Step by Step Install and configure WDS Server

Hi dear visitor,
Today I am going to introduce the WDS server, I mean to all steps for creating a new capture, adding pack drivers and deploying an image on specific some machine.
Microsoft offers this solution for an organization which doesn’t have money to purchase any third party software or purchase SCCM, the WDS server allows us to deploy images from a central location to any type of computer.
We as a system administrators suppose to ensure the IP Helper does not block because WDS working with PXE protocol and as most of us know, the PXE and WDS making the broadcast and routers could not passing broadcast unless we set the IP Helper. My personal opinion about WDS is that WDS is really good tools which could help us in small organizations.

Important notes:

  1. You have to configure the 66,67 options in your DHCP
  2. You have to allow IP Helper
  3. You have set static IP for WDS server.
  4. Sorry for scribbles.
  5. insert Windows 7 disk.

Look at next figure, I want to configure DHCP Options for 67,66.

You must do it correctly and be accurate because you can waste a lot of time about BOOT PXE troubleshooting.

capture and deploy image using WDS

 

capture and deploy image using WDS

In order to install WDS you can perform the following steps:

  1. In Server Manager, click Manage.
  2. Click Add roles and features.
  3. Select Role-based or feature-based installation and choose the server to deploy WDS.
  4. On the Select server roles page select the Windows Deployment Services check box.
  5. Click Next and follow the wizard to completion.

I already installed it.

capture and deploy image using WDS

Let’s create a boot image

Right click on Boot Image and then “Add Boot Image”

post-479-0-56506200-1407747146.png

We take the boot image from Windows Disk installation, so you have to insert Windows disk and add the “boot.win” file.

post-479-0-37000700-1407747151_thumb.png

Type any name you want and continue with next

capture and deploy image using WDS

After we added the boot image the next step is creating a capture from boot image we added.

Right click on out Boot image and then click on capture.

capture and deploy image using WDS

Type capture name and specify the location,
My capture saved under “RemoteInstall” folder which created alone when we installed WDS role.

capture and deploy image using WDS

Next

post-479-0-06315900-1407747193_thumb.png

The next step and the important one is to insert driver to the capture,
To capture we just need to add “Network Driver“, if we won’t add the correct drive of the computer type we won’t be able to boot from the network correctly.

Go to drivers and add the drive:

capture and deploy image using WDS

Here is my network computer type “5048 LAN”
If you find any specific INF file so select the first option.

capture and deploy image using WDS

Enough drivers for my LAB capture, (I found kind of CAB file that contains 176 networks drivers)
capture and deploy image using WDS

Next.
WDS knows to identify between 64 – 32 bit

capture and deploy image using WDS

capture and deploy image using WDS

Once this step is finished, we can create Group Drive, which contains this package of drives, it’s good for the future and for any kind of tidy
.
capture and deploy image using WDS

capture and deploy image using WDS

Now we need to create the capture, you have to prepare the computer and run “Sysprep + Shutdown”.
Once the computer is powered off, boot the computer with F12 and select the boot from LAN / network

capture and deploy image using WDS

F12

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Select the capture you created.
capture and deploy image using WDS

Click on Next

post-479-0-36361100-1407747290_thumb.png

Type Name for image

capture and deploy image using WDS

In the next figure, we have to specify the location the image will save.
DO not forget to mark the “V” (insert the image to WDS).
Type the WDS server by IP or Name and you will get credential windows.
Image Group Name: it intends for making a tidy of Operation system group, for instance, you can make some images for Windows 7 AND some image for windows 10 so this option is good for that.

capture and deploy image using WDS

Here you can see the creation process…

capture and deploy image using WDS

It could take 20-30 minutes, depends on your network bandwidth and disk performance.

Done:

post-479-0-75095200-1407747336_thumb.png

If you want to insert an unattended file you can d that by right click on capture and select properties.

post-479-0-25629500-1407747345_thumb.png

 

 

 

capture and deploy image using WDS

What do we have left?
Just to deploy the image on some computer.
Make sure that network drive exists in WDS.
Go to one of your computers and boot him via F12 and select the Windows boot that we have to deploy the image.
You should get the next figure:

capture and deploy image using WDS

Insert Administrator credential :

post-479-0-44954800-1407747386_thumb.png

And select your image,

Again, I’m sorry about scribbles

capture and deploy image using WDS

And from this spot, you can continue alone.
post-479-0-04491300-1407747404_thumb.png

post-479-0-0669390capture and deploy image using WDS

capture and deploy image using WDS