You can install WDS on Windows Server 2008 R2 using
the Initial Configuration Wizard, the Server Manager console, or the
command-line utility Servermanagercmd.exe.
Windows Deployment Services can be installed on the Standard,
Enterprise, or Datacenter Edition of Windows Server 2008 R2, but it is
not included on any Server Core editions. Before installing the WDS
role, ensure that all volumes on the WDS server are formatted as NTFS
volumes. Also, it is not recommended to install the WDS images into the
same volume as the operating system to allow for customized security and
to remove any risk of filling up the system drive when adding images to
the WDS server. To add the WDS role using Server Manager, perform the
following steps:
1. | Log
on to the Windows Server 2008 R2 system that will have the WDS role
installed with an account with local administrator and domain
administrator rights.
| 2. | Click Start, click All Programs, click Administrative Tools, and select Server Manager.
| 3. | When Server Manager opens, in the tree pane, select the Roles node.
| 4. | In the tasks pane, click the Add Roles link.
| 5. | Click Next on the Before You Begin page.
| 6. | On the Select Server Roles page, check the box next to the Windows Deployment Services role, and click Next to continue.
| 7. | On the Overview of Windows Deployment Services page, read the introduction and notes, and click Next to continue.
| 8. | On
the Select Role Services page, verify that both the Deployment Server
and the Transport Server are checked, and click Next to continue.
| 9. | On the Confirm Installation Selections page, review the selections and click Install to continue.
| 10. | Review
the results on the Installation Results page, and click Close to
complete the installation. Close Server Manager and log off of the
server.
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Configuring the WDS Server
After the WDS role is
installed, the initial boot and installation image can be added. Locate
the Windows 7 Enterprise x64 installation media as the boot image from
this media can and will be used to deploy Windows Vista SP1, Windows 7
Ultimate, and Windows 7 Enterprise 64-bit edition images. Add x86-based
boot images if both x86 and x64 install images will be deployed using
WDS. To install the initial boot image, perform the following steps:
1. | Log
on to the Windows Server 2008 R2 system that has the WDS role installed
with an account with local administrator and domain administrator
rights.
| 2. | Click Start, click All Programs, click Administrative Tools, and select Windows Deployment Services.
| 3. | When the Windows Deployment Services console opens, in the tree pane, expand Servers.
| 4. | The
WDS server will be listed in the tree pane with a warning symbol on it
indicating that the WDS server needs to be configured. Right-click the
server and select Configure Server, as shown in Figure 1.
| 5. | Review the requirements that are detailed on the Before You Begin page, and click Next to continue.
| 6. | On
the Remote Installation Folder Location page, specify the default
installation path for the WDS images. For our example, we will use a
separate drive and specify the path of E:\RemoteInstall and then click Next.
Note
If the WDS server only has a
single disk and is selected for the installation folder, a pop-up
notification opens stating that it is recommended that you create the
remote installation disk on a different volume and, if possible, a
different disk.
| 7. | On the PXE Server Initial Settings page, review the options for PXE boot settings:
- Do Not Respond to Any Client Computer— This option essentially disables the WDS server from responding to any PXE boot attempts.
- Respond Only to Known Client Computers—
This option requires that each system that will have an image deployed
or captured will need to have an existing Active Directory computer
account with a predefined globally unique identifier (GUID). This is the
desired configuration after the WDS infrastructure is tested and
working properly and after the WDS administrator understands how to
locate the GUID of a system and pre-create a computer account in Active
Directory.
- Respond to All Client Computers (Known and Unknown)—
This option allows any machine that is PXE boot capable to connect to
the WDS server and load a boot image. Of course, to install an image,
the user needs to specify domain credentials.
When
Respond to All Client Computers (Known and Unknown) is selected, the
WDS administrator can also select an additional check box that would
require WDS administrators to approve connected WDS clients in the
console before an image can be deployed to that system. This added
security removes the requirement for the collection of system GUIDs
before a system can connect to WDS but also adds the necessary security
to allow the WDS administrator to control the deployment of WDS images.
| 8. | For
the initial WDS installation, select the Respond to All Client
Computers (Known and Unknown) option button, and click Next, as shown in
Figure 2.
| 9. | The
Operation Complete page appears and an Add Images to the Server Now
check box is displayed. Uncheck the check box and click Finish to close
the wizard.
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After the wizard closes,
the Windows Deployment Services console is displayed. Review each of the
nodes that are now displayed beneath the WDS server, such as the
Install Images, Boot Images, Pending Devices, Multicast Transmissions,
and the new Drivers node. As we move forward in our WDS server
configuration, each of these nodes will be reviewed, but at this time,
additional configuration of the WDS server might be required. To review
the WDS server settings, perform the following steps:
1. | Log
on to the Windows Server 2008 R2 system that has the WDS role installed
with an account with local administrator and domain administrator
rights.
| 2. | Click Start, click All Programs, click Administrative Tools, and select Windows Deployment Services.
| 3. | When
the Windows Deployment Services console opens, if the local server is
not listed under the Servers node, it must be added by right-clicking on
Servers in the tree pane and selecting Add Server. Specify the local
server and click OK to add it to the console.
| 4. | When the WDS server is listed in the tree pane, right-click the server and select Properties.
| 5. | Review
each of the property pages to become familiar with the WDS server
configuration options and update as necessary or click Cancel to close
the property pages. |
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