Overview of Choosing an Automated Installation Method
Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2
There are three automated deployment methods you can use to perform automated operating system installations: Remote Installation Services (RIS), the System Preparation tool (Sysprep.exe), and the Unattended Setup tool (Winnt32.exe). You can use the automated installation tools included in the Windows Server 2003 family to automate and customize your corporate client or server operating system deployments. For organizations with many computers, automating installations is more efficient and cost-effective than using the interactive Setup program.
You need to design the client and server configurations that you want to deploy in your organization before you perform automated installations of the Windows Server 2003 or Microsoft® Windows® XP operating system. This includes designing the configuration of all networking, directory services, and security components. You need this client and server design information to customize your automated installation, as well as to help you decide which method is best to use. To choose which automated installation method is the best, you need to have access to complete information about the network topology, directory services, hardware inventory, and software inventory of your organization, and the time required to perform automated deployments within that infrastructure. You need to weigh all these considerations carefully and consider the benefits and limitations of each installation method, even if one of the considerations seems to point you definitively toward one of the methods. You might also determine that one method of automated installation is best for one set of circumstances in your organization, but that other installation circumstances in your organization are better suited for another method.
The scope of your deployment plan might also have an impact on your choice of deployment tools and methods. If you are planning a very large client-side remote installation on thousands of computers in one central location, consider the impact on network availability. If you are planning a number of smaller deployments in geographically remote locations, consider the methods you will need to use to distribute and install the operating systems and reference images.
When you have completed the tasks in this chapter you will be able to choose the automated installation method best suited for your organization. You can then begin designing your automated installation according to the guidelines in the appropriate design chapter for the method you have chosen.
Considerations for choosing an automated installation method that are discussed in this chapter apply only to deployments and rollouts; they do not apply to ongoing operational tasks such as reinstallation after a hard disk failure or reinstallation caused by software or hardware failure.