Understanding and Configuring WDS Part1

Here i am going to describe some basic terminology that will help you to understand and deploy  windows operating system.

Understanding Boot and Install Images:
The \sources folder on every Windows product DVD since Windows Vista contains two images: A default boot image (Boot.wim) and A default install image (Install.wim).  A boot image is a small Windows image (.wim) file you can use to start a client computer and begin the installation but install image contains the actual Windows operating system to be installed.

WIK Tool:
The Windows AIK provides tools and documentation for performing unattended installs of Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2003 R2 SP2, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Server 2008 R2.

Windows PE:
Windows PE is a lightweight and customizable version of Windows with which you can start a computer from a CD/DVD, from a removable USB drive, or from a network. The main purpose of Windows PE is to provide an environment from which to capture or apply a Windows image, but you can also use it to troubleshoot or recover an installed operating system.

ImageX:
ImageX is a command-line utility you can use to capture, modify, and apply WIM images for deployment. The main function of ImageX is to enable you to capture a volume(complete o.s) to a WIM file image and apply a WIM file image on onother system.

Windows SIM:
Windows System Image Manager (SIM) is the tool used to create unattended Windows Setup answer files. In Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Server 2008 R2, answer files are XML-based documents contain information needed  for Windows installation.


Windows Deployment Services:
WDS enables users to start a computer with no operating system and simply select a Windows image to install from a menu. To achieve this, the client should be with pre-startup execution environment (PXE) LAN enable. PXE is a technology that uses DHCP to locate WDS server during a computer’s startup. Main  Advantages of WDS is that it makes easier to centralize and manage all aspects of the deployment process, including capturing, customizing, maintaining, updating, and installing images.

WDS requirements:
1-AD DS
A Windows Deployment Services server must be either a member of an Active Directory domain or a domain controller for an Active Directory domain.

2-Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
You must have a working DHCP server with an active scope on the network because Windows Deployment Services uses PXE, which uses DHCP to perform booting.

3-Domain Name System
A working Domain Name System (DNS) server on the network is required to run Windows Deployment Services.

4-NTFS volume
The server running Windows Deployment Services requires an NTFS partition to store image.