WDS Server and Naming Policy

Question

Spin up a WDS server which doenst requires pxe approval.

Settings:

AD DS Name Policy: WDS-%04#

Client unattended Installation: Activated with the xml file at the end at x64 & x64 UEFI

If I do not use an answer file for the image, I have to go through the OOBE but it’s added to the domain and named correctly. I see at the End of the installation that its creating its own unattend xml and thats the input:

<?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>  
<unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend">  
  <settings pass="specialize" wasPassProcessed="true">  
    <component name="Microsoft-Windows-UnattendedJoin" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" processorArchitecture="amd64">  
      <Identification>  
        <UnsecureJoin>true</UnsecureJoin>          
       <JoinDomain>Domain.de</JoinDomain>  
 <MachinePassword>randompassword(idk)</MachinePassword>  
 </Identification>  
    </component>  
    <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" processorArchitecture="amd64">  
    <ComputerName>WDS-0002</ComputerName></component>  
  </settings>  
</unattend>  

If I used my answer file, I had to specifically add to the domain in the answer file and the computer name is randomly generated.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>  
<unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend">  
    <settings pass="windowsPE">  
        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-International-Core-WinPE" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">  
            <SetupUILanguage>  
                <UILanguage>de-de</UILanguage>  
                <WillShowUI>Never</WillShowUI>  
            </SetupUILanguage>  
            <InputLocale>de-de</InputLocale>  
            <SystemLocale>de-de</SystemLocale>  
            <UILanguage>de-de</UILanguage>  
            <UserLocale>de-de</UserLocale>  
            <UILanguageFallback>en-us</UILanguageFallback>  
        </component>  
        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Setup" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">  
            <UserData>  
                <AcceptEula>true</AcceptEula>  
                <FullName></FullName>  
                <Organization>domain.de</Organization>  
                <ProductKey>  
                    <Key></Key>  
                    <WillShowUI>Never</WillShowUI>  
                </ProductKey>  
            </UserData>  
            <DynamicUpdate>  
                <Enable>false</Enable>  
                <WillShowUI>Never</WillShowUI>  
            </DynamicUpdate>  
            <EnableFirewall>false</EnableFirewall>  
            <LogPath>C:\Log</LogPath>  
        </component>  
    </settings>  
    <settings pass="specialize">  
        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-International-Core" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">  
            <InputLocale>de-de</InputLocale>  
            <SystemLocale>de-de</SystemLocale>  
            <UILanguage>de-de</UILanguage>  
            <UILanguageFallback>en-us</UILanguageFallback>  
            <UserLocale>de-de</UserLocale>  
        </component>  
        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Security-SPP-UX" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">  
            <SkipAutoActivation>true</SkipAutoActivation>  
        </component>  
        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">  
            <ComputerName>Computer</ComputerName>  
        </component>  
        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-UnattendedJoin" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">  
            <Identification>  
                <Credentials>  
                    <Password>Password</Password>  
                    <Username>LAN\Administrator</Username>  
                    <Domain>Domain.de</Domain>  
                </Credentials>  
                <JoinDomain>Domain.de</JoinDomain>  
                <MachinePassword>Password</MachinePassword>  
            </Identification>  
        </component>  
    </settings>  
    <settings pass="oobeSystem">  
        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">  
            <UserAccounts>  
                <AdministratorPassword>  
                    <Value>password</Value>  
                    <PlainText>false</PlainText>  
                </AdministratorPassword>  
                <LocalAccounts>  
                    <LocalAccount wcm:action="add">  
                        <Password>  
                            <Value>Password<Value>  
                            <PlainText>false</PlainText>  
                        </Password>  
                        <Group>administrators</Group>  
                        <Name>User</Name>  
                        <DisplayName>User</DisplayName>  
                        <Description></Description>  
                    </LocalAccount>  
                </LocalAccounts>  
            </UserAccounts>  
            <OOBE>  
                <HideEULAPage>true</HideEULAPage>  
                <HideOnlineAccountScreens>true</HideOnlineAccountScreens>  
                <HideOEMRegistrationScreen>true</HideOEMRegistrationScreen>  
                <HideLocalAccountScreen>false</HideLocalAccountScreen>  
                <NetworkLocation>Work</NetworkLocation>  
                <HideWirelessSetupInOOBE>true</HideWirelessSetupInOOBE>  
                <ProtectYourPC>3</ProtectYourPC>  
                <SkipMachineOOBE>true</SkipMachineOOBE>  
                <SkipUserOOBE>true</SkipUserOOBE>  
            </OOBE>  
            <TimeZone>Central European Standard Time</TimeZone>  
        </component>  
    </settings>  
    <settings pass="generalize">  
        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Security-SPP" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">  
            <SkipRearm>1</SkipRearm>  
        </component>  
    </settings>  
    <cpi:offlineImage cpi:source="wim:e:/images/win10prompcaptureimage/windows10prompimage.wim#Windows10PromPImage" xmlns:cpi="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:cpi" />  
</unattend>  

Need some ideas to why this is happening and can i use it like i want to?

Thanks for Reading

Answer 1

Hi there,

In the WDS server, by default naming policy is set to %Username%# which means WDS will create a computer name using the username who logged on when running the remote installation process and # is the number 1,2,3.. up to 999 will be added after the username.

Machine Naming Policy

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/openspecs/windows_protocols/ms-wdsosd/72aea052-00d3-41d5-9292-43dd6884b238

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Answer 2

Thanks for the answer

I know thats not my Issue. I have set in the tab AD DS at Naming Policy WDS-%04#.

My Problem is that if i dont use an unattended file to skip oobe it is working and giving the right name, but i need to go through the oobe.

If i use my unattended file to skip oobe its dont gives the right name.

Answer 3

I wonder if you could possibly add the name of the machine within the answer file.