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BDD 2007 Field Notes
 
Speed up your Custom Action and Application Deployment testing

Step 1: Create a new Build within your BDD workbench called "Test Applications".
 
Step 2: If you have already created custom actions in the task sequencer of the current build to test the deployment of Applications or configuration, then copy TS.XML from the current build into the new "Test Applications" build within the BBD distribution\control\Test Applications folder.
 
Step 3: Remove all of the tasks from the task sequencer other than the few custom actions or Application Installations that you would like to test.
 
Step 4: Trigger the task sequencer from the client machine using \\[Server]\[DistributionShare]\scripts\LiteTouch.vbs and use the "Test Applications" build to run the process.
 
Now you can test the process far faster !     
Test BDD Rule processing without rebuilding a machine
 
Step 1: Create a new folder on your machine and copy ZTIGather.wsf, ZTIGather.xml, ZTIUtility.vbs, and CustomSettings.ini into it from the configured deployment point.
 
Step 2: If it exists, delete C:\MININT so as to start clean.
 
Step 3: From a command prompt within the directory execute “cscript.exe ZTIGather.wsf /debug:true

 

Step 4: Inspect the log files in C:\MININT\SMSOSD\OSDLOGS. To get a full list of variables, change the VARIABLES.DAT to VARIABLES.XML and then view the variables from on XML editor.

 

Step 5: Make any desired changes to customsettings.ini

 

Step 6: Re-run from step 2

 

Very useful for testing whether a deployment to a machine will have the desired results without having to rebuild the machine.


Use Expand on Microsoft Update Stanalone Packages (MSU) not Extract KB

 

Step 1: Create a folder that is named C:\Vista Hotfix, and then save the MSU files into the folder.
 
Step 2: Create a sub folder called c:\Vista Hotfix\expanded
 
Step 3: At a command prompt, type the following commands. Press ENTER after each command

c:\

cd c:\Vista HotFix 

Step 4: expand -F:* *.msu expanded
 
Step 5: Using BDD Workbench select New in OS Packages and provide the C:\Vista HotFix folder   
 
WDS can be fully automated for domain join
 
It uses the unattend.xml format – however, there are some key points here.
 
  • WDS uses two unattend files – one for the WinPE phase of setup (the WDS client unattend) and one for the setup stages that occur in Vista (specialize, OOBE, etc). You should create both of these with WSIM. Then use the server to select the first (through MMC -> Server Properties -> Client) and assign the second to the Vista image.

  • You can specify a .n12 boot program for unknown clients (i.e. clients whose GUID and MAC address do not match a netbootGUID in AD). This enables the machines to network boot without requiring an F12 key press.

     

  

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