WDS Installation in VMWARE

VMWARE DHCP SERVICE SHOULD BE OFF or DISABLE

In this post, I'll show you how to setup WDS when there is a separate DHCP server
running on the network. This guide assumes you have already configured a DHCP
server with an active scope.

Prerequisites
Your machine should meet the following requirements before WDS is configured.

1. Administrator account has a strong password.

2. Static IP is configured.
3. Latest windows updates are installed.
4. Firewall is turned off.
Installing Windows Deployment Server
Step 1: Open the Server Manager Dashboard from the task bar. Click Manage and
scroll to Add Roles and Features. Click on Add Roles and Features.

Step 2: Read the important notes and make sure you fulfill all of them before you
continue. Then click Next.
Step 3: Choose Role-based or feature-based installation and click Next.
Step 4: Select the destination server on which you want to install to WDS role and
click Next.
Step 5: Choose Windows Deployment Services from server roles. As soon as you mark
the check box, another small window will pop up alerting you to install other required
features as well along with WDS. Click on Add Features.
Step 6: Server roles, click Next to proceed.
Step 7: Features, click Next.
Step 8: Note down the related notes and click Next.
Step 9: Keep default selections and click Next.
Step 10: Confirm your installation selections and when you are done, click Install.
Step 11: When an installation is succeeded click Close.

Configuring Windows Deployment Server

Step 1: Open the Server Manager Dashboard, click on Tool and scroll down to
Windows Deployment Services and click it.
Step 2: Right-click on your machine located under Servers. Scroll to Configure Server
and click it.
Step 3: Before you continue further read the requirements and make sure you meet
them. Click Next.
Step 4: Choose Standalone server and click Next.
Step 5: Browse and choose the path on your drive where you would like to place boot
images, install images, PXE boot files, and other WDS tools. Click Next.

Step 6: Ignore the warning and click Yes.

Step 7: Choose Respond to all client computers (known and unknown) and click Next.

Step 8: Add images to your WDS server by keeping Add images to the server now field
checked. Click Finish.
Step 9: Provide the path of your installation DVD which contains boot.wim and
install.wim. Click Browse.

Step 10: Choose sources folder and click OK.

Step 11: Accept the path and click Next.

Step 12: Provide an image group name and click Next.

Step 13: Verify the information and click Next.

Step 14: Click Finish.

Step 15: Right-click Multicast Transmission, scroll to Create Multicast Transmission
and click it.

Step 16: Provide the name of this transmission and click Next.
Step 17: Choose the image you would like to transmit using multicasting and click Next.
Step 18: Choose Auto-cast and click Next.
Step 19: Click Finish.

Configuring DHCP Scope Options

Step 20: Go to your DHCP server, expand IPv4 node. Right-click Scope Options and
then click Configure Options.
Step 21: Locate option 66 and check it. Provide an IP address of WDS server in String
value and click OK.

Step 22: On DHCP server console, right-click your dhcp -> All Tasks -> click Restart.

Conclusion
You are done with configuring WDS and a scope option on DHCP server. Restart your
DHCP service. Take a client machine, and boot it through the network boot option and
check that your configuration is working.

Deploying Win 7 Using WDS

In the previous post we saw the steps to Install and Configure Windows Deployment Services. In
this post we will see the steps to deploy windows 7 using windows deployment services. Before
we start deploying windows 7 using WDS lets understand the role of DHCP server. Windows
Deployment Services uses PXE, which relies on DHCP for IP addressing.

Right click on WDS server and click on Properties. Click on DHCP. The question is when
should one select the DHCP options and in what cases?

CASE 1 – If DHCP and WDS are running on same subnet but on different machines – You need
to not configure the DHCP options at all. There will no broadcast issues when DHCP and WDS
are running on different machines and on the same subnet.
CASE 2 – If DHCP and WDS roles are installed on same server – In this case you must tell
WDS not to listen on port 67 and set DHCP option 60 so that clients can find the WDS server.
So options Do not listen on port 67 and Configure DHCP option 60 to indicate that this
server is also a PXE server must be checked.
CASE 3 – If DHCP and WDS are running on a different server that are on different subnets – In
this case you must configure your router to forward broadcast packets because most often we see
that broadcast packets are not allowed to cross other subnets. All DHCP broadcasts by client
computers on UDP port 67 should be forwarded directly to both the DHCP server and the
Windows Deployment Services server. Also, all traffic on UDP port 4011 from the client
computers to the Windows Deployment Services server should be routed appropriately. To help
WDS client find the WDS server we must configure DHCP option 66 and DHCP option 67.
Option 66 should be set to the Windows Deployment Services server, and option 67 should be
set to boot\x86\wdsnbp.com. Set the DHCP option 66 to hostname of the WDS server or the IP
address of WDS server. DHCP option 67 is for boot file name, the clients will need the boot
file in order to boot, so set option 67 to boot\x86\wdsnbp.com for 32 bit clients and for 64 bit
clients boot\x64\wdsnbp.com.

Client Naming Policy – Right click WDS server, click on Properties, select AD DS. Under
the Client Naming Policy specify the format based on which computers will named. The default
naming pattern is %61Username%#, this means WDS will create computer name using
username who logged on when running remote installation process and # is the number 1,2,3..up
to 999 will be added after username.
Security – To add the permissions for the user account on the Image Group, right click
the Image Group and click on Security. Add the user account from the active directory and
provide Full Control. If you are using a domain admin account during the installation of WDS
ignore this step.

Should the computer be a part of domain after deployment – If you do not want the client to
be a part of domain then the setting must be changed in the WDS server properties. Right
click WDS server, click on Properties and select Client. Under Joining a Domain check the
box Do not join the client to a domain after an installation.

Deploying Windows 7 Using Windows Deployment Services

In the previous post Installing and Configuring Windows Deployment Services we had imported
the Boot image and Install image for windows 7. The DHCP and WDS are running on different
servers but are on same subnet, so without worrying about broadcast issues, let start the
deployment.

We will create a blank virtual machine and set it to boot from the network. During this boot
process the client receives the IP from the DHCP server and WDS client discovers the WDS
server through DHCP server or by broadcasting the packets. Once the WDS server is found the
client boots with a WinPE (Windows Preinstallation Environment) and the image stored on the
WDS server is installed on the client machine.
Press F12 to start the network service boot.

Wait for few seconds until the windows loads the files for installation.

choose the locale and click next.

Provide the user account and password. Click on Next.

Select the edition of windows 7 that you want to install. Click Next.
Click on next.

Once the installation is complete complete the windows 7 initial setup.

Note that the client is already joined to the domain. Login to the computer with a domain user
account.

The windows 7 has been successfully deployed to a client using Windows Deployment Services.