Computer imaging for depolyment
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Just been reading the post about "Rapid Desktop Replacement" and this is something I've been thinking we should be doing here. we have currently 250-300 desktops and laptops. When one need replacing we buy the machine put it next to us and update and install all software required.
I'm thinking imaging and deployment tools would be a quick and easier way to do things, especially if we want to deploy Windows 10 on new machine as they come in (If we can using the FREE upgrade off from Microsoft). Otherwise just deploy an "Company" image with all the required software ready to go, mainly Citrix XenApp, Office, PDF Creator etc.
But I'm not sure where to start, as we don't buy the same model of Desktop/Laptop all the time....Is this going to be a problem with drivers etc. Any tips on where to start, how to guides etc. I've got 5 desktops and 5 laptops in the back ready for mass deployment
to test this on. -
If you have more than, say, five to ten desktops then going to an imaging process is the industry standard thing to do and wildly effective, especially for Windows machines.
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You can build a lot of drivers and such into a base image. Although standardizing on a model is a good first step. You want to reduce "Model Sprawl" whenever possible.
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@scottalanmiller said:
You can build a lot of drivers and such into a base image. Although standardizing on a model is a good first step. You want to reduce "Model Sprawl" whenever possible.
Yeah we have started trying to buy the same model over the last 6 months, but doesn't help when these suppliers/manufactures keep changing things all the time lol.
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What is the "official" say from Microsoft on the Windows 10 free upgrade in a domain environment. I understood it that all machine would qualify for the upgrade? Or is it just for "Home" users?
I don't mind buying a Volume License for both Win10 and Win7 to get the imaging rights. But I don't want to but 100's of Windows 10 licenses :), but I also don't want issues when it comes audit time or reimage a machine after the FREE offer expires. -
@hobbit666 said:
@scottalanmiller said:
You can build a lot of drivers and such into a base image. Although standardizing on a model is a good first step. You want to reduce "Model Sprawl" whenever possible.
Yeah we have started trying to buy the same model over the last 6 months, but doesn't help when these suppliers/manufactures keep changing things all the time lol.
How much are they changing? We can go years buying from a single vendor and the changes are really minimal.
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Have you looked into bulk refurbed desktops? You can generally get them at 50-70% off retail. Bump up the RAM and you can generally get 4-5 years out of them if not longer. This would go a long way to standardizing your systems and save some money.
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@coliver said:
Have you looked into bulk refurbed desktops? You can generally get them at 50-70% off retail. Bump up the RAM and you can generally get 4-5 years out of them if not longer. This would go a long way to standardizing your systems and save some money.
We do this, works great.
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@scottalanmiller said:
You can build a lot of drivers and such into a base image. Although standardizing on a model is a good first step. You want to reduce "Model Sprawl" whenever possible.
I haven't made model specific images since the early 2000's when Win98 and Ghost ruled the land. Since about 2005 or so I've stuck with creating a universal image in Vmware and deploying it to machines.
And since the consolidation of all the hardware with AMD and Intel it's been much easier to keep OOBE in line on boot. Used to be lots of different drivers would need to be deployed, but now I can just lay down basic Windows drivers, put the updated ones on a directory, then deploy it out.
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To get your Windows 10 upgrade (home or Pro) you have to do the upgrade manually first. That process will attach the Windows 10 license to your machine via MS servers.
Then once you have upgraded it, you can blow it away and push your image onto the machine.
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@Dashrender said:
To get your Windows 10 upgrade (home or Pro) you have to do the upgrade manually first. That process will attach the Windows 10 license to your machine via MS servers.
Then once you have upgraded it, you can blow it away and push your image onto the machine.
But is the FREE upgrade allowed on machines that will be joined to the domain??
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But I will still need to buy a VL version of Win10Pro and Win7Pro so I can use the generic key to create and deploy the image onto machines?
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@hobbit666 said:
@Dashrender said:
To get your Windows 10 upgrade (home or Pro) you have to do the upgrade manually first. That process will attach the Windows 10 license to your machine via MS servers.
Then once you have upgraded it, you can blow it away and push your image onto the machine.
But is the FREE upgrade allowed on machines that will be joined to the domain??
Yes as long as they are Professional not Enterprise. If you are using volume media you need to install OEM then do the inplace upgrade. You can then blow it away with a clean install of windows 10 Professional using Retail or Volume media if imaging.
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@hobbit666 said:
But I will still need to buy a VL version of Win10Pro and Win7Pro so I can use the generic key to create and deploy the image onto machines?
Just one copy.
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@Jason said:
@hobbit666 said:
But I will still need to buy a VL version of Win10Pro and Win7Pro so I can use the generic key to create and deploy the image onto machines?
Just one copy.
Agreed, you don't need both, only VL for Win10, you get downgrade rights if you really need Win7
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Can you image home machines, even with a VL?
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Couple of the most key points I've learned about deployment(s)
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Have one replacement laptop & desktop at minimum ready to roll 24/7, 365. You will need it most when you least expect it.
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Have a base image, update it a week after patch Tuesday every month
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Buy all the same model of laptop / desktop. There is no good reason to have more than 1 model of desktop and AT MOST two models of laptop purchased in a year.
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Make a checklist for deployment and stick it on each computer. Tick all the boxes as you complete them and sign it, date it, and leave it on the computer until it gets deployed.
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Have a standardized method of data xfer/backup and stick to it.
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Label/serialize laptops/desktops and keep a list of it all. More details the better.
.... more as I think of them.
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@Dashrender said:
@Jason said:
@hobbit666 said:
But I will still need to buy a VL version of Win10Pro and Win7Pro so I can use the generic key to create and deploy the image onto machines?
Just one copy.
Agreed, you don't need both, only VL for Win10, you get downgrade rights if you really need Win7
Probably not. You probably have to start with Windows Pro on that machine. Physical location doesn't matter.. just are you running Win 10 Home or Win 10 Pro.. I'm sure you can only apply VL to Pro because the imaging rights only apply to the same version that exists within VL.
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@Dashrender that was my feeling too. But sometimes "Home" is considered a lower version of "pro".
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@scottalanmiller @Dashrender are you not allowed to sysprep and change the key on a home license? I swear you could, but yeah no VL for sure.
