The phases of OSD

BMC Client Management - Software Distribution allows the administrator to remotely install or deploy operating systems on new devices or reinstall broken devices within the network. The operating system deployment can be divided into the three major phases, with several steps each.

The following paragraphs provide more information about the phases of OSD:

The preparation phase

The preparation phase is the preparing of the environment needed by the OSD Manager as well the preparation of the files required for the actual deployment. It also comprises the configuration and creation of the components required by OSD, such as the drivers, disk configuration, and so on.

1. Prepare the environment - TFTP server, DHCP server, storage location, OSD Manager.
2. Create the WIM image or prepare the setup files and the unattended file.
3. Prepare the base configurations for the necessary drivers, images, disk and partition configurations, and maybe the target lists.

The project phase

This second phase creates the actual deployment project, that is, the components for a specific deployment project are selected and the project is built. After this is successfully terminated, the files and instructions required for the remote installation are published, that is, they are made available to the target devices.

1. Create and configure project
2. Select image
3. Select required drivers
4. Select disk configuration
5. Define targets
6. Schedule project build
7. Build project
8. Publish project files and instructions

The execution phase

This third phase can be added to verify the situation on the network after the remote installation has taken place and ensure that all the target devices are properly installed, up and running.

1. Remote installation on target device
2. Verify installation