Windows Server2008 WDS Configuration Raiders

In the past, for a single machine or a few computers, installation and backup of the operating system, with traditional ghost tools such as easy to handle. However, in the wave of information technology today, a business has hundreds of or even thousands of PCs or servers are normal things, in the face of so many machines, to be in a short period of time to deploy the operating system if the use of ghost tools, obviously has been powerless, It's a common task for each machine to complete a clone--setting IP, machine name, joining a domain, installing a printer, and so on, is hard to imagine.

Fortunately, today we have the WDS tools, all of which will become as simple as saving time for stand-alone ghost. With WDS, we can easily deploy the operating system for clients in bulk, manage images and unattended setup scripts, or provide the need for people to participate and unattended installation options.

One, WDS characteristics

WDS, the abbreviation for Windows Deployment Services, has a Chinese meaning for Windows Deployment service, which exists as a built-in component in Windows Server 2008.

WDS contains three components:

1, server components. A PXE server and a TFTP server for network boot clients to load and install the operating system. It also includes a shared folder and image repository that contains the boot images, installation images, and files required for network startup. The Windows Server 2008 WDS provides not only PXE support, but also protocols for TFTP, which are used to transmit boot images, to provide faster PXE boot speeds.

2, the client component. WDS provides us with a centralized class MMC unified interface for managing operating systems and boot images. This makes it easy to set up WDS, add/Remove operating systems, and boot images. It can also be used to capture installed computer operating systems.

3, Management components. Includes the WDS management console and command-line tools that can be used to manage servers, operating system images, and client computer accounts. Using WDS multicast deployments, you can quickly deploy the operating system to multiple computers at the same time, which is an absolutely practical feature.

It is worth noting that the file-based WIM format used in WDS in Windows Server 2008 differs from tools such as the one we normally use, such as Ghost, Ghost. Because it is file-based, the image in WIM format can restore the system without destroying the original disk file system and take up a small footprint. (Figure 1)

WDS Workflow

工欲善其事, its prerequisite. To take advantage of WDS to serve us better, we first need to master its deployment and management, starting with its installation.