Deploying a WIM Image with PXE menu

In this third example we will install a new device via the WIM Image Mode using the WIM image we captured in the preceding example. The WIM Image Mode uses a snapshot of an operating system taken of an installed device to install the same operating system on the target device or a sysprepped OS, able to be deployed on various hardware types. The snapshot or image file contains all information required to install the new device.

1. To launch the OS Deployment Wizard select the Wizards > OS Deployment menu item.
   The wizard appears with its first window, OSD Manager .
2. Select Your OSD Manager .
3. Click Next to go to the following wizard page.
4. In the Deployment Type windows select the WIM Image Mode option and click Next to continue.

5. In the Project Parameters window define the following parameters:

   Parameter	Description
   Name	Enter a self-explanatory name for the project into this text box, for example Windows 2008 (64 bit) WIM Image Deployment.
   Architecture	This list box indicates the type of architecture for the OS deployment, that is, the architecture of the WinPE image launching the setup program. Select the 64 Bit option for the 64-bit Windows 2008 WIM image deployment.
   Supported BIOS Type	The type of BIOS mode supported by the project, that is, if it supports legacy as well as UEFI deployments or only one of them. Only the setup mode supports projects valid for legacy and UEFI at the same time.
   Target Drive	Select from this list box the drive letter on which the operating system is to be installed, in our example we will use the C drive, therefore select C from this list box.

6. Click Next to go to the following wizard page.
7. The option to create a new image ( Create a new OS image or setup ) is selected by default, therefore click Next to go directly to the following wizard page to define the parameters of the new image.

8. In the Image Parameters window define the following parameters:

   Parameter	Description
   Name	Enter a descriptive name for the image in the Name text box, for example Windows 2008 (64 bit) WIM Image Deployment.
   Supported BIOS Type	The type of BIOS mode supported by the project, that is, if it supports legacy as well as UEFI deployments or only one of them. Only the setup mode supports projects valid for legacy and UEFI at the same time.
   Location	Enter into this text box network path to the folder, where you stored the image file that we created in our previous example including the name of the image, for example, \\192.168.196.13\Build\Windows2008-64bit.wim. This directory can be located on any device in your network, as long as it can be accessed by the OSD Manager and the target devices, that is, it is therefore recommended to put it on a device within the subnet.
   Connection Parameters	Enter the login and password to be used by the deploying device to access the network location in read and write mode. To enter the login information click Edit to the right. The Properties window appears.  Enter the login name and corresponding password in the respective text boxes and re-enter the password for confirmation. The login name must have one of the following formats: <domain name>\<user logon> <local host name>\<user logon> Be aware that . is not a valid domain in this case.  To view the passwords clear the Hide Passwords check box. Both password boxes will now be displayed in clear text format.  To confirm the credentials click OK at the bottom of the window. The account will be added in the wizard window boxes.

   After all parameters are defined they must be checked that they are correct. Until the verification is executed and returns the Status Done , the wizard cannot continue.

9. To verify click Check Image to the right of the Status box.
   CM will now verify all entries of this page, that is, the directory and the access rights to it. If all values are correct the Status Done is returned, otherwise an error message displays in the Status box indicating where the parameter value is not correct.
10. After the Status Done is returned click Next to go to the following wizard page.
11. (Optional) In the OS Drivers select the necessary operating system drivers and click Next .
12. (Optional) In the OS Drivers ) select the necessary drivers by model and click Next .
13. The option to create a new target list ( Create a new target list ) is selected by default, therefore click Next to go directly to the following wizard page to define the members of the new target list.
14. This deployment will only have one target device and we will add it as a new target. For this select Create Target on top of the empty list box.
    The Create a New Target window appears with its three tabs, General Information , Parameters and Unattended Information .

15. Enter the following information into the respective text boxes of the General Information tab for the new device:

    Parameter	Description
    Name	Enter into this text box the short name that the new device is to have, for example, scotty. Be aware that the name of the new target can only have a maximum of 15 characters and can only contain the following characters: A-Z, a-z, 0-9, the underscore (_) and a dash .
    Target	Leave the radio button selected as we are defining a single target and enter the information for at least one of the three following text boxes. If the device is already up and running the wizard will recover information about the MAC address, based on the provided IP address or DNS name.
    MAC Address	Enter into this text box the current MAC address of the target device. This is the most precise information to identify the device and should be preferred to the other two following identification options. The MAC address can be entered in one of the following formats: xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx, xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx or xxxxxxxxxxxx.
    IP Address	Enter into this text box the current IP address of the target device in its dotted notation. This option can be used if the MAC address is unknown and device is already running. In this case the respective target device will try to find its MAC address and provide this information.
    DNS	Enter into this text box the current DNS information of the target device. This option can be used if the MAC and IP addresses are unknown and device is already running. In this case the respective target device will try to find its IP address which in turn will then search for the MAC address and provide this information.

16. Click Next to continue.
17. (Optional) In the MBR Disk Configuration select the desired disk configuration for legacy installations and click Next .
18. (Optional) In the GPT Disk Configuration ) select the desired disk configuration for UEFI installations and click Next .

19. In the list of available disk configurations select the Disk with two partitions option.

    This configuration will create two partitions on the hard disk, the first, the boot or active partition with 30 GB and the second with the remaining space.

20. Click Next to go to the following wizard page.
21. In the Deployment Drivers window mark the check boxes for all required WinPE drivers, that is, at least one network and possibly a SATA driver.
22. Click Next to continue.
23. In the PXE Menu Parameters window check the Add the project to the PXE start menu box.
24. Enter the item name under which the current project will appear in the menu, for example, Windows 2008 (64 bit) WIM Image Deployment -Dell GX280 .
25. Select the menu to which to add it from the following list, in our case this will be the Test Menu menu, because it is already defined and its range includes our test device.
26. Click Next to continue.
27. As we want to activate and execute this deployment right away leave all values as they are and click Finish to launch the deployment.

The project will now be build, that is, all parameters are verified, the files are copied to the location required for the remote installation, and so on You can follow the progress of the project in its console node, because the focus of the console will automatically be moved to this object when the wizard is finished. In this view you can follow the different stages of the build. If any other than the final status Build completed successfully. displays the build failed and you need to review the parameters of the project and maybe the source files.

After the build is successfully completed the files are put at the required location on the OSD Manager for deployment. To now start the actual operating system deployment to the target device you must switch on the device. It will boot on the PXE boot section and the operating system installation is executed.

You can follow the progress of the image installation process by selecting the Assigned Objects > Target List > Your Target List node in the left window pane. The right pane displays the target list member with its status information.