When considering the deployment of Windows 7 into
your organization, you can choose from multiple methods. The method you
choose is dependent on the number of clients in your organization, the
number of IT professionals on staff, and their expertise.
NOTE
Some Microsoft
documentation states that the method you choose depends on whether you
have dedicated IT staff. I'm going to assume all your staffs are
dedicated, so I've changed this to IT professionals.
If you support only 15 clients on
a part-time basis, you probably won't be using any of the automated
methods. On the other hand, if your organization has several thousand
clients, it makes sense to take the time to learn the methods that can
be used to automate the installation.
Installations are often referred
to as High Touch, Lite Touch, and Zero Touch. It's worthwhile to compare
the differences between these methods.
1. A Comparison of Installations
The more an IT
professional has to touch an end user's computer, the higher the cost on
a per-client basis. Because of this, as more computers are used in an
organization, automated methods are needed to keep down the total cost
of ownership.
NOTE
You'll see
recommended computer numbers in the following explanations. For example,
an organization with fewer than 100 computers would use the High-Touch
Installation with Retail Media method. These numbers are meant as guides
only and to give you a point of reference. If your organization has 75
users and you want to use Lite Touch Installations, you certainly can.
Similarly, an organization with 501 clients could choose any of the
methods.
High Touch Installation with Retail Media
If an organization
has fewer than 100 computers and doesn't have full-time IT professionals
on staff, the local installation method can be used. Quite simply, a
technician sits in front of each computer with the installation DVDs and
installs the operating system and all the applications and then
configures the computer for the end user.
High Touch Installation with Standard Image
If an organization has
between 100 and 200 computers and has at least one full-time IT
professional, it may choose an imaging solution to create and deploy
images. The images can include applications and different configuration
settings.
The Windows Automated
Installation Kit includes tools, such as ImageX, that can be used to
create bootable media. Bootable media can be used to capture and/or
apply standard images.
In other words, an
administrator could create a reference computer and then run Sysprep to
prepare. The administrator would then boot using bootable media to the
Windows Preinstallation Environment. Within WinPE, he can use ImageX to
capture the image and store this image on a DVD or an external USB
drive. He could later boot to another computer using bootable media to
get to the WinPE and then use ImageX to apply the captured image to the
clean computer.
Lite Touch Installation
Organizations with between 200
and 500 clients and a full-time IT staff may choose to use an LTI. LTI
requires limited interaction at the beginning of the installation but is
automated afterward.
In addition to the Windows
AIK, Windows Deployment Services and the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit
2010 can be used for Lite Touch Installations.
When WDS is used, much of the
process is automated. An end user (not necessarily an administrator)
only needs to press the F12 key a couple of times, log on, and select an
image. WDS then downloads the image. MDT 2010 can be used to add
applications.
Zero Touch Installation
Organizations with more
than 500 clients and experts in deployment, networking, and
Configuration Manager 2007 R2 products may choose ZTI installations. ZTI
installations are fully automated without any human interaction.
While fully automated
installations are quite valuable within an installation, I want to
stress that there is an associated up-front cost. The System Center
suite of products must be purchased, and then IT professionals often
need to be sent to classes to learn how to use them. Last, there is a
natural learning curve as the products are configured and tested.
However, for large deployments, the up-front costs are considered an
investment to reduce the long-term costs.
2. Deployment Tools Overview
Several different deployment tools are available. As an overview, the available tools are explained here:
Windows Automated Installation Kit
The Windows Automated Installation Kit is a free download
when the USMT was used. It also includes several other tools such as
ImageX and DISM that can be used to capture, modify, and deploy images.
The Windows AIK can be used in High Touch and Lite Touch Installations. A
great strength is the ability to modify images after they have been
captured.
Windows Deployment Services
Windows Deployment
Services is a free server role that can be added to Windows Server 2008
or Windows Server 2008 R2. It is used in Lite Touch Installations
requiring little interaction. Preboot Execution Environment
(PXE)–compliant computers are used. Users need to press the F12 key
twice, log on when prompted, and select an image. After that, the
installation can be automated. A significant strength of WDS is the
ability to multicast images. In other words, the WDS server can send a
single image to multiple clients at the same time.
Microsoft Deployment Toolkit
The Microsoft Deployment
Toolkit 2010 is a free product that can be downloaded and used in Lite
Touch Installations and can also be combined with System Center tools in
Zero Touch Installations. It includes the Deployment Workbench, which
can be used to create task sequencers used in automating deployments.
System Center suite
The System Center suite of
server products can be purchased to help a large organization manage
clients and deployments. The server products available at this writing
are as follows:
System Center Configuration Manager 2007 R2
SCCM can be used to
assess, deploy, and update servers, client computers, and devices. This
is the primary tool that would be used for Zero Touch Installations. MDT
2010 can be integrated with SCCM.
System Center Operations Manager 2007
SCOM is used for
service management. It can be used to monitor the availability and
performance of IT services throughout the network and provide alert
capabilities. It is used to help identify problems and issues before
they impact the performance of network services.
System Center Data Protection Manager 2007
SCDPM is used for
Windows backup-and-recovery solutions. Users can store their data on a
central server, and SCDPM can be used to provide a data
backup-and-recovery solution for the file servers. It can also be used
for application servers like Microsoft SQL Server or Microsoft Exchange
Server.
System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008
SCVMM is
designed to be a centralized server that can be used to configure and
deploy virtual machines. It helps integrate virtual and physical
environments and allows management from a central console.
System Center Essentials 2007
SCE is designed for
midsize businesses of fewer than 500 clients and provides several of the
tools included in the entire System Center suite in a single product.
In order to determine easily
the best deployment strategy for your network, it's necessary to
understand the capabilities of the available tools and how to use them.
