Erik

Hello,

You can find information about network booting with SmartDeploy on our White Papers page here. On this page is a guide for integrating SmartDeploy with Windows Deployment Services, which SmartDeploy uses for PXE boot. Hope that helps!

Thanks,

Erik

Hi Shana,

To know what is going on with the domain join I would need to take a look at the C:\Windows\Debug\Netsetup.log from a machine that went through the deployment process and failed to join the domain. You can either reply to this thread with it, or send it over to support and I will take a look.

Thanks,

Erik

Hi Shana,

What is the error that you receive when choosing the boot.wim? Also when in the process does it occur? Also when you mention that it works with fr-FR, does that mean that the locales are updated when booting to the pre-installation environment, or the DISM commands complete?

Thanks,

Erik

I was wondering if anyone has some best practices for creating custom platform packs. For example, after doing an extract of all of the drivers, is it possible to keep all the files that get extracted or do we have to find the .inf file and get the specific ones that it will need. The reason I ask is I'm moving my company in 8 days and would like to streamline my imaging by just keeping all the extracted files instead of going through every driver and picking the exact ones needed. I'm not lazy I swear, ha ha.

Thanks.

Danny

Hi Danny,

It looks like you had some correspondence with our support team, but I would like to close the loop on this one. We generally try and be as exact as possible when adding drivers to the Platform Packs, meaning we only add INF's and binaries that are needed, not everything from a downloaded package. This keeps things clean and avoids any conflicts. However if you are in a bind and need to get a pack built quickly, you can leave all the ancillary files that are downloaded with the driver, it will just cause your pack to be larger. Below are a few links to documentation on the process of building a Platform Pack as well.

• SmartDeploy Users Guide
  
• Creating Custom Platform Packs Video
  

Hope that helps,

Erik

Hi,

Everything is working fine, except one little thing i would like to change.

When you boot and you get the first screen where you have to choose your image,...

I browse to my network share but it is a query keyboard, is there anything i can do to change

this to azerty?

Thanks!

Shana

Hi Shana,

The Windows Preinstallation Environment that we utilize is sealed with the QWERTY keyboard layout. This is changeable, however would take some custom work on your end.

1. Create boot media through the Media Wizard
   
2. Get the Boot.wim out of the Sources folder on the root of the media created in step 1
   
3. Mount the Boot.wim with DISM (dism /mount-wim /wimfile:c:\boot.wim /index:1 /mountdir:c:\mount)
   
4. Use DISM to change the keyboard layout (dism /image:c:\mount /Set-InputLocale:nl-NL) there is a list of InputLocales here
   
5. Unmount the WIM and commit changes (dism /unmount-wim /mountdir:c:\mount /commit)
   
6. Add the Boot.wim that was modified back to the Sources folder of the media created in step 1
   

Thanks,

Erik

Hi,

When deploying an operating system we would like to install a few extra drivers which are .exe files.

How exactly does this work to implement this so that the .exe files are executed autmoatically after deployment?

Thanks!!

Shana

Hi Shana,

To install a driver, application, or run a command after deployment you can use tasks. Tasks exist in two places, the Platform Pack and the Deploy Wizard. The tasks in the Platform Pack are targeted to a specific computer type, while the task created in the Deploy Wizard will be targeted at all computer types. If the driver you are installing is for a specific machine type you may want to use the Platform Pack, if its not you can use the Deploy Wizard task.

Creating a task in a Platform Pack:

1. Add your executable to a folder, for instance C:\Setup
   
2. Open the Platform Pack, expand the Make/Model nodes
   
3. Right click the OS that you would like to use the installer with and select Add
   
4. Browse to C:\Setup and select OK
   
5. You should now see a subnode of the OS that is labled Setup, click this
   
6. In the right hand pane there is a Tasks section, select Add
   
7. Change the Phase to Specialized Mini Setup, First boot or First logon
   
8. Change the Command to [platformfolder]\Setup\Setup.exe /s (where the file name and silent install switch match that of your installer)
   
9. Save the Platform Pack
   

The process is much the same in the Deploy Wizard, however the installer will need to be in a location that is accessible to the OS during deployment, for instance in the image. To locate the Deploy Wizard task section boot a target device to SmartPE, select Deploy an image, select Advanced and then navigate to the Tasks tab.

Thanks,

Erik

Hi Steve,

Unfortunately Sysprep can only accept one answer file. If you wanted to combined your answer file with the SmartDeploy answer file at deployment time this could be done, however would require a custom script to merge the two XML files, or add the new settings to the SmartDeploy created unattend.xml.

Thanks,

Erik

Hi, I as well get this error, but how exactly can you change the regional settings?

I can't seem to find it.

thnx!

The regional settings can be changed through the operating system's control panel. For example in the Windows 7 Control Panel you will see the option for Clock, Language, Region.

Hi Shana,

When you say move the data, are you referring to user data and settings, or a complete backup of the OS? If it is user data and settings SmartDeploy would handle this with the integration of the User State Migration Tool from Microsoft. This integration can be implemented in one of two ways;

1. Hardlink Migration: All data/settings are preserved in a migration store on the local HDD of the machine that you are deploying to. Once deployment is complete the data/settings are put back to their normal location.
   
2. Network Migration: All data/settings are copied to a network location while deployment takes place. Once deployment is complete the data/settings are copied back down to the machine.
   

You can find a whitepaper that further details the integration here.

Thanks,

Erik

Hi Allen,

When creating offline deployment media the Platform Pack is copied to a z folder created on the media. It is also renamed Default.ppk automatically. If you change your answer file to reflect this you should be good to go.

In regards to renaming your combined pack, no you do not have to as the Media Wizard will do that automatically when creating offline deployment media.

Thanks,

Erik

Hi Allen,

If your Platform Pack is called Default.ppk and resides in the same folder as the image it should be used automatically, no need to change the XML file to point to the pack. If that all looks good it could be a problem with the WMI query that is being run from the Platform Pack. Each Platform Pack queries the Manufacturer and Model fields of WMI, in some instances the OEM doesn't all ways set these values correctly. If you want to post the Deploy.log from C:\Windows\Debug on a deployed machine we can see if the Pack was used.

Thanks,

Erik

When entering the product key during deployment the key is passed off to sysprep to process. Assuming that the version of Windows you are deploying matches the version of Windows your key is intended for you shouldn't have a problem. To check the SKU of Windows you can run "slmgr.vbs -dlv" from an administrative command prompt on your virtual reference machine. This command will return all the licensing information from the OS, you will want to ensure the Channel is Volume. If this all looks good our support team could have a look at the Setupact.log from C:\ Windows\Panther to see why sysprep isn't processing your key or you could try installing the product key via a task created from the Deploy Wizard. If you want to create a Task you can follow the steps below.

1. Boot a target device to the SmartDeploy boot environment
   
2. Select Deploy an image
   
3. Select Advanced, and then the Tasks tab
   
4. Select Add to create a new task
   
5. Change the Command to "cmd.exe /c C:\Windows\System32\slmgr.vbs -ipk xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx" where the x's are your product key
   
6. Change the Phase to First boot as system or First logon to desktop
   
7. If you want to automatically activate the machine you can create another task in the same phase to run "cmd.exe /c C:\Windows\System32\slmgr.vbs -ato"
   
8. Continue your deployment as normal
   
9. If you would like to automate this process in the future you can Export an answer file on the Summary page of the Deploy Wizard
   

Hi Paul,

It looks like Microsoft made some major changes in SP1. Namely the default boot environment was updated from Windows PE 3.1 to Windows PE 4.0. Unfortunately SCCM will no longer accept boot media that is based on Windows PE 3.1 (like SmartDeploy's). In order for SmartDeploy to work with SCCM 2012 SP1 we will need to update our boot environment to Windows PE 4.0 as well. This is on the road map however is a large undertaking. At this time I currently do not have a time frame for completion. For now SCCM 2012 and below will need to be used if you intend to integrate.

Thanks,

Erik

Thanks Erik,

Can you let me know where to find the capture.log please?

Also I have noticed since the time of posting that the SmartVDKSrv doesn't appear in my Device manager.

Thanks,

Paul

Hi Paul,

The log is located in %temp%, which is the signed in users temporary directory. If you open a run dialog box and type in %temp% it will open the folder for you.

Let me know how the reinstall goes.

Thanks,

Erik

Thanks much!

You mention that this "just happens", however I don't think it's happening when I deploy here. How can I determine the actions that SmartDeploy has taken on a particular machine deployment?

If you want to see what level the BIOS will be updated too you can check the Platform Pack. Inside the Platform Pack, under the OS node you will see a folder called BIOS. Select the BIOS node and check the right hand pane for the version that is being queried. If the version on the machine is already higher than this it will not be updated. You could also check the Deploy.log that is in C:\ Windows\Debug after a deployment completes to see if the BIOS task was executed.

Hi Paul,

If the solutions in the knowledge base didn't work you could always try uninstalling and then reinstalling SmartDeploy. If you continue to have problems can you either post a copy of the Capture.log, or send one over to support@smartdeploy.com? You will find the log located in %temp%.

Thanks,

Erik

I noticed on the SmartDeploy website, in the customer reviews section, that one customer mentioned that SmartDeploy will "even update the BIOS." Is this true? How? Thanks!

Great question. SmartDeploy addresses BIOS updates the same way it does device drivers, with Platform Packs. Inside a Platform Pack downloaded from SmartDeploy.com you will find a BIOS folder that has the BIOS executable for the OEM. This is coupled with a preset task that queries the BIOS to get the version, then will run the update if it is needed. The great thing for customers using the packs from SmartDeploy.com is that this just happens, no need to make any modifications on your end. If you would like to add a BIOS to your own custom Platform Pack you can check out the SmartDeploy Enterprise User's Guide or the Creating Custom Platform Pack video here.

Hi,

In order to change the CMID you will need to rearm Office manually. To do this you can follow the instruction here. The rearm process can be run either before shutting down the virtual machine for capture or as a task from the Deploy Wizard.

Thanks,

Erik

Hi Kris,

It looks like quite a bit is going on. Generally when we see this many errors it means something went wrong in the installation process. Can you please uninstall SmartDeploy completely, reboot the machine and reinstall. Before reinstalling it would be good to disable any antivirus/security software to ensure it is not blocking writes to temp or the mounting process for the boot media. If you continue to have problems it would be great to send the following logs over to support@smartdeploy.com.

• %temp%\Platform.log
  
• %temp%\Media.log
  
• %temp%\License.log
  

Thanks,

Erik

Hi Tom,

I have seen this come about in the past when the Media Wizard cannot correctly get the size of the Platform Pack. Can you please try changing the number format in regional settings to English rather than what it currently is?

Thanks,

Erik

Hi Paul,

That will do, can you please send it off to our support team to take a look at. You can reference this thread.

Thanks,

Erik

Hello!

I've got the same error, but without using SCCM, just SD. Have created standalone boot media on an external harddrive. Just updated the image with patches and upgrade of Citrix, Java, Adobe, Flash and Silverligt. This image have worked before...?

Regards

Tom Tangen

Hi Tom,

If you are receiving the same error on the same screen as what is mentioned above it would probably be best to try and recapture your image. If you continue to see problems you can check that the SmartDeploy metadata exists in the WIM file. To do so you will need to open the SmartDeploy Enterprise Command Prompt and run SmartWIM /info [path to WIM] then copy the resulting info and reply with it.

Thanks,

Erik

The VNC Server allows for VNC access to a machine that is booted to the SmartDeploy Boot Environment (SmartPE). Typically we have users use Cloud Services to initiate the VNC connection, for more information about Cloud Services you can check out this doc. You could also use your own VNC Client to connect, however there are some gotchas with that:

If you want to connect to the VNC Server via a VNC Client you will need to use a client that is compatible with the RC4 DSM plug-in. Next you will need the key file from SmartPE. You can copy it off a machine that is booted to SmartPE by pressing Shift + F10 to open a command prompt, then changing directory to X:\Windows\System32, from there copy sdvncsvr.key. You will need to use this key with your VNC viewer. I would recommend using UltraVNC viewer. If you change the DSMPlugin to MSRC4, copy the sdvncsvr.key file to UltraVNC’s program files folder and rename it rc4.key you should be able to connect.

Hope that helps!

Erik

Its hard to say what exactly is causing the problem without seeing the Deploy.log. You can grab the log by launching a command prompt (Shift + F10 from the main SmartDeploy Boot Media Screen), go through the deployment until you reach the loop and then copy the log from X:\Windows\Temp. If you can post that log or send it over to the support team we will take a look.

I keep running into 2 problems when attempting to use this software. One i can never map the drive on the machine. I can do it on other machines that are already running the os, however i always get either error number 67 or 12xx etc.

Also it never completes, it gets all the way through the cycle, and deploys the software, but then it reboots and starts installing the drviers and it crashes saying it needs to reboot, then it comes back up and says it unexpectedly rebooted.

suggestions?

Hi,

For the network mapping ensure that the machine you are trying to map from has a valid IP, you will see this in the lower right hand corner of a machine booted to the SmartDeploy Boot Environment. If the machine doesn't have an IP address please ensure that you used the correct Platform Pack when creating the boot media. If the IP looks good check that you are connecting to the \\servername\share. If using something like DFS you will not be able to hit the friendly name, you will need the server name as the machine is not domain joined. For advanced diagnostics you can cancel out of the Deploy Wizard and hit Shift + F10 on the main screen, i.e. the one that says Deploy an image, Settings, and Exit. This will open a command prompt where you can try to ping the server you are trying to connect to.

In regards to the 2nd error it sounds like the Microsoft System Preparation Tool (sysprep) is failing. Unfortunately there are a number of reasons why it could fail, you can find a list of common reasons here:http://deploycentral.com/index.php?/forum/15-smartdeploy-enterprise/. The exact error message that is being reported before the machine reboots will be helpful in identifying the root cause.

Thanks,

Erik