The procedure here is to create a single configuration, or master image, on the server that will be installed on a number of identical clients. The installation administrator uses either Sysprep or RIPrep.exe to configure the master image, then routes copies to each machine for install. This method is best when performing a new install on a new batch of computers that are all configured identically. Thus disk duplication refers to all client hard drives being duplicated, or configured identically.

A. Which Duplication Tool to Use, and When

The tools do similar things. Both are for clean, first-time installs, not upgrades. Sysprep is Windows 2000 Professional-based, and can be installed or used with third-party install utilities. RIPrep.exe is Windows 2000 Server-based and can only be used with its own tools.

B. Where to find Sysprep and RIPrep?

Using the instructions on page 135, shows students where to find Sysprep in the Windows 2000 CD. If it is available, show them RIPrep on Windows 2000 Server.

C. Sysprep

Although there are four components to Sysprep, in most cases all that the students will need to do is run sysprep.exe.

1. Install Windows 2000 Professional on a master computer that has hardware identical to all or many of the other computers.

2. Once setup is complete, log on as administrator. Make whatever changes to the Windows configuration that you want standardized on all the computers and install all the application software.

3. Test the operating system and applications for reliability. Once finished, delete unwanted files.

4. Prepare the master image by running the Sysprep utility as shown in Exercise 3-2 on page 141. Once the image has been created, the system either shuts down automatically or prompts you that it is safe to shut down. Restart the computer; a Mini-Setup Wizard will start up to restore the security ID.

5. Distribute the image using any third-party utility to the destination computers. Be sure students understand that they must use a third-party disk imaging utility, such as Norton Ghost or DriveImage; Windows 2000 does not provide one. When a destination computer is started for the first time, a Mini-Setup Wizard is run; sysprep adds this wizard to the master image.

D. RIPrep and Remote Installation Services

RIPrep.exe is different in several ways. First, it runs on Windows 2000 Server. Second, it will perform installs on computers that are not all identical, but are only similarly configured. RIS requires additional resources, such as Active Directory, DNS, and DHCP. RIPrep.exe does install the exact master image on all the computers, as Sysprep does. Its flexibility means that it is more complex to implement, but the results are clearly worth the extra effort.

The RIPrep process is very similar to Sysprep, in that an image is created and then distributed. The process is more complex due to the many client/server transactions and networking aspects involved. RIS only works with Windows 2000 Professional, and only duplicates one drive and partition.

1. Components of the Remote Installation Service

a. Running RISetup.exe file is run from the Start menu on the server running the Windows 2000 Server.

b. Administration of the Remote Installation Services program.

c. Running oschosser.exe, the Client Installation Wizard.

d. Running riprep.exe, the Remote Installation Preparation Wizard from the RIS server.

e. Booting the Remote Installation Boot Disk on the client and connecting to the RIS server to get an initial IP address from the DHCP server. This also starts the Client Installation Wizard.

2. Establishing an RIS Server

• DNS
• DHCP
• Active directory

The scripted method literally means using a written script known as the "answer file." This is like running any other kind of script on a computer. In most cases, the answer file, unattend.txt, is not used "as is." It is modified, or customized, at least to some extent to the specific configuration. The end result is the same: to create multiple unattended installs on a number of computers. In many ways, the scripted method is the simplest.

The easiest and most efficient way to deploy the scripted method and customize the unattend.txt file is using the Setup Manager wizard. This file is named setupmgr.exe and is found with the deployment tools.

A. Creating a Custom Answer File