Where to find information on Vista and Windows Server 2008 Deployment Tools

I have received a number of email messages asking about solutions and functionality that is already available in Windows Vista.

In the two years since we launched Windows Vista (January 2007), we’ve not only updated the deployment tools, but offered additional documentation to support more scenarios. Although you can search the web to find these tools and topics, having them in one place may be beneficial (finding just the right words for your search query is always a challenge). Let me start by answering basic questions using the Windows Vista and Server 2008 deployment tools available from Microsoft.

What does Microsoft offer in terms of tools to make my deployment easier?

We have a number of tools to get you started, including free ones:

·         The Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIK) contains tools and documentation on how to automate and manage your Windows deployments. It’s a great starting point for those that want to build their own deployment solutions (because they have specific needs, want to resell their solution, or just like to tinker). The Windows Vista SP1 WAIK is available as a free download here, and includes utilities that other solutions (System Center or Microsoft Deployment Toolkit – described below) require.

·         The Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT, formerly known as the Business Desktop Deployment) is available here. It provides a GUI to help you get through your deployment preparation and execution, allows for creation of installation media, driver integration, automation, and tracking. It is free and utilizes the WAIK. The October 21^st, 2008 TechNet Radio show on dives into details on MDT.

·         Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 (ConfigMgr07), with the OS Deployment (OSD) capability, is the best place to start if you’re looking for a complete systems management solution and zero touch deployment, or if you’re already using System Center Configuration Manager (formerly Systems Management Server). ConfigMgr07 supports a number of deployment options complimenting its systems management capabilities.

·         Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP), available here, can be used prior to your deployment projects to inventory and assess the hardware in your environment for Windows Vista compatibility. MAP offers additional capabilities for assessing security of clients, inventorying applications and assistance for planning of operating system virtualization.  

·         The Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) is a free solution to help you identify and resolve application compatibility issues. I is available as a download from Microsoft.com.

That’s just Windows - I’ve got to think about applications too

Both ConfigMgr and MDT allow for integration of application installations into the deployment process. Also, through Windows System Image Manager (available in the Windows Automated Installation Kit), you can execute a applications’ setup program during the Audit Mode phase of deployment (that’s after the WINPE phase is complete, and before the user has the opportunity to log in for the first time).

But there’s another side of application deployment that can’t be ignored – Application Compatibility. This past summer we researched customer needs regarding deploying Windows Vista face to face with a number of IT Pros from different companies, in different industries. Every one of them had concerns about application compatibility, and it was a concern for many of these customers. As we drilled down with each customer we found that, more often than not, they didn’t know where to get started in figuring things out.

·         What Microsoft Does: Microsoft tests many commercially available applications with every Windows release. This takes care of a lot of the “big names.”

·         What you can do yourselves: Almost every business has apps they have developed themselves (or buy from a vendor) that aren’t tested by Microsoft. These need to be assessed and fixed to have a successful deployment.  The Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) is a free solution that is available as a download from Microsoft.com. Using it, you run an application on the old operating system and it identifies issues that will crop up when you install that application on a newer version of the Windows OS. You can run it on users’ machines as well, letting them exercise functionality you may not know about, and find more of the issues earlier in the process. ACT generates comprehensive application inventories and allows you to query your applications against known incompatible applications. If there isn’t a compatible version of the application for the newer OS, it also helps you solve the problems without code changes by associating the applications with compatibility fixes or “shims” that help “fix” the incompatibilities of the application. This is the same technology that Microsoft uses to address third party application issues.

·         Is there a quick way to learn more? I highly recommend the on October 7, 2008 TechNet Radio Show (audio cast), which gives you an insight into how this works.  

Can I use the Vista tools with older versions of Windows?

Yes and no – it really depends on the tools and what you want to accomplish. For the most part the new infrastructure that was developed for Windows Vista (component model, Windows System Image Manager, etc.) require Windows Vista or later, but there are some exceptions:

·         ImageX and the Windows Image (WIM) format can be used to capture and store Windows XP and Server 2003 images.

·         WinPE is a small Windows-based operating system that most often is used in deploying Windows images. Although you can only create WinPE images based on Windows Vista with the Vista SP1 WAIK, you can use it to deploy some older (Windows XP and Windows Server 2003) images, perform recovery and maintenance tasks, and as the host OS to capture images.

·         Windows Deployment Services ships with Windows Server 2008 and support network installation of Windows XP and later operating systems. It replaces the Microsoft Remote Installation Service (RIS) available previously, and can also be downloaded and installed on Windows Server 2003.

·         WinSIM, PkgMgr, IntlCfg and PEImg (or any current offline servicing tools) are specific to Vista and Server 2008. Offline servicing is supported beginning with Windows Vista.

·         MDT and ConfigMgr07 both support deployment of Windows XP operating systems, though with reduced overall functionality.

Other questions???

Let me know by commenting on this blog, and I’ll try to answer quickly.