Extra default software for base image?

[Kingskawn]

I am making a base image but for some things I need to know if I can install basic software like appv client, flash, adobe reader?

 

Do you install this or do you install it on the production images?

[anyweb]

for your build and capture windows 7 image i'd suggest you bundle in the heavy applications such as office 2010, Symantec Antivirus (or whatever your vendor is), windows updates, SAP (or some other BIG app that is heavy),

 

then when the image is captured deploy it with a separate deploy windows 7 task sequence which also deploys some light dynamic apps like adobe reader/acrobat/winzip, the dynamic layer image can be changed frequently, the base master (or core) image changes less frequently.

[Eswar Koneti]

I am making a base image but for some things I need to know if I can install basic software like appv client, flash, adobe reader?

 

Do you install this or do you install it on the production images?

 

 

I do Install all the all the core applications called line of Business (LOB) (like MSoffice,Adobe,Live meeting etc) in Base image and make it as Standard image .Other applications can be added Via Task sequence later upon the requirements.

[Thomas M]

I install all software using task sequences myself, but I guess it's a bit slower than bundling it together with the image.

However, I do not have to update my base image at all, and only make changes to the application packages.

That saved me from having to create a new image when I deployed Office 2010.

[Peter van der Woude]

I install all software using task sequences myself, but I guess it's a bit slower than bundling it together with the image.

However, I do not have to update my base image at all, and only make changes to the application packages.

That saved me from having to create a new image when I deployed Office 2010.

 

That's correct, but on the other side you always have to make a new base image a few times a year to get it up-to-date with patches (unless you do it like this ). So it's almost never a bad idea to put some, not often changed, software in the base image.

[Kingskawn]

Now I will create a new base image each 6 months I think depending on the amount of updates. The more you install software the less your base will be flexible an MVP told me.

 

For the people who installs Office2010, SAP and other big software (iSeries for instance) do you have problems afterwards updating this software or changing anything?

[Lucid]

I thought I'd toss in my two cents for whatever it's worth...Of course, keeping in mind that every environment is different.

 

We used to have a "thin" image that basically contained the OS and a few small apps, and that was it. We were then using task sequences or Jason Sandy's OSD AppTree to install additional applications and updates on-the-fly during OS deployment. After awhile our techies started telling us that anything we could do to speed up the OS deployment would be appreciated (we were doing a LOT of deployments at that point in time). So we then decided to switch to a "thick" image where we baked in any application that we felt should be on each and every machine. While this took a little longer to work into our automated Build and Capture process, in the end we cut down the deployment times and made both our users and our field techs happy.

 

For those trying to decide what to do, nowadays I'd suggest installing any and all applications that you feel should be on 80% or more of your machines. Remember, you can always use a task sequence step to silently UNinstall an application that's part of your image.

 

As far as updates and such are concerned... We typically capture new OS images about every other month anyway (we've only got a single 32-bit and a single 64-bit Win7 image these days). And since we have to package the update for SoftwareX anyway, it's fairly easy for us to toss it into our Build and Capture process and add it in as part of the .WIM the next time we capture an OS image (which typically involves me kicking it off as I walk out the door to lunch).

 

Anyway, just more food for thought...

[jamitupya]

We do a staged image also....

 

TIER0 / Base

Windows 7 + Updates

Office Standard + Updates

Runtimes (.net4, flash, shockwave, silverlight, java, etc)

Common Apps (reader, compression tools, OCS client, pstools, BGInfo, etc)

 

TIER1 / LOB APPS

SAP / CRM , etc.

Office Professional Plus, etc

Livemeeting

 

TIER2 / Business Use

Project

Visio

Etc

 

TIER3 / User Specific

DVD burning tool (security precaution)

Filezilla

Apps only used in small amount of users...

 

We use this for most of our projects 10,000 desktops - 300,000 and seems to work well in our deployments.... Each to their own

 

Incidentally we keep our image as max size 3.5GGb as we will make TS media for some remote sites with small bandwidth.

[Kingskawn]

We do a staged image also....

 

TIER0 / Base

Windows 7 + Updates

Office Standard + Updates

Runtimes (.net4, flash, shockwave, silverlight, java, etc)

Common Apps (reader, compression tools, OCS client, pstools, BGInfo, etc)

 

TIER1 / LOB APPS

SAP / CRM , etc.

Office Professional Plus, etc

Livemeeting

 

TIER2 / Business Use

Project

Visio

Etc

 

TIER3 / User Specific

DVD burning tool (security precaution)

Filezilla

Apps only used in small amount of users...

 

We use this for most of our projects 10,000 desktops - 300,000 and seems to work well in our deployments.... Each to their own

 

Incidentally we keep our image as max size 3.5GGb as we will make TS media for some remote sites with small bandwidth.

 

Some questions;

Do you make an image build per type of machine or 1 image build for all machines?

Are you using protected DP's?

What is in this 3,5GB media disc (DVD)? We want to do the same for the same reasons (remote sites with small bandwidth)

How much time does it take to install a machine lets say tier1 and tier 2?

[jamitupya]

We build a single ENGLISH image.

 

EDIT for clarification: We support around 15 languages from a single image, we use the separate deployment TS's to specify Language Packs to install. We are currently using UDI in our first customer to provide user generated configurations for specific LP's. (also tier2/3 applications)

 

 

 

Yes we used protected DP's for the onsite DP's however our Central, Region and Country Servers are a hybrid. We only allow Site Server Transfers for these and lock down with protected DP's which sites can access.. (its logical only doesnt affect how the servers get data, more for engineers to understand the traffic / package flow)

 

In our 3.5Gb image we have tier0 and sometimes tier1... dependent on the sites bandwidth.

 

generally around 2 hours from whoa to go.... (including updates and starting the deployment for TIER2/3 Apps)