Deployment

Deploying Windows 10 MDT Style

by

As of yesterday, MDT 2013 Update 1 is available for download – this is the much awaited update to MDT that allows for deployments using Windows 10. It requires two updates: The Windows ADK for Windows 10 – https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/hardware/dn913721.aspx MDT 2013 Update 1 – http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=48595 The ADK is the largest install – if you have installed the ADK before, you know that the initial file you download is just a setup tool – the actual download happens … Read more…

VM Deployment in Nutanix Community Edition with MDT

by

The Microsoft Deployment Toolkit is my preferred method for deploying Virtual Machines in the lab (everywhere, really) – There are no potential issues with cloning, software can be automatically installed, and a driver pool can be kept up to date. It also allows for offline servicing of the base image, so no waiting for 140+ Windows updates. One of my latest adventures has been using Nutanix Community Edition (NCE) to get a feel for how … Read more…

Optimizing Provisioning Services with Powershell

by

When you’re deploying lots of systems, anything that can make the deployment more efficient is always welcome – so basically, any automation is always welcome. These scripts I use on both PVS servers and targets – the first script disables all network offloads on the VMXNET3 adapter and the second sets up the persistent data on the writecache volume (obviously the 2nd is only for targets). Here’s the first – this is specific to PVS … Read more…

2008R2 Deployment and WMF 3

by

Using MDT to deploy images is one of the greatest ideas since sliced bread – no more waiting for Windows Updates to install, or running through documented installs. Aaron Parker has given several talks at Synergy about this very concept – Automate your deployments! Except when you go to install WMF 3.0 and PowerShell 3.0 offline into the WIM file for your 2008 R2 image. When you boot your image you’ll get the following error: … Read more…