OSDComputerName not prompting - followed guide

[Kops]

Hello Windows Noobs,

 

My names Greg, I recently took over our System Center Config Manager 2012 R2 environment from a previous employee, and am learning my way through it. I have found this site to be very helpful so far, so I've decided to register here and get involved where I can.

 

Firstly - I am having an issue with prompting for OSDComputerName. I have created several task sequences that deploy OS/Drivers/Applications successfully and have followed this guide on how to have the task sequence prompt for a computer name on OSD. That thread outlines a few steps.

 

• Enable Unknown Computer Support in the PXE tab for my site's Distribution Point (done - see PXE.png)
• Add OSDComputerName environment variable to All Unknown Computer device collection (done - see Collection.png)
• Deploy the task sequence to All Unknown Computers (done - see Deployment.png)
  

Now according to the guide, that should take care of it. The one image/task sequence that the previous employee had created does indeed prompt for OSDComputerName, however I cannot get this to work.

 

I am currently using the 'Create Task Sequence Media' to install my tasks sequences to a USB drive that is then booted to run the task sequence. When I boot from USB, I am brought into WinPE. I see the Welcome to the Task Sequence Wizard and click Next. I then see a Confirmation window saying 'the required task sequence will be run - [name of my task sequence]'. If I click Next, the task sequence launches and runs and completes without prompting for computer name.

 

I have tried comparing the two task sequences as much as I can - but can't find any differences that would do this. A couple other things that may be of value when asking for help - we have recently upgraded to Config Manager 2012 R2, and if I create a bootable CD that uses Config Manager infrastructure for OSD, it cannot find any available task sequences.

 

Thanks for taking the time to read through this, any help is greatly appreciated. Let me know if I can provide any logs that may be of assistance.

Greg

[Jorgen Nilsson]

Hi,

If you are using a Standalone media you need to add the OSDCOmputername variable when creating the media as well, otherwise it will not prompt you.

Regards,
Jörgen

[Kops]

Thanks for taking the time to respond to my issue. That did the trick, I can't believe I was skipping right past it the entire time - glad it was something simple though.

 

I have also learned that the reason that deploying via CD is saying 'There are no task sequences available for this computer' is because these task sequences are only deployed to 'Unknown Computers'. Since this computer in question is already in our SCCM environment (I want to re-image), it is not available in the 'unknown computers' collection.

 

Is there any harm in creating something like a 'Managed Clients' collection to include everything already in Config Manager, and deploying the task sequences to them as well? Is there a better practice to be able to re-image computers that are already in Config Man?

 

Cheers,

Greg

[Peter van der Woude]

I would always be a bit carefull with deploying task sequences to, basically all, your clients. In most situation I have a specific collection for OS deployment and target them with available task sequences.

[Kops]

Hi Peter, thanks for the input.

 

If you create a specific collection for OS deployment, are you including all of your clients in this? I would assume that you must if you'd like to be able to target and re-image computers that already have the Config Manager clients?

 

I had the same uncertainty with deploying a task sequence to a collection like 'all clients', but I am not sure if there really is a reason for concern?

[wilbywilson]

I think that best practice is to *not* include all clients in the collection for OS deployment. Just add in clients *as needed*, and subsequently remove them from the collection after imaging. That way, you have helped to safeguard against unintentional imaging of machines.

 

That is my take on the subject; others may disagree.

[Kops]

We have been taking the approach of manually deleting the devices out of Config Manager first, so then it will be 'unknown'. That, or deploying by USB works as well.

Just thought there might be a better way to be able to use any type of media (CD, or USB) to deploy to any system.