Using the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2008 : Imaging with MDT (part 3)

7. Creating the MDT database

To better automate image deployments, you can take advantage of the MDT database. With it, you may query for settings, roles, software assignments, and more based on computer, location, or make/model. By leveraging this database, you can dynamically provide details during a deployment that would otherwise need to be manually input through the Lite Touch Installation wizards. Alternatively, there are other methods to handle the various properties that may be specified by the database (See the section "Understanding deployment rules" later in this chapter for details). To establish a deployment database, follow these steps:

8. Configuring the MDT database

With the database created and ready to go, the next step is to configure how it is to be used by your deployment. There are a number of options here, and which of those you choose depends greatly on your environment. This section provides a walkthrough of the steps and options available for your consideration.

9. Populating the Microsoft Management database

For the queries specified in the previous steps to succeed, you must populate the database with information about your target environment. Depending upon your needs you may populate one or more sections of the database to support your deployment. These sections are Computers, Roles, Locations, and Make and Model. Following are the basic steps of adding a computer entry. Note all follow the same interface for entry creation.

10. Understanding deployment rules

In addition to the database method above, you can use other options to leverage the ability to define properties such as the computer name or the local administrator password. To specify general deployment options there are other options that should be understood. Depending on your environment or on the item to be defined, one or more of these other methods may be desirable.

In addition to the database method described in the previous section, there are a few other ways you can assign values:

• Hard-coded values

• Variable substitution

• Script functions

• Dynamic keys

Each of these methods is discussed briefly in the following section.

Using hard-coded values

One of the simplest ways to specify values is to use hard-coded values in the CustomSettings.ini file. For example, you could statically define the time zone (TimeZone) to the desired time zone offset:

TimeZone=005

Using variable substitution

Similar to the method above, you can also include variables to make hard-coded values more dynamic. For example, you could statically define your logging share (SLShare) to point to the "LOGS" folder on a currently connected SCCM deployment point:

SLShare=\\%SMSDP%\Logs

Using script functions

Rules can call script functions as well. A script known as the user exit script serves as a function library. You may create your own script functions to return desired values and then place them in a user exit script. These custom scripts have full access to the global variables and can leverage them in the creation of dynamic values. By placing the script in the same directory as the customsettings. ini file, you can then reference these functions with it by typing the function call along with any desired parameters within pound symbols. For example, you may want to assign the ComputerName based on information gathered from the Asset Tag. To do so you would first create your UserExit script, and then reference it in the CustomSettings.ini file as shown.

Example UserExit Script:

Function UserExit(sType, sWhen, sDetail, bSkip)
      UserExit = Successfs
End Function
Function MakeName(sAssetTag)

   Set wmiRoot = GetObject("WinMgmts:root/cimv2")
   Set wmiColl = wmiRoot.ExecQuery("Select * FROM Win32_ComputerSystem")
   For Each wmiObj In wmiColl
           sMan = wmiObj.Manufacturer
   Next
   Select Case sMan
           Case "Dell Inc."
                   sManCode = "D"
           Case "Compaq"
                   sManCode = "C"
           Case "HP"
                   sManCode = "H"
           Case Else
                   sManCode = "U" ' unknown
   End Select
   MakeName = sManCode & "-" & sAssetTag
End Function

The preceding MakeName function is intended to determine the computer's manufacturer and then use a single character identifier and the asset tag passed to the function to return a name meeting the organization's desired naming convention. In order to make use of this, the above would be saved as UserExit.vbs and then placed in the same folder as the CustomSettings.ini file. The CustomSettings.ini file would finally need to be updated to reference the script and function as shown in the following example:

Example CustomSettings.ini Segment:

ComputerName=#MakeName("%AssetTag%")#
UserExit=UserExit.vbs

Using dynamic keys

Rules can also be selected based on the value of dynamic keys. The following example will return the computer name "LabSystem01" if the MAC Address is "00:03:FF:39:CC:67".

[Settings]
Priority=MACAddress,...

[00:03:FF:39:CC:67]
ComputerName=" LabSystem01"

In the example above, the settings section leads with Priority which can list multiple methods for identifying a system in order of how they should be used. Many other values would also be listed in the setting section of CustomSettings.ini, but it is simplified here for clarity. The second section is actually that of a valid MAC address on the network. The values in this section are used when the computer's MAC address matches that of the section name (00:03:FF:39:CC:67).

11. Configuring LTI deployment for full automation

Even specifying many of these values for the setup, the wizard dialogs will still be displayed by default. The good news is that you have very granular control over what elements of the wizard are displayed by adding properties to the CustomSettings.ini file. In fact, the SkipWizard property results in suppression of the entire Windows Deployment Wizard. To skip individual pages, the following properties are available:

• SkipAdminPassword

• SkipApplications

• SkipAppsOnUpgrade

• SkipBDDWelcome

• SkipBitLocker

• SkipBitLockerDetails

• SkipBuild

• SkipCapture

• SkipComputerBackup

• SkipComputerName

• SkipDeploymentType

• SkipDomainMembership

• SkipFinalSummary

• SkipLocaleSelection

• SkipPackageDisplay

• SkipProductKey

• SkipSummary

• SkipTimeZone

• SkipUserData

Although the names of most properties are self-explanatory, just what is available requires a bit of searching the Toolkit Reference.doc file, which is included in the Deployment Process documentation. Here, each of the available properties is documented in some detail.

12. Deploying the custom image

Now you can deploy your image. The steps are nearly identical to that of when you prepared your reference system for imaging, but this time you are dealing with a production deployment. For testing you can stick with a virtual machine, or you can apply the LiteTouchPE.iso image to a CD or portable USB memory drive in order to use this same procedure in the deployment of physical systems. Just be sure to update the deployment point and use the updated version of the LiteTouchPE.iso file moving forward.