windows Vista Developer Story: Application Compatibility Cookbook on MSDN provides additional information about the security enhancements and operating system changes and innovations in Windows Vista. The cookbook also provides test approaches and possible remedies for many of the compatibility issues that may be encountered.

Now that we have considered the main areas where application compatibility issues arise, we can consider how the application compatibility testing and remediation will fit into our project process.

Applications Compatibility Testing

The ability to create standardised MSI packages, the introduction of packaging procedures, and a central application database, are the building blocks for many of the new features that can be enabled as part of a Windows Vista deployment project. They also serve other initiatives such as active patching and asset management. In most cases companies will adopt an industry standard, centralised packaging system at the very least.

If this is the case, I recommend using the Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) 5.0 to aid in the application migration onto the Windows Vista platform. ACT provides a platform to carry out discovery and remediation work and tends to be used by application owners and developers. ACT makes it easier to introduction testing and remediation within a current packaging process.

With ACT in use, the remediation effort should be folded in as part of a packaging workflow. The way that this tends to work is that on entering the packaging workflow, applications are evaluated against known issues using ACT. This will give an early view of applications that will need further investigation, or those that have standard fixes already documented. Additional information on ACT 5.0 can be found in Microsoft TechNet

Application Remediation

Changes to an operating system, whether it be a minor change such as a service pack update or as major change such as a migration to a new version requires a significant amount of planning in terms of application remediation. The level of application remediation for these changes is often underestimated due to a lack of pertinent or accurate information. I often advise clients to analyse the entire application portfolio to determining the effort required to ensure the applications will operate correctly when run on Windows Vista.

Application remediation can then fall into a number of areas, from simple shims that enable the application to run without change on Windows Vista to complete re-design and re-writing of an application by in-house developers of the software vendor responsible for the application.

There are also additional Microsoft technologies that can be used to address application compatibility issues that might take some time to fully resolve. These technologies are designed to help migrate to Windows Vista, and continue to run business critical applications that are not compatible with Windows Vista. These technologies include the following:

Virtual PC 2007 can be used to run applications on Windows Vista that only work properly with older versions of Windows. Virtual PC lets users keep a previous version of Windows available to run non-compatible applications within their Windows Vista environment until upgraded versions of non-compatible applications are developed.
Terminal Services for hosting applications provides hosting and delivery of Windows-based applications, or the Windows desktop itself, to virtually any computing device on the network. Windows Vista clients can connect to these application-hosting environments through Remote Desktop to access older applications.
Virtual Server for hosting applications allows the hosting of legacy applications and allows remote connectivity from end users who need access to those applications. In conjunction with Windows Server 2003, Virtual Server 2005 R2 provides a virtualisation platform that runs most major x86 operating systems in a guest environment, and is supported by Microsoft as a host for Windows Server operating systems and Microsoft Windows Server System applications.
Microsoft SoftGrid is an application virtualisation solution that delivers applications that are never installed, yet securely follow users anywhere, on demand. SoftGrid is comprised of the SoftGrid platform, an engine that turns applications into centrally managed virtual services that are delivered on-demand.

Applications Delivery and Installation

An application delivery and installation mechanism that I tend to favour uses a tiered application delivery process. I tend to recommend four tier levels that can be used to categorise applications.

The first tier (Tier 1) are applications that are included as part of the core image.

I then consider the other applications to be non-core lines of business applications falling into the other three tiers (tier 2, 3 or 4) which will not be included as part of the core build image. These Line of business applications are catagorised into the remaining three tiers as follows:

Tier 2 Applications – Applications that are delivered via the web browser
Tier 3 Applications – Applications that are delivered via SMS or another management platform
Tier 4 Applications – Applications that are exceptions

Tier 4 usually contains legacy line of business applications that cannot be delivered to users via the browser and will not run under Windows Vista. These will need to be managed as exceptions. The management of exceptions should be ongoing and non-compliant software must be considered for redesign, terminal server use, SoftGrid delivery, Virtual PC/Server delivery or retirement.

The diagram below shows the conceptual design for application delivery based on the four tier idea.

2007 Office System

Although rolling out 2007 Office System as part of a Windows Vista deployment project is common in the customers I work with, there are some things to consider. Although not directly tied to application compatibility, there is a link because many companies use Office as the core of their productivity tool set and because of changed in 2007 Office System, there will be compatibility and remediation work to carry out. Some of this compatibility and remediation work will be technical issues (file formats and extensibility of 2007 Office System) while others are based around user education.

For 2007 Office System inclusion in a Windows Vista deployment project, you should consider:

The 2007 Office System has a completely new user interface for Word, Excel and PowerPoint applications with the traditional menu bar being replaced by the “ribbon”. The redesign makes the whole user experience more intuitive, graphical and contextualised by completely rationalising the interface. In addition, there are new features available within the clients such as the new Smart Art graphical features that users of previous versions will not be familiar with. The Office 2007 client has the potential to be a valuable tool in business optimisation and personal productivity.
The Office 2007 file format is a departure from the binary format in previous versions of Office and is based upon XML technologies. Although this provides a number of benefits, an initiative to manage the conversion to the new File Format is required. Patches are available for previous versions of Office (Office 2000 and above) that will provide a level of flexibility in that all users will be able to view and edit documents saved in the new file format from older versions of Office.
In terms of co-existence, users will need to understand what capabilities are tied to the new Office 2007 client, for example, Smart Art functionality cannot be modified within Office 2000. Therefore extra consideration will need to be taken into account when authoring content with regard to who is potentially going to modify or update the documents once they have been distributed. Also, for documents that are to be made available externally, they may need to be saved in the old binary format in order for others to be able to contribute and collaborate on the content.
Office 2007 clients are fully extensible and Visual Studio Tools for Office (VSTO) provides a mechanism for such customisation and extensibility. One of the main areas of customisation will involve the new Ribbon. The customisation of the Ribbon is based on a declarative model, using XML supported by an object model to develop against. This approach simplifies development and allows for more rapid extensions of the core clients. This allows for the creation of tabs, customisation of built-in tabs, additions to the File Menu, additions to the contextual tabs and the possible removal of tabs, groups and controls. Third party vendors who integrate into the Office 2007 client will can carry out their integrations as extensions to the ribbon interface.

TOOLS

The following are freely available tools that are useful in application compatibility testing processes.

ACT 5.0.2

Windows Vista Hardware Assessment

Microsoft Office Migration Planning Manager

The Windows Vista Developer Story: Application Compatibility Cookbook

BDD Application Compatibility Feature Team Guide

Moving from RIS to Windows Deployment Services (WDS)

2007-11-23T14:44:05Z

I wanted to point you in the direction of a document that helps with moving from Remote Installation Services (RIS) to Windows Deployment Services (WDS) on Windows Server 2003.

Many of the clients that I consult for are big RIS users, so this whitepaper has been especially useful in recent months as they have moved to deploying Windows Vista...

You can download it from the link below:

Deploying and Managing the Windows Deployment Services Update on Windows Server 2003

Microsoft Product Evals on Virtual Hard Disk

2007-11-12T14:00:00Z

I am often asked why deployment is such a great place to work as a consultant and I usually answer by saying that deployment (both client and server) touches all aspects of the infrastructure and therefore you need a knowledge across many products. All though I think this is a great thing - it also means that you have to keep up with other technologies - and have them set up in a test environment for your deployment engagements.

I often setup small proof of concept labs for customers - and I make us of a lesser known Microsoft service that provides many products ready configured as time limited Virtual Hard Disks (VHD) ready for download - over the months I have created a library of these that I can set up and leave at customer sites for time limited testing (usually 30 day evaluations). Below are the links to all of the products that we supply as VHD:

BizTalk Server 2006

Exchange Server 2007

Exchange Server 2007 SP1 Beta 2

ISA Server 2006

Microsoft Office 2007 Professional

Office SharePoint Server 2007

SQL Server 2005

SQL Server 2005/Exchange 2007

System Center Configuration Manager 2007

System Center Essentials 2007

System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2007

Visual Studio 2005 Team Suite

Visual Studio 2005 Team System

Windows Server 2008 Beta 3

Windows Server 2003 R2

Windows Vista

Search Server 2008 Express

Hopefully this set of server and client pre-configured virtual machine hard disks will save you endless setup hours and also enable you to start configuring in other services to your deployment engagements.

Microsoft Deployment Released

2007-11-12T13:47:56Z

The first release of Microsoft Deployment is now available. This release marks the first in a series of three Microsoft Deployment releases planned between now and Summer 2008. It focuses on integration with new deployment features in Configuration Manager 2007 as well as features and guidance to support server deployment. Future updates to Microsoft Deployment will add further support for Windows Server 2008, Windows Vista SP1, and System Center Configuration Manager 2007 SP1 releases.

Microsoft Deployment delivers additional value to Configuration Manager 2007 users by adding complete integration into the Configuration Manager 2007 administrator console and task sequencer as a product extension. Microsoft Deployment combined with Configuration Manager 2007allows users to:

Dynamically install packages
Automatically determine user state store locations
Back up computers and database settings
Install to computers unknown to the Configuration Manager 2007 database
Perform offline patching
Install language packs offline and online
Monitor deployments using an updated Operations Manager 2007 Management Pack

In addition to the new integration with Configuration Manager 2007, Microsoft Deployment also enhances the Lite Touch Installation for deploying desktops and servers. This release allows LTI to:

Deploy pre-release versions of Windows Server 2008, including support for Server Core installation options.
Automate server role definition using Server Manager.
Configure disk and network interface cards (NICs), including static TCP/IP configuration.
Migrate from LTI to Configuration Manager 2007.
Create custom task sequences or modify task sequences based on new templates for:
- Client template: Windows Vista, Windows® XP
- Server template: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008
- Replace scenario template
Invoke Web service calls from rules.
Deploy operating system images using the new multicast feature in Windows Server 2008 Windows Deployment

Microsoft Deployment is available as a free download on the Microsoft Download Center.

The Microsoft TechNet Desktop Deployment Center and the new Server Deployment Center host the Microsoft Deployment process guidance for online reading.