Operating systems supported by Remote Installation Services
Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2
Operating systems supported by Remote Installation Services
You can use Remote Installation Services (RIS) to enable automated installations of an operating system on new or existing client computers.
Two types of operating system images are supported by the Client Installation Wizard: flat image and the Remote Installation Preparation Wizard (RIPrep) image formats.
Using a flat image is similar to setting up a client directly from the installation CD, except that the operating system image source files reside on an available RIS server. For information about creating a flat image, see Add a new client operating system installation image.
When you create an RIPrep image, you can install the necessary client computer applications and configure the client computer settings, such as monitor settings and network printers. For background information about RIPrep, see Creating an installation image with RIPrep. For instructions on how to run RIPrep, see Create a Remote Installation Preparation Wizard image.
The Client Installation Wizard displays both the flat image and RIPrep image formats in the list of available installation options. The installation process begins when the user of the client computer selects one of the displayed operating system images.
The table below lists the operating systems supported by Remote Installation Services. It also shows the image type that is supported for each operating system.
| Operating system | Flat image | RIPrep image |
|---|---|---|
Windows XP Professional |
X |
X |
Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition |
X |
X |
Windows Server 2003, Web Edition |
X |
X |
Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition |
X |
X |
64-bit version of Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition |
X |
X |
Windows 2000 Professional |
X |
X |
Windows 2000 Server |
X |
X |
Windows 2000 Advanced Server |
X |
X |
Important
- A 64-bit version of the Remote Installation Preparation (RIPrep) Wizard is included with the 64-bit version of Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition. For more information about using the RIPrep Wizard to create an installation image of a 64-bit operating system, see article 891128, "Updated Remote Installation Services (RIS) functionality in Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1," in the Microsoft Knowledge Base.
Note
- This topic does not apply to Windows Server 2003, Web Edition.