using Offline Mode in Windows PE using USMT 4 via a task sequence in SCCM 2007 SP2

[anyweb]

hi all,

 

Note: This post has been reproduced in a webcast, so if you'd like to see a video of Offline Mode in WinPE then click here

 

 

 

well this feature in USMT 4 is handy, as it allows you to do a scanstate while in Windows PE in other words, not in the OS so no problems with services running or applications running meaning that you get to backup everything you want without any locked files stopping from doing so.

 

Offline mode does however have some restrictions, read this page on Technet for details of that. To get around these restrictions and to migrate wallpaper see here, to migrate your network printers see here.

 

 

Great, but how do I do Offline Mode in Windows PE using SCCM ?

 

according to Microsoft, we can use the /offlinewindir switch in USMT 4 with scanstate.

 

/offlinewindir: "path to a windows directory"

 

 

This option specifies the offline Windows directory that the ScanState command gathers user state from. The offline directory can be Windows.old when you run the ScanState command in Windows or a Windows directory when you run the ScanState command in Windows PE. This option is incompatible with the /offline option.

 

However, implementing it isn't so straigtforward as you've probably already discovered and documentation about getting it to work within SCCM is as far as I can see pretty much non-existant,

so here courtesy of windows-noob.com is one way of doing it, feel free to show us other ways.

 

The theory behind this:-

 

As the Capture User State Step in a standard task sequence can only run in Windows, we cannot use that step to do our scanstate while in Windows PE, therefore we will use some tricks to run scanstate from WinPE.

 

To do this we create two special packages, the first package contains a batch file which calls the scanstate.exe file and the second package is the entire USMT X86 scanstate files and folders, (note: in this example we are using scanstate from the X86 folder).

 

This means that we create a separate package to the normal USMT4 package and this is only because this example is a workaround or proof of concept to prove that Offline Mode in Windows PE can be done via a Task Sequence in SCCM.

 

Update: If you would like sample code to check for and use the correct USMT architecture in offline mode then see Peters post here

 

 

Get your lab ready

 

We need a Windows XP client machine to test scanstate on and you should enable the F8 command prompt option in your boot.wim (you'll need it).

 

 

The Task Sequence

 

You can use this Task Sequence in SCCM by importing it. Please note this task sequence only has the 4 groups in it, if you want the 4 groups plus OSD then use the other Task Sequence further down.

 

Offline Mode in Windows PE using USMT 4.xml

 

The task sequence depends on three packages, the X86 bits from your USMT 4 (ie: copy everything in the X86 folder from C:\Program Files\Windows AIK\Tools\USMT folder. There are two versions, one for 32bit (X86) and one for 64bit (amd64), we are only using the X86 bits in this guide), the Batchfile

 

 

 

I break up my task sequence into four distinct groups, Set, Create, xcopy and Run

 

SET

 

 

In the Set group I set SystemDrive to c: (otherwise it will try and do this on the windows PE x: drive)

 

 

Next we set the OSDStateStorePath Task Sequence Variable to %systemdrive%\USMToffline which translates to c:\USMToffline, this directory will store our migration data during scanstate operations and when the new os is being applied.

 

 

Finally we set the hardlink load parameters

 

 

 

CREATE

 

In the Create group we just create two folders, c:\USMToffline,

 

 

and c:\USMTbits\X86

 

 

 

the c:\USMTbits\X86 will store all our scanstate native files.

 

 

XCOPY

 

In the xcopy group we do the clever stuff, we copy the X86 USMT stuff to the newly created folder, and then we copy our batch file for later user.

 

 

The batch file itself has the following contents

 

 

@set USMT_WORKING_DIR=%~2%\USMTbits\x86

"%~2\USMTbits\x86\scanstate.exe" "%~1" /c /o /hardlink /efs:hardlink /nocompress /offlinewindir:c:\windows /v:5 /l:%~2\windows\TEMP\SMSTSLog\scanstate.log /progress:%~2\windows\TEMP\SMSTSLog\scanstateprogress.log /i:%~2\USMTbits\x86\miguser.xml /i:%~2\USMTbits\x86\migapp.xml

 

 

You can download the batchfile below however you must rename it back to .bat

 

runscanstate-offlinewindir.bat.txt

 

 

RUN

 

The Run group does the actual running of the batch file and passes two variables to the file.

 

 

 

 

Testing Offline Mode.

 

Create an optional advertisement to a Migrate XP to W7 X86 collection for the Task Sequence and PXE boot your XP client (press F12 first....), select the Task Sequence when the wizard appears,

 

 

at this point press F8 to bring up the command prompt, you are doing this to verify that your data is getting migrated in OFFLINE mode. So here we can see the command prompt is open.

 

 

Ok switch back to the TS and start the task sequence. You will see it starts creating the folders, copying the USMT stuff and our batch file(s) and then actually running the scanstate command.

 

 

 

Once it is completed your migrated data will now be stored in C:\USMToffline\USMT

 

browse it and verify

 

 

If you want to see a working SMSTS.log file from the above test see below

 

smsts.log

 

 

Ok now what ?

[panos83]

I don't know how to create the package with a bat file!Anyhelp?

[anyweb]

copy the batch file to a folder, in configmgr software distribution, select packages right click, choose new package, point to the folder, done. Distribute it to a dp. thats it

[panos83]

Thank you very much!one more question...I take an error when running ofline task sequence from last step x86 do runscanstate(0x00000001) and it stops.Also i can see in log an error runscanstate-offlinewindir.bat is not recognized as an internal or external command.That error is when i take the steps online.When i do it from pxe boot i take a error 0x80004005!Any help for both problems?

[panos83]

Also i can see some failed point to my logs

SMSTS.LOG

 

Failed to run the action: do X86 scanstate.

Incorrect function. (Error: 00000001; Source: Windows)

 

The execution of the group (Run) has failed and the execution has been aborted. An action failed.

Operation aborted (Error: 80004004; Source: Windows)

 

Task Sequence Engine failed! Code: enExecutionFail

 

 

 

smsts-20101112-021854.log

 

Failed to connect to "\\LAB-SCCM-01.DOMAIN.LOCAL\SMSPXEIMAGES$\SMSPKG\ABC00005"

 

 

Any help appreciated

[Eswar Koneti]

It is hard to say with these failed sentances direclly.There should be other information after and before task action failed. It would be easier for us if you post smsts.log for other info as well.

 

Failed to run the action: do X86 scanstate.

Incorrect function. (Error: 00000001; Source: Windows)

 

The execution of the group (Run) has failed and the execution has been aborted. An action failed.

Operation aborted (Error: 80004004; Source: Windows)

 

Task Sequence Engine failed! Code: enExecutionFail

 

this could be because of command line syntax errors for do X86 scanstate or not having the required USMT package?

 

smsts-20101112-021854.log

 

Failed to connect to "\\LAB-SCCM-01.DOMAIN.LOCAL\SMSPXEIMAGES$\SMSPKG\ABC00005"

 

it is failed to connect to ABC00005(might be boot image),also problem could be network breakdown issues or secury rights(may be NAAccount ) while connecting to PXE DP package but after this messgege ,client should have tried connecting again to this package successfully i think.

 

 

[panos83]

Thanks for your answer.I have attached the 2 logs i mention.Please have a look any comment appreciated.smsts.logsmsts-20101112-021854.log

[jdelvasto]

This guide is excellent. My question is do the default .xml files need to modified (Miguser.xml, MigDocs.xml, MigApp.xml) and if so what are the changes for offline USMT to work?

[jdelvasto]

Does the offline process copy Domain Profiles?

[Eswar Koneti]

Thanks for your answer.I have attached the 2 logs i mention.Please have a look any comment appreciated.smsts.logsmsts-20101112-021854.log

 

 

the bat file package is download and saved to 'c:\USMTbits\ but failed to execute. There is something wrong with your batch file creation .Check if you have created the correct bat file or not ? like cmd.exe /c batfilename.bat also ensure you have created package with correct files into it.

 

Set command line: Run command line

Working dir 'c:\USMTbits\'

Executing command line: Run command line

Process completed with exit code 1

'runscanstate-offlinewindir.bat' is not recognized as an internal or external command,

operable program or batch file.

[Eswar Koneti]

This guide is excellent. My question is do the default .xml files need to modified (Miguser.xml, MigDocs.xml, MigApp.xml) and if so what are the changes for offline USMT to work?

 

By default,Miguser.xml, MigDocs.xml, MigApp.xml will have all settings which are required to migrate. Take a look at here what these migration xml files contains http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc766203(WS.10).aspx

 

Are you looking for some specific settings or applications to be migrated? IF so,you might need to create or edit the existing xml file based on the requirement,