Deploying Windows XP with Microsoft Deployment WorkBench

Deploying Windows XP with Microsoft Deployment Workbench

I hope this pictorial can guide you through the process of using Microsoft Deployment WorkBench (Previously known as BDD) to deploy Windows XP. I will be uploading another post to use Windows Deployment Services in Windows Server 2008 together with this deployment workbench to deploy Windows XP, Vista, 2008. Stay tuned!

1. Download Microsoft Deployment Workbench from the link before and install it onto a 32bit version of Windows 2003 SP2 machine.
   http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=3BD8561F-77AC-4400-A0C1-FE871C461A89&displaylang=en


2. After you have installed Microsoft Deployment Workbench, expand Information Center and select Components. Select Windows Automated Installation Kit from the component list. Then click on Download button on the Details pane.
   


3. Install Windows Automated Installation Kit when the download completes.
   


4. Proceed to create distribution share directory after AIK installation. Note: Do not create on System Drive if possible.



5. Create the Distribution directory on a separate drive.



6. Now let’s add Windows XP source files. Be sure to add the latest releases.



7. Let’s add Applications such as Microsoft Office, Adobe Reader, etc to be installed during Windows XP deployment.



8. Steps 8 – 11 demonstrates adding Adobe Reader 9 to your deployment.



9. Locate the source files for the Application.



10. Create a friendly name to easily identify the application.



11. Enter the command line to install the application in silent mode.
    
    
    
12. Next, we need to create a Task Sequence for the Windows XP Installation.
    Steps 12-17 guide you through creating a Task Sequence for installing Windows XP on your client computer.
    Create a task sequence for your installation and give it a identity.



13. Select Standard Client Task Sequence.



14. Full in the OS setting information.



15. Select the Windows XP source files that you uploaded earlier.



16. Key in the Product Key.
    


17. Key in the local administrator password and click Finish.
    


18. Finally, we need to create a Deployment Point for the Task Sequence.
    Select Lab or Single-server deployment.
    


19. Give it a Deployment point name.
    


20. Allow users to select additional applications on Upgrade.
    


21. Do not Ask if an imagine should be captured.
    


22. Do not Ask user to set the local Administrator Password.
    


23. Do not Ask user for a product key.
    


24. Click next to create the network share.
    


25. Do not save data and settings.
    


26. The whole sequence will be completed once the Update completes.
    

Exchange 2010 Beta is available now

The public beta of Microsoft Exchange Server 2010, part of Microsoft's unified communications family, is now available. Exchange 2010 is the first server in a new generation of Microsoft server technology designed and developed to work on-premises and as an online service, and introduces a new integrated e-mail archive and features to reduce costs and improve the user experience.
Exchange 2010 Product Home Page
- http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/2010/en/us/default.aspx
Exchange 2010 on TechCenter
- http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/exchange/2010/default.aspx

Hyper-V Security Guide

This is a new solution accelerator from Microsoft, good for those of you Hyper-V users. Check it out!!

This guide is designed to provide you with guidance, instructions, and recommendations to help you elevate the security of virtualized Microsoft® Windows Server® 2008 environments to address your business-critical needs.
The Hyper-V Security Guide focuses on three key areas and provides the following information:
• Hardening the Hyper-V role. Prescriptive guidance for hardening the Hyper-V role, including several best practices for installing and configuring Hyper-V with a focus on security. These best practices include measures for reducing the attack surface of Hyper-V as well as recommendations for properly configuring secure virtual networks and storage devices. • Delegating virtual machine management. Prescriptive guidance to help you safely and securely delegate administrative access to virtual machine resources within an organization. • Protecting virtual machines. Prescriptive guidance for securing virtual machine resources, including best practices and detailed steps for protecting virtual machines by using a combination of file system permissions, encryption, and auditing.
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=2220624b-a562-4e79-aa69-a7b3dffdd090&displaylang=en

Deploy Office 2007 Compatibility Pack via Group Policy

For those of you whom supports both Office 2003 and Office 2007, you will frequently be getting calls from users that they have problem opening Office 2007 files. Microsoft releases FileFormatConverters.exe to allow Office 2003 users to open Office 2007 files. http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=941b3470-3ae9-4aee-8f43-c6bb74cd1466&displaylang=en
Let me share with you how to deploy Office 2007 CompatibilityPack to your Office 2003 users via GPO.
First, download fileformatconverters.exe using the link above.
Save the fileformatconverters.exe to a folder, example, C:\office2007convert.
Open command prompt, and execute the command to extract the files.
C:\office2007convert\fileformatconverters.exe /extract:c:\office2007convert\

Copy the files O12Conv.CAB and O12Conv.MSI to a shared folder on your server where you users have read access.

Now, let's create a Group Policy to deploy Office 2007 Compatibility Pack to your users.
Open Group Policy Management Console and create a new policy. Let's call it DeployOffice2007CompatPack.
Expand out the Computers Configuration and select the Software Settings > Software Installation.
Right-click in the right hand pane and select New > Package.
Browse to the package on the file share you are going to use and select the O12Conv.MSI file and choose OPEN.
When prompted choose Assigned (you can also choose Publish but this Publish option will not automatically install the software for your users - it will just make the package available for them to install).
Once you have pressed OK you will find the package in your GPO.

Link this DeployOffice2007CompatPack to your OU where your computers reside and we are done.

Deploying Software via Group Policy is a efficent way to install software to your domain computers.

Operations Manager 2007 R2 introduces new and enhanced functionality

I have been a loyal fellower of Operations Manager since it's first launch as it is a great tool to help me monitor all my critical systems and servers. These new features and functionality really excites me. You should also download and try it out.

Operations Manager 2007 R2 introduces key new and enhanced functionality, including:

Enhanced application performance and availability across heterogeneous platforms
Delivers monitoring across Windows, Linux and Unix servers-all through a single console
Extends end to end monitoring of distributed applications to any workload running on Windows, Unix and Linux platforms
Maximize availability of virtual workloads with integration with System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008
Improved management of applications in the data center
Delivers on the scale requirements of URL monitoring of your business
Meet agreed service levels with enhanced reporting showing application performance and availability
More efficient problem identification and action to resolve issues
Increased speed of access to information and functionality to drive management
Faster load times for views and resultsImproved and simplified management pack authoring experience
For those who are evaluating the Beta release, this Release Candidate offers a number of enhancements over the Operations Manager R2 Beta, including:
-New Power Management MP template (Monitored system must be Windows Server 2008 R2 or Win7)
-Updated branding across all User Interfaces-Improved trace configuration tools on the CD to help support issues escalated to Customer Support (where applicable)
-Improved Run As Account Distribution Configuration
-Ability to run inline tasks for non-Microsoft servers
-Support for upgrade from Beta deployments to the Release Candidate-New and updated documentation, including the Usage Guide, Design Guide, Deployment Guide, Upgrade Guide, Security Guide and Operations Guide
http://download.microsoft.com/download/d/9/4/d94797e2-1fbb-4af6-af8f-de57cee5b4a2/SC_OpsMgr2007_R2-WhatsNewOverview.pdf

Live Migration in the coming Hyper-V R2

The new Hyper-V R2 will ship with Live migration (LM), the most requested Hyper-V feature.

What it can do is moves a Virtual Machine from one node of the Windows Server Failover Cluster (WSFC) to another node in the same cluster in a fashion that is transparent to the clients that are connected to it. This is done with no dropped network connections, no loss of service, no perceived user downtime.
Live Migration is supposed to only take the VM offline for less than 1 second, compared to the current Quick Migration which will take a few seconds.

Live migration is accomplished by replicating and synchronizing the contents of memory and processor(s) being used by the VM and then quickly switching access to the storage and network from the source node to the destination node. This switch is done quickly enough that the network sessions from client systems connecting to the VM are not lost and therefore has little to no impact on the service that the VM is providing.

I am eager to test it out!!!

High Alert: Microsoft News - Virus as deadly as Blaster found

We have received quite a number of reports of the Conficker worm making it’s rounds in Malaysia. This is not isolated to Malaysia, but is widespread throughout the world. It seems that almost all AV Vendors are having tough time dealing with it . Below is some information that will help to identify , fix and resolve the same – Note that detection & cleaning of the worm is taken into account with the latest Forefront signature.



Security Bulletin

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/Bulletin/MS08-067.mspx



Summary, Analysis, Prevention & Recovery

http://www.microsoft.com/security/portal/Entry.aspx?Name=Worm%3aWin32%2fConficker.B


Good News for ISA Customers- There are scripts available publically from http://www.isatools.org/tools.asp?Context=ISA2006, http://www.isatools.org/tools.asp?Context=ISA2004 à “block conficker.vbs <http://www.isatools.org/tools/block_conficker.vbs> ” which will block the worm at perimeter level itself.