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How to Manage Client Computers

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Applies To: Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2

This topic contains procedures for the tasks that are listed and described in the following table.

Note

Help for WDSUTIL is available by typing WDSUTIL /? at a command prompt or online at https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=112194.

Type Procedure

Prestage Computers
  • To prestage a client computer

  • To prestage a client computer to boot from a different server

  • To prestage a client computer to use a network boot program other than the default

  • To prestage a client computer to use an unattend file other than the default for the Windows PE phase of unattended setup

  • To prestage a client computer to use a boot image other than the default

  • To prestage a client computer to join a domain

  • To view the attributes of a prestaged client

Configure the Auto-Add Policy
  • To enable the Auto-Add policy

  • To change the length of time approved computers are held in the Auto-Add database

  • To change the length of time rejected and pending computers are held in the Auto-Add database

  • To delete the rejected or approved computers table

Specify Settings for Pending Computers
  • To change the rate at which pending computers will poll the server

  • To change the number of times pending computers will poll the server

  • To change the message displayed to pending computers

  • To set a default server for pending computers to boot from

  • To set a default network boot program for pending computers

  • To set a default unattend file for pending computers

  • To set a default boot image for pending computers

  • To set domain join options for pending computers

Approve and Reject Pending Computers
  • To view the table of computers that are pending approval

  • To approve a pending computer by using the default settings

  • To approve all pending computers by using the default settings

  • To approve a pending computer, but change a setting

  • To approve all pending computers, but change a setting

  • To reject a pending computer

Prestage Computers

To prestage a client computer

Using the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in Using WDSUTIL
  1. On the server running Active Directory Users and Computers, open the Active Directory Users and Computers MMC snap-in (click Start, click Run, type dsa.msc, and then click OK).

    Note
    To manage the server remotely, you can install “AD DS Snap-Ins and Command-Line Tools” in the Remote Server Administration Tools. To do this, click Add Features in Server Manager, and install the feature from the following location: Remote Server Administration Tools>Remote Administration Tools>AD DS and AD LDS Tools>AD DS Tools>AD DS Snap-Ins and Command-line Tools.

  2. In the console tree, right-click the organizational unit that will contain the new client computer.

  3. Click New, and then click Computer.

  4. Type the client computer name, click Next, and then click This is a managed computer.

  5. In the text box, type the client computer's MAC address preceded with twenty zeros or the globally unique identifier (GUID) in the format: {XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX}.

  6. Click Next, and click one of the following options to specify which server or servers will support this client computer:

    • Any available remote installation server

    • The following remote installation server

  7. Click Next, and then click Finish.
  1. Click Start, right-click Command Prompt, and click Run as administrator.

  2. Run WDSUTIL /Add-Device /Device:<name> /ID:<GUIDorMACAddress> where <GUIDorMACAddress> is the identifier of the new computer. If you use a MAC address, you must precede it with twenty zeros (0).

    For example: WDSUTIL /Add-Device /Device:Computer1

    /ID:{E8A3EFAC-201F-4E69-953F-B2DAA1E8B1B6}

    /ReferralServer:WDSServer1 /BootProgram:boot\x86\pxeboot.com /WDSClientUnattend:WDSClientUnattend\unattend.xml

    /User:Domain\MyUser /JoinRights:Full /BootImagePath:boot\x86\images/boot.wim /OU:"OU=MyOU,CN=Test,DC=Domain,DC=com"

To prestage a client computer to boot from a different server

Using the MMC Using WDSUTIL

N/A
  1. Click Start, right-click Command Prompt, and click Run as administrator.

  2. Run WDSUTIL /Set-Device /Device:<name> /ReferralServer:<ServerName>.

To prestage a client computer to use a network boot program other than the default

Using the MMC Using WDSUTIL

N/A
  1. Click Start, right-click Command Prompt, and click Run as administrator.

  2. Run WDSUTIL /Set-Device /Device:<name> /BootProgram:<path>, where <path> is the relative path to the boot program you want from the RemoteInstall folder.

To prestage a client computer to use an unattend file other than the default for the Windows PE phase of unattended setup

Using the MMC Using WDSUTIL

N/A
  1. Click Start, right-click Command Prompt, and click Run as administrator.

  2. Run WDSUTIL /Set-Device /Device:<name> /WDSClientUnattend:<path>, where the path is relative to the unattend file you want from the RemoteInstall folder.

To prestage a client computer to use a boot image other than the default

Using the MMC Using WDSUTIL

N/A
  1. Click Start, right-click Command Prompt, and click Run as administrator.

  2. Run WDSUTIL /Set-Device /Device:<name> /BootImagePath:<path>, where <path> is the relative path to the boot image you want from the RemoteInstall folder.

To prestage a client computer to join a domain

Using the MMC Using WDSUTIL

N/A
  1. Click Start, right-click Command Prompt, and click Run as administrator.

  2. Do one of the following:

    • To enable the specified user to join the client computer to the specified domain once, run WDSUTIL /Set-Device /Device:<name> /User:<user> /JoinRights:JoinOnly /JoinDomain:Yes /Domain:<domain> /ResetAccount, where:

      <user> is domain\user or user@domain

      <name> is the name of the computer

      <domain> is the name of the domain

    • To enable the specified user to join the client computer to the specified domain at any time, run WDSUTIL /Set-Device /Device:<name> /User:<user> /JoinRights:Full /JoinDomain:Yes /Domain:<domain>.

    • To join the client computer to the specified domain without granting any user rights, run WDSUTIL /Set-Device /Device:<name> /JoinDomain:Yes /Domain:<domain>.

To view the attributes of a prestaged client

Using the MMC Using WDSUTIL

N/A
  1. Click Start, right-click Command Prompt, and click Run as administrator.

  2. Do one of the following:

    • To view the prestaged client by name in the local domain, run WDSUTIL /Get-Device /Device:<name>.

    • To view a prestaged client by ID (GUID or MAC) in the local domain, run WDSUTIL /Get-Device /ID:<ID>.

      Note
      To specify that the client is in a domain other than the local one, specify /Domain:<domain> with either of these commands.

      Note

      To search the entire AD DS forest, specify /Forest:Yes with either of these commands.

Configure the Auto-Add Policy

For more information about the Auto-Add policy, see Enabling the Auto-Add Policy at Prestaging Client Computers

To enable the Auto-Add policy

Using the MMC Using WDSUTIL
  1. Right-click the server, and then click Properties.

  2. On the PXE Response settings tab, click Respond to all (known and unknown) client computers.

  3. Select the check box For unknown clients, notify administrator and respond after approval.
  1. Click Start, right-click Command Prompt, and click Run as administrator.

  2. Run WDSUTIL /Set-Server /AutoAddPolicy /Policy:AdminApproval.

To change the length of time approved computers are held in the Auto-Add database

Using the MMC Using WDSUTIL

N/A
  1. Click Start, right-click Command Prompt, and click Run as administrator.

  2. Run WDSUTIL /Set-Server /AutoAddPolicy /RetentionPeriod /Approved:<time in days>.

To change the length of time rejected and pending computers are held in the Auto-Add database

Using the MMC Using WDSUTIL

N/A
  1. Click Start, right-click Command Prompt, and click Run as administrator.

  2. Run WDSUTIL /Set-Server /AutoAddPolicy /RetentionPeriod /Others:<time in days>.

To delete the approved or rejected computers table

Using the MMC Using WDSUTIL

N/A
  1. Click Start, right-click Command Prompt, and click Run as administrator.

  2. Run WDSUTIL /Delete-AutoAddDevices /DeviceType:<ApprovedDevices|RejectedDevices>.

Specify Settings for Pending Computers

To change the rate at which pending computers will poll the server

Using the MMC Using WDSUTIL

N/A
  1. Click Start, right-click Command Prompt, and click Run as administrator.

  2. To set the time between polls, run WDSUTIL /Set-Server /AutoAddPolicy /PollInterval:<time in seconds>.

To change the number of times pending computers will poll the server

Using the MMC Using WDSUTIL

N/A
  1. Click Start, right-click Command Prompt, and click Run as administrator.

  2. Run WDSUTIL /Set-Server /AutoAddPolicy /MaxRetry:<retries>.

To change the message displayed to pending computers

Using the MMC Using WDSUTIL

N/A
  1. Click Start, right-click Command Prompt, and click Run as administrator.

  2. Run WDSUTIL /Set-Server /AutoAddPolicy /Message:<message>.

To set a default server for pending computers to boot from

Using the MMC Using WDSUTIL

N/A
  1. Click Start, right-click Command Prompt, and click Run as administrator.

  2. Run WDSUTIL /Set-Server /AutoAddSettings /Architecture:{x86|x64|ia64} /ReferralServer:<server name>.

To set a default network boot program for pending computers

Using the MMC Using WDSUTIL

N/A
  1. Click Start, right-click Command Prompt, and click Run as administrator.

  2. Run WDSUTIL /Set-Server /AutoAddSettings /Architecture:{x86|x64|ia64} /BootProgram:<path>, where the <path> is relative to the RemoteInstall folder.

To set a default unattend file for pending computers

Using the MMC Using WDSUTIL

N/A
  1. Click Start, right-click Command Prompt, and click Run as administrator.

  2. Run WDSUTIL /Set-Server /AutoAddSettings /Architecture:{x86|x64|ia64} /WDSClientUnattend:<path>, where the path is relative to the RemoteInstall folder.

To set a default boot image for pending computers

Using the MMC Using WDSUTIL

N/A
  1. Click Start, right-click Command Prompt, and click Run as administrator.

  2. Run WDSUTIL /Set-Server /AutoAddSettings /Architecture:{x86|x64|ia64} /BootImage:<path>, where <path> is relative to the RemoteInstall folder.

To set domain join options for pending computers

Using the MMC Using WDSUTIL

N/A
  1. Click Start, right-click Command Prompt, and click Run as administrator.

  2. Do one of the following:

    • To enable the specified user (specified as domain\user or user@domain) to join the client computer to the specified domain once, run WDSUTIL /Set-Server /AutoAddSettings Architecture:{x86|x64|ia64} /User:<user> /JoinRights:JoinOnly /JoinDomain:Yes /Domain:<domain>.

    • To enable the specified user to join the client computer to the specified domain at any time, run WDSUTIL /Set-Server /AutoAddSettings Architecture:{x86|x64|ia64} /User:<user> /JoinRights:Full /JoinDomain:Yes /Domain:<domain>.

Approve and Reject Pending Computers

To view the list of computers that are pending approval

Using the MMC Using WDSUTIL
  1. Expand the server node.

  2. Select the Pending Devices node.
  1. Click Start, right-click Command Prompt, and click Run as administrator.

  2. Run WDSUTIL /Get-AutoAddDevices /DeviceType:PendingDevices.

To approve a pending computer by using the default settings

Using the MMC Using WDSUTIL
  1. Select the Pending Devices node.

  2. Right-click the computer you want to approve, and then click Approve.
  1. Click Start, right-click Command Prompt, and click Run as administrator.

  2. Run WDSUTIL /Approve-AutoAddDevices /RequestID:<ID> with the ID obtained from the Auto-Add database.

To approve all pending computers by using the default settings

Using the MMC Using WDSUTIL
  1. Right-click the Pending Devices node.

  2. Click Approve All.
  1. Click Start, right-click Command Prompt, and click Run as administrator.

  2. Run WDSUTIL /Approve-AutoAddDevices /RequestID:All.

To approve a pending computer, but change a setting

Using the MMC (name change only) Using WDSUTIL
  1. Select the Pending Devices node.

  2. Select the computer you want to approve.

  3. On the Action menu, click Name and Approve.

  4. In the dialog box, type the name you want to give the computer.
  1. Click Start, right-click Command Prompt, and click Run as administrator.

  2. Run WDSUTIL /Approve-AutoAddDevices /RequestID:<ID> with the ID obtained from the Auto-Add database

In addition, you can append this command with the following options:

  • To change the name, specify /MachineName:<name>

  • To change the organizational unit (OU) where the account will be created, specify /OU:<name of OU>.

  • To change the user account for the domain join, specify /User:<name> where the name is domain\user or user@domain.

  • To enable the user to join this computer to the domain only once, specify /JoinRights:JoinOnly.

  • To enable the user to join this computer to the domain at any time, specify /JoinRights:Full.

  • To join this computer to the domain, specify /JoinDomain:Yes.

  • To direct the computer to install from a different Windows Deployment Services server, specify /ReferralServer:<server name>.

  • To change the network boot program used, specify /BootProgram:<path>.

  • To change the unattend file used for the Microsoft Windows Preinstallation Environment (Windows PE) phase of unattended setup, specify /WDSClientUnattend:<path>.

  • To change the boot image used, specify /BootImagePath:<path>.

To approve all pending computers, but change a setting

Using the MMC Using WDSUTIL

N/A
  1. Click Start, right-click Command Prompt, and click Run as administrator.

  2. Run WDSUTIL /Approve-AutoAddDevices /RequestID:All

In addition, you can append this command with the following options:

  • To change the OU where the accounts will be created, specify /OU:<name of OU>.

  • To change the user account used for domain join, specify /User:<name> where the name is domain\user or user@domain.

  • To allow the user to join these computers to the domain once only, specify /JoinRights:JoinOnly.

  • To allow the user to join these computers to the domain at any time, specify /JoinRights:Full.

  • To join these computers to the domain, specify /JoinDomain:Yes.

  • To direct the computers to install from a different Windows Deployment Services server, specify /ReferralServer:<server name>.

  • To change the network boot program used, specify /BootProgram:<path>.

  • To change the unattend file used for the Windows PE phase of unattended setup, specify /WDSClientUnattend:<path>.

  • To change the boot image used, specify /BootImagePath:<path>.

To reject a pending computer

Using the MMC Using WDSUTIL
  1. Select the Pending Devices node.

  2. Right-click the computer, and then click Reject or Reject All.
  1. Click Start, right-click Command Prompt, and click Run as administrator.

  2. Do one of the following:

    • To reject a single computer, run WDSUTIL /Reject-AutoAddDevices /RequestID:<ID> with the ID obtained from the Auto-Add database.

    • To reject all computers, run WDSUTIL /Reject-AutoAddDevices /RequestID:All.