The following sections describe how to set up the WDS server and the WDS clients and how to install Windows 7/8 through WDS.
Preparing the WDS Server
With the WDS server, you can manage and distribute Windows 7/8 operating system images to WDS client computers. The WDS server contains any files necessary for PXE booting, Windows PE boot images, and the Windows 7/8 images to be deployed.
The following steps for preparing the WDS server are discussed in the upcoming sections:
1. Make sure that the server meets the requirements for running WDS.
2. Install WDS.
3. Configure and start WDS.
4. Configure the WDS server to respond to client computers (if this was not configured when WDS was installed).
For WDS to work, the server on which you will install WDS must meet the requirements for WDS and be able to access the required network services.
WDS Server Requirements
The WDS server must meet these requirements:
■ The computer must be a domain controller or a member of an Active Directory domain.
■ At least one partition on the server must be formatted as NTFS.
■ WDS must be installed on the server.
■ The operating system must be Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008/2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, or Windows Server 2012 R2.
■ A network adapter must be installed.
Network Services
The following network services must be running on the WDS server or be accessible to the WDS server from another network server:
■ TCP/IP installed and configured.
■ A DHCP server, which is used to assign DHCP addresses to WDS clients. (Ensure that your DHCP scope has enough addresses to accommodate all of the WDS clients that will need IP addresses.)
■ A DNS server, which is used to locate the Active Directory controller.
■ Active Directory, which is used to locate WDS servers and WDS clients as well as authorize WDS clients and manage WDS configuration settings and client installation options.
Installing the WDS Server Components
You can configure WDS on a Windows Server 2003/2008/2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, or Windows Server 2012 R2 computer by using the Windows Deployment Services Configuration Wizard or by using the WDSUTIL command-line utility. Table 1.3 describes the WDSUTIL command-line options.
TABLE 1.3 WDSUTIL command-line options
The first step in setting up WDS to deploy operating systems to the clients is to install the WDS role. You do this by using Server Manager.
One of the advantages of using the Windows deployment server is that WDS can work with Windows image (.wim) files. Windows image files can be created through the use of the Windows Sysprep utility.
One component to which you need to pay attention when using the Windows deployment server is Preboot Execution Environment (PXE) network devices. PXE boot devices are network interface cards (NICs) that can talk to a network without the need for an operating system. PXE boot NIC adapters are network adapters that have a set of preboot commands within the boot firmware.
This is important when using WDS because PXE boot adapters connect to a WDS server and request the data needed to load the operating system remotely. Remember, most of the machines for which you are using WDS do not have an operating system on the computer. You need NIC adapters that can connect to a network without the need for an operating system for WDS to work properly.
For the same reason, you must set up DHCP to accept PXE machines. Those machines need a valid TCP/IP address so that they can connect to the WDS server.
Preparing the WDS Client
The WDS client is the computer on which Windows 7/8 will be installed. WDS clients rely on a technology called PXE, which allows the client computer to boot remotely and connect to a WDS server.
To act as a WDS client, the computer must meet all of the hardware requirements for Windows 7/Windows 8 and have a PXE-capable network adapter installed, and a WDS server must be present on the network. Additionally, the user account used to install the image must be a member of the Domain Users group in Active Directory.
After the WDS server has been installed and configured, you can install Windows 7/Windows 8 on a WDS client that uses a PXE-compliant network card.
To install Windows 7/Windows 8 on the WDS client, follow these steps:
1. Start the computer. When prompted, press F12 for a network service boot. The Windows PE appears.
2. The Windows Welcome screen appears. Click the Next button to start the installation process.
3. Enter the username and password of an account that has permissions to access and install images from the WDS server.
4. A list of available operating system images stored on the WDS server appears. Select the image to install and click Next.
5. Enter the product key for the selected Windows 7/8 image and click Next.
6. The Partition And Configure The Disk screen appears. Select the desired disk-partitioning options, or click OK to use the default options.
7. Click Next to initiate the image-copying process. The Windows Setup process will begin after the image is copied to the WDS client computer.
Understanding Features On Demand
One of the problems in previous versions of Windows Server was how roles and features were stored on the hard disk. Before the introduction of Windows Server 2012, even if a server role or feature was disabled on a server, the binary files for that role or feature were still present on the disk. The problem with this approach is that, even if you disable the role, it still consumes space on your hard drive.
Features On Demand in Windows Server 2012 R2 solves this issue because not only can administrators disable a role or feature, they can also completely remove the role or feature’s files.
Once this is done, a state of Removed is shown in Server Manager, or the state of Disabled With Payload Removed is shown in the Dism.exe utility. To reinstall a role or feature that has been completely removed, you must have access to the installation files.
If you want to remove a role or feature completely from the system, use – Remove with the Uninstall-WindowsFeature cmdlet of Windows PowerShell. For example, if you want to remove Windows Explorer, Internet Explorer, and all dependent components completely, run the following Windows PowerShell command:
If you want to reinstall a role or feature that has been removed completely, use the Windows PowerShell – Source option of the Install-WindowsFeature Server Manager cmdlet. Using the – Source option states the path where the WIM image files and the index number of the image will be located. If an administrator decides not to use the – Source option, Windows will use Windows Update by default.
When you’re using the Features On Demand configuration, if feature files are not available on the server computer and the installation requires those feature files, Windows Server 2012 R2 can be directed to get those files from a side-by-side feature store, which is a shared folder that contains feature files. It is available to the server on the network, from Windows Update, or from installation media. This can be overwritten using the – Source option in the Windows PowerShell utility.
Source Files for Roles or Features
Offline virtual hard disks (VHDs) cannot be used as a