Microsoft Surface 3 - Manual (Page 68)

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Chapter 4 – Reference Deployment with MDT
One of the most common deployment tasks required by an organization is the creation of custom images. Sector-based
imaging tools, such as many third-party tools, have no mechanism to customize an image during the deployment
process. On the other hand, file-based imaging tools, such as MDT, can provide customization at the time of
deployment. However, some scenarios still may require a custom image, such as:

Deployment Performance – Capturing an image from a reference system that already includes the latest
updates or applications can consume less bandwidth and fewer system resources than having MDT manage
those updates and applications at the time of deployment. For example, deploying an image with Windows
Updates already installed can be much faster than having those updates injected as packages or having updates
applied during the task sequence.

Customization – Some customizations do not support automated deployment, such as apps that require user
interaction in a GUI. Other customizations are performed only during image creation, such as the examples
shown in the
Customizations to the Reference Image section later in this chapter .

Deployment Scope – Capturing an image from a reference system that already includes updates, applications,
and drivers) can take far less time than having MDT manage updates, applications, and drivers at the time of
deployment. For example, to include .NET framework in an image for deployment of limited scope it could be
faster to download and install .NET framework on the reference computer before capturing an image than to
download the files for installation, research the commands for silent installation, and import the application into
MDT.
The reference deployment scenario in this chapter builds upon the manual deployment scenario discussed in Chapter 3 .
The reference deployment scenario increases the level of automation over the manual deployment scenario by
introducing some customization.
The reference deployment scenario outlined in this chapter is applicable to organizations or businesses of any size and is
often the next step towards more the more complex deployments described in Chapter 5 and Chapter 6 .
The lab scenario used in this chapter is comprised of only one physical system: A Windows Server 2012 R2 environment
configured with Hyper-V. The VMs hosted by the physical server are designated as the virtual lab for testing, planning,
creation, and deployment of images. Hyper-V is configured with a virtual switch to allow connectivity between virtual
machines and the local network and internet access.
The environment, as shown in Figure 4.1, is configured as follows:

Virtualization Host:
o Hyper-V (either server or client) to host two virtual machines
o Virtual Switch (configured to provide network and internet access to virtual machines)
Note: Machines connected to the virtual switch must be able to receive IP addresses from DHCP, a
prerequisite for PXE network boot.

Virtual Machine (VM) 1: Deployment Server
o Windows Server 2012 R2
o Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (Windows ADK)
o Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT)
o Windows Deployment Services (WDS)