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Prestage client computers

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Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

To prestage client computers

  1. Open Active Directory Users and Computers.

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

    Where?

    • Active Directory Users and Computers/Applicable domain/Applicable organizational unit

  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 entry field, type the client computer's globally unique identifier (GUID), and then click Next.

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

    • Any available Remote Installation Services (RIS) server

      Selecting this option specifies that this client computer can be serviced by any RIS server.

    • The following RIS server

      Selecting this option designates a specific server to service this client computer.

Notes

  • To select the sequence New and then Computer, you must have Create Computer Objects permissions for the Computers container in Active Directory. Membership in the Account Operators group provides these permissions. As a security best practice, instead of logging on as a member of Account Operators or an administrative group, consider using Run as to perform this procedure. For more information about permissions and group memberships required for tasks related to RIS administration, see Related Topics. For more information, see Default local groups, Default groups, and Using Run as.

  • To open Active Directory Users and Computers, click Start, click Run, type dsa.msc, and then click OK. For information about creating a shortcut so you can easily open Active Directory Users and Computers with runas, see Related Topics.

  • This topic does not apply to Windows Server 2003, Web Edition.

  • Make sure you have the client computer GUID before you start this procedure. For information about how to locate the GUID, see Related Topics.

  • You can predetermine how a specific client computer network account is identified, by prestaging the client computer account object within Active Directory. This information is used to identify and route the client computer during a RIS installation.

  • You can use prestaging as one part of a security strategy for RIS because with prestaging, you can prevent unknown client computers (computers that are not prestaged) from being installed through RIS. For information about other security considerations, related to PXE architecture and RIS, see Related Topics.

  • You must also set the permissions required by the users of the prestaged client computer. For more information on setting these permissions, see Related Topics.

  • When a client computer is being prestaged into a domain with multiple domain controllers, the replication delay of the client computer account information can cause a client computer to be serviced by another RIS server. For more information on controlling information replication, see Related Topics.

Information about functional differences

  • Your server might function differently based on the version and edition of the operating system that is installed, your account permissions, and your menu settings. For more information, see Viewing Help on the Web.

See Also

Concepts

Working with MMC console files
Configure settings for new clients for RIS
Find RIS client computers
Locate the GUID for client computers
Set permissions required by RIS users who use prestaged client computers
Domain controllers
Force replication over a connection
Configure site link replication frequency
PXE architecture, RIS, and security considerations
Choosing appropriate group memberships for RIS administrators
Create a shortcut using the runas command