Windows Deployment Services
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About This Guide
The Windows Deployment Services guide, updated to reflect the new features and functionality that Windows Server 2008 R2 introduced, outlines the critical infrastructure design elements that are crucial to a successful implementation of Windows Deployment Services. Following the six steps in this guide will result in a design that is sized, configured, and appropriately placed to enable rapid deployment of Windows operating systems, while also considering the performance, capacity, and fault tolerance of the system.
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Figure 1. Decision flow chart
The Infrastructure Planning and Design Guide for Windows Deployment Services includes the following six-step process:
Step 1: Determine the Number of Windows Deployment Services Instances Required. This step provides guidance on identifying the locations that require a Windows Deployment Services instance.
Step 2: Is There an Existing Windows Deployment Services or RIS Infrastructure? This step involves identifying whether a new Windows Deployment Services 2008 instance will be necessary or whether an existing Windows Deployment Services 2003 or Remote Installation Services (RIS) infrastructure will be upgraded for each Windows Deployment Services instance identified in Step 1.
Step 3: Select Between Full Windows Deployment Services or Transport Server Role. This step involves determining whether a full Windows Deployment Services server will be deployed, or only the Transport Server role for each instance.
Step 4: Determine the Server Resource Requirements. This step involves determining the size and number of Windows Deployment Services servers required for each Windows Deployment Services instance.
Step 5: Determine the File Share Fault-Tolerance and Consistency Mechanism. This section determines the mechanisms used to provide fault tolerance to the WIM-based and VHD-based operating system images within the Windows Deployment Services infrastructure. In addition, mechanisms for keeping images consistent are also determined.
Step 6: Determine the Client Windows Deployment Services Discovery Method. This step involves determining the method used by clients to discover the Windows Deployment Services servers for each Windows Deployment Services instance.
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Please send questions or comments about this guide to mailto:satfdbk@microsoft.com?subject=Infrastructure%20Planning%20and%20Design%20Guides.
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