Windows Deployment Services - Overview

Overview

The Windows Deployment Service (WDS) is the combined updated and redesigned versions of Remote Installation Service (RIS) and Automated Deployment Services (ADS). The deployment of Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2003, and Windows XP can be fully automated and customized through the use of unattended installation scripting files. Tasks that can be made automatic include naming the machine, having the machine join a domain, adding or removing programs and features, and installing server roles (in the case of Windows Server 2008). Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 are installed from a set of source files on the server, often copied from the product's installation media.

WDS expands upon simple scripted installation by giving the technician the ability to capture, store, and deploy image-based installation packages. A major new feature available in the Windows Server 2008 versions of WDS is that it supports IP Multicast deployments. Multicasting allows new clients to join an existing multicast deployment that has already started; the WDS server will wrap the multicast so that any client who joined the deployment after it started can receive data it is missing. WDS's multicast uses the standard internet protocol IGMP. WDS also supports x64-based computers with Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI).

WDS contains the ability to deploy other operating systems such as Windows PE, Windows XP, and Windows 2000, but the installation of these operating systems cannot be performed with source files or controlled with unattended scripts. The unsupported operating system to be deployed must first be installed and configured on a workstation; an image of the finished operating system configuration is then captured with the Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIK), and this captured image can be deployed through WDS.

There are also several types of Windows 7 Migration Software that conduct an in-depth analysis of what is present on the machine. These software tools back up existing software, then assess and prepare for new software installation by conducting hardware and software inventories, deploy the software along with pre- and post-installation tasks, and distribute maintenance updates as part of a patch management strategy.