Will SCCM OSD work for us?

[Blightster]

Hi,

 

Please bear with me as although i setup our SCCM and configured it all so far we are only using it for Application Deployment. I am only just starting to try and unearth the OS Deployment side of it!

 

I'm woundering if someone can help me? Sorry its a bit long winded!

 

Our current setup we have used for a few years and im looking to expand our use of SCCM more and more.

 

Currently we have a WINPE environment, if we need to rebuild a PC or a whole suite of PC's we simply PXE boot each of them into our PE enviornment, her we have a GUI where we can stipulate a few items

 

• PC Name
  
• PC Model
  
• Screen Resolution (2 predefined and a a custom res option)
  

 

We enter the Name of the client, select the PC model, resolution then select the OS we want, all it does then is write that info to an unattend file and begins the build process using the drivers for that PC model. Happy days, If the PC name entered is already in AD it just overwrites the existing computer object and the current location in AD is in tact which is vitally important as our OU structure is quite complex and multiple group policies then kick in for that particular PC or room its in etc etc. SCCM client is pushed out to the client and the object is pulled into a specific collection by its AD OU membership and then application deployment is kicked off! We do not then have to revisit the PC one its finished its ready to use by the end user

 

Can SCCM offer this type of routine? I have already seen a VB way of prompting for a computer name so thats perfect, if i chose not to set an OU on the task sequence will it just update the existing Computer object in AD if the routine is set to join it to a domain?

 

As i said above we need to be able to stipulate what OS is installed from being at the physical machine without any prep work on the SCCM server, is this possible?

 

I have followed the guides on here for OS deployment and i'm somewhat confused by the deploy and capture process? Can SCCM just install from an OS image location? Normally we slipstream any windows updates directly into the OS directory so when its rolled out its already patched. (we currently dont use the software updates side of SCCM) thats another job for later!

 

Sorry for all the questions but any help would be great!

 

Thanks

[Lucid]

I thought I'd toss some things out there, but hopefully others will chime in as well...

 

1. I think that if you've got someone on staff that can write basic VBscripts, then SCCM can do just about anything you want it to.

2. We use an HTA frontend on our OS deployments so that the techie out in the field can select the department, OU location, OS type, enter the Active Directory Description and Location field information, and a few other things. Once that's done, the SCCM OSD process kicks in and they select the desired OS based on those advertised to the collection where the resource object now resides (our HTA process moves it around if needed).

3. Our OS deployments kick off a VBScript at the end of the process to customize the OS - we do ALL sorts of things. From setting themes and desktop background to adjusting Windows settings and icons.

4. A typical SCCM OS deployment involves an OS .WIM image that you've captured (it's based off your MS DVD and includes Updates and apps that you want).

5. The biggest issue you'll run into is screen resolution. Since a typical (note I keep saying "typical") OS deployment installs only the needed drivers on the fly, the resolution may change based on the video driver getting installed. We try to set it in the unattend.xml file, and if it happens to change, the techie in the field can adjust it once the process is done.

6. We also use Jason's OSD AppTree utility so we can easily install one-off software on the fly as we image a machine (so everything doesn't have to be baked into the .WIM image).

7. Since we now have an automated Build and Capture task sequence we normally capture a new OS .WIM image every other month so that it's up to date. in between we just rely on the WSUS service to push out the updates. That, and the techies in the field are trained to log in once the machine is imaged and install any missing updates or drivers (normally takes less than 10 minutes).

 

So... Bottom line.... Yeah, SCCM can probably do everything you want it to do, but it ain't gonna do it straight out of the box. You'll have to write some scripts (or adjust pre-existing ones) and learn to use task sequences...

[Blightster]

Hi Lucid

 

Thanks for your reply

 

I think i have somehow worked it out in my head??

 

What i am going to try is the following.

 

Create collections in SCCM based on OU so it drags in those machines.

Set an deployment advertisement for that OS of the room for example and use the OSDComputername varible to set the PC name and not set the task as mandatory so our Techs can boot into PE and see what they are installing and thenn enter the PC name. I'll also set that advertisement to place the PC in the OU concerned and then copy that process.

 

I like the your idea of the techie being able to select the OU the PC will reside in, could you please point me to some resources to set that up, i could then add that to the things the Techie needs to do.

 

What does HTA mean? sorry for such a noob question!

 

Again thank you very much for your help!!

[Lucid]

What is an HTA: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms536496%28v=vs.85%29.aspx

basically, think of HTAs as GUI wrappers around scripts - so they give the user an interface to interact with.

 

And there are probably a ton of HTAs out there, but you should at least check out Microsoft's UnknownSystem.hta file found in the SCCM SDK (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/confirmation.aspx?familyId=064a995f-ef13-4200-81ad-e3af6218edcc&displayLang=en).

 

Once you download and install the SDK, look in C:\Program Files\Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 SDK\Samples\OperatingSystemDeployment\UnknownSystem\VBScript\

 

 

If you've got specific tasks you want to have an OSD frontend HTA perform, feel free to ask them on the forums. Since there's a wide array of environments out there, chances are that someone may already be doing what you want to do...

[Blightster]

What is an HTA: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms536496%28v=vs.85%29.aspx

basically, think of HTAs as GUI wrappers around scripts - so they give the user an interface to interact with.

 

And there are probably a ton of HTAs out there, but you should at least check out Microsoft's UnknownSystem.hta file found in the SCCM SDK (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/confirmation.aspx?familyId=064a995f-ef13-4200-81ad-e3af6218edcc&displayLang=en).

 

Once you download and install the SDK, look in C:\Program Files\Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 SDK\Samples\OperatingSystemDeployment\UnknownSystem\VBScript\

 

 

If you've got specific tasks you want to have an OSD frontend HTA perform, feel free to ask them on the forums. Since there's a wide array of environments out there, chances are that someone may already be doing what you want to do...

 

Thanks Lucid, your help has been fantastic!

[Lucid]

Oh, and one more resource for HTAs: http://www.windows-noob.com/forums/index.php?/topic/1064-sccm-2007-guides/page__p__11753#entry11753