Article
07/27/2015

Example Scenario for PXE-Initiated Operating System Deployment by Using Configuration Manager

Updated: May 14, 2015

Applies To: System Center 2012 Configuration Manager, System Center 2012 Configuration Manager SP1, System Center 2012 Configuration Manager SP2, System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager, System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager SP1

Note

This topic appears in the Deploying Software and Operating Systems in System Center 2012 Configuration Manager guide and in the Scenarios and Solutions Using System Center 2012 Configuration Manager guide.

The example scenario in this topic describes how to deploy an operating system in System Center 2012 Configuration Manager. In this scenario, Adam, the Configuration Manager administrative user for Trey Research, must upgrade the operating system to Windows 7 on several Windows XP computers.

In this scenario, Adam does not have to save the user data from the computers that will receive the new operating system because. Trey Research has a policy to store all user data on network shares.

Deployment Process

To capture and deploy the operating system, Adam follows the process described in the following table.

Process	More information
As he plans for the deployment, Adam makes the following decisions: He plans to use PXE to deploy the new operating system. He will install and configure Windows 7 on a computer that has no operating system installed. Then, he will use capture media to capture the operating system image. The capture media will use a USB flash drive to store his capture media. He will use the boot images that are supplied by Configuration Manager. He must distribute the boot images that start the reference computer in order to capture the operating system image and to start the destination computers to install the operating system.	For more information about PXE deployments, see Planning for PXE-Initiated Operating System Deployments in Configuration Manager. For more information about planning how to capture the operating system image, see Planning for Capturing Operating System Images in Configuration Manager For more information about planning boot images deployments, see Planning for Boot Image Deployments in Configuration Manager
Adam obtains a computer that has no operating system installed. He refers to this as a “bare metal” computer. This is his reference computer, which he configures as follows: He installs and configures Windows 7 to match his company requirements. He does not install the Configuration Manager client. He will install the client when he deploys the operating system image.	For more information about planning how to capture the operating system image, see Planning for Capturing Operating System Images in Configuration Manager
In preparation to deploy the operating system image, Adam uses the Configuration Manager console to perform the following steps: Adam creates a collection and then adds the computers that will receive the new operating system. He will deploy his deployment task sequence to that collection. Then the computers in the collection will run the task sequence to install the operating system. Adam configures distribution points that can respond to PXE boot requests. Adam creates a boot image that will be used by the capture media. Adam creates an x86 PXE-enabled boot image and an x64 PXE-enabled boot image. Configuration Manager requires both PXE-enabled boot images.	For more information about how to create a collection that contains computers, see the To create a device collection section in the How to Create Collections in Configuration Manager topic. For more information about configuring distribution points to accept PXE boot requests, see the Configuring Distribution Points to Support PXE-Initiated Deployments section in the Planning for PXE-Initiated Operating System Deployments in Configuration Manager topic. For more information about PXE-enabled boot images, see the How to Create a PXE-enabled Boot Image section in the How to Deploy Operating Systems by Using PXE in Configuration Manager topic.
Adam distributes boot images to the PXE-enabled distribution point with the following steps: Before Adam creates his capture media, he distributes the boot image that the media uses to start the reference computer. Before Adam runs his deployment task sequence, he distributes the PXE-enabled boot images that will start the destination computer during the deployment task sequence.	For more information about how to distribute boot images, see the How to Specify where Boot Images are Distributed section in the How to Manage Boot Images in Configuration Manager topic.
Adam creates capture media to capture the operating system image from the reference computer and also creates a deployment task sequence to deploy the captured operating system image: Adam inserts a USB flash drive into the computer and runs the Create Task Sequence Media wizard. When prompted by the wizard, he specifies where the operating system image is stored. Adam runs the Create Task Sequence Wizard. On the Create New Task Sequence page, he selects the option to create a task sequence that installs an existing operating system image package.	For more information about capture media, see the How to Create Capture Media section in the How to Deploy Operating Systems by Using Media in Configuration Manager topic. For more information about how to create a task sequence to install an existing operating system image package, see the How to Create Task Sequences section in the How to Manage Task Sequences in Configuration Manager topic.
Adam inserts the USB flash drive into the reference computer and starts the computer. The capture media starts the reference computer by using the boot image referenced by the media, and then captures the Windows 7 operating system image.	No additional information.
After the operating system image is captured, Adam tests his deployment task sequence by deploying it to a collection that contains a single test computer. This strategy allows him to verify that Windows 7 is installed correctly and that the Configuration Manager client is installed on the computer.	For more information about how to deploy the task sequence, see the How to Deploy a Task Sequence section in the How to Manage Task Sequences in Configuration Manager topic.
When Adam has confirmed that the test deployment is ready for computers on the production network, he deploys his deployment task sequence to the collection that contains the destination computers and he monitors the results. To monitor the progress and verify that the operating system deployment was successful, Adam uses alerts and reports.	For more information about how to deploy the task sequence, see the How to Deploy a Task Sequence section in the How to Manage Task Sequences in Configuration Manager topic. For more information about reports, see Reporting in Configuration Manager.

As he plans for the deployment, Adam makes the following decisions:

He plans to use PXE to deploy the new operating system.
He will install and configure Windows 7 on a computer that has no operating system installed. Then, he will use capture media to capture the operating system image. The capture media will use a USB flash drive to store his capture media.
He will use the boot images that are supplied by Configuration Manager. He must distribute the boot images that start the reference computer in order to capture the operating system image and to start the destination computers to install the operating system.

For more information about PXE deployments, see Planning for PXE-Initiated Operating System Deployments in Configuration Manager.

For more information about planning how to capture the operating system image, see Planning for Capturing Operating System Images in Configuration Manager

For more information about planning boot images deployments, see Planning for Boot Image Deployments in Configuration Manager

Adam obtains a computer that has no operating system installed. He refers to this as a “bare metal” computer. This is his reference computer, which he configures as follows:

He installs and configures Windows 7 to match his company requirements.
He does not install the Configuration Manager client. He will install the client when he deploys the operating system image.

For more information about planning how to capture the operating system image, see Planning for Capturing Operating System Images in Configuration Manager

In preparation to deploy the operating system image, Adam uses the Configuration Manager console to perform the following steps:

Adam creates a collection and then adds the computers that will receive the new operating system. He will deploy his deployment task sequence to that collection. Then the computers in the collection will run the task sequence to install the operating system.
Adam configures distribution points that can respond to PXE boot requests.
Adam creates a boot image that will be used by the capture media.
Adam creates an x86 PXE-enabled boot image and an x64 PXE-enabled boot image. Configuration Manager requires both PXE-enabled boot images.

For more information about how to create a collection that contains computers, see the To create a device collection section in the How to Create Collections in Configuration Manager topic.

For more information about configuring distribution points to accept PXE boot requests, see the Configuring Distribution Points to Support PXE-Initiated Deployments section in the Planning for PXE-Initiated Operating System Deployments in Configuration Manager topic.

For more information about PXE-enabled boot images, see the How to Create a PXE-enabled Boot Image section in the How to Deploy Operating Systems by Using PXE in Configuration Manager topic.

Adam distributes boot images to the PXE-enabled distribution point with the following steps:

Before Adam creates his capture media, he distributes the boot image that the media uses to start the reference computer.
Before Adam runs his deployment task sequence, he distributes the PXE-enabled boot images that will start the destination computer during the deployment task sequence.

For more information about how to distribute boot images, see the How to Specify where Boot Images are Distributed section in the How to Manage Boot Images in Configuration Manager topic.

Adam creates capture media to capture the operating system image from the reference computer and also creates a deployment task sequence to deploy the captured operating system image:

Adam inserts a USB flash drive into the computer and runs the Create Task Sequence Media wizard. When prompted by the wizard, he specifies where the operating system image is stored.
Adam runs the Create Task Sequence Wizard. On the Create New Task Sequence page, he selects the option to create a task sequence that installs an existing operating system image package.

For more information about capture media, see the How to Create Capture Media section in the How to Deploy Operating Systems by Using Media in Configuration Manager topic.

For more information about how to create a task sequence to install an existing operating system image package, see the How to Create Task Sequences section in the How to Manage Task Sequences in Configuration Manager topic.

Adam inserts the USB flash drive into the reference computer and starts the computer. The capture media starts the reference computer by using the boot image referenced by the media, and then captures the Windows 7 operating system image.

No additional information.

After the operating system image is captured, Adam tests his deployment task sequence by deploying it to a collection that contains a single test computer. This strategy allows him to verify that Windows 7 is installed correctly and that the Configuration Manager client is installed on the computer.

For more information about how to deploy the task sequence, see the How to Deploy a Task Sequence section in the How to Manage Task Sequences in Configuration Manager topic.

When Adam has confirmed that the test deployment is ready for computers on the production network, he deploys his deployment task sequence to the collection that contains the destination computers and he monitors the results.

To monitor the progress and verify that the operating system deployment was successful, Adam uses alerts and reports.

For more information about how to deploy the task sequence, see the How to Deploy a Task Sequence section in the How to Manage Task Sequences in Configuration Manager topic.

For more information about reports, see Reporting in Configuration Manager.

As a result of Adam’s actions, the computers that were running the Windows XP operating system have been upgraded to Windows 7.

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Example Scenario for PXE-Initiated Operating System Deployment by Using Configuration Manager

Deployment Process

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