Editing a Task Sequence CHAPTER 6 203 Editing a Task Sequence In MDT 2010, the task sequence is a list of tasks to run during deployment. However, it’s not a linear list of tasks like a batch script. The task sequence is organized into groups and specifies conditions, or filters, that can prevent tasks and entire groups from running in certain situations. MDT 2010 uses a Task Sequencer to run the task sequence. The Task Sequencer runs the task sequence from top to bottom in the order specified. Each task in the sequence is a step, and steps can be organized into groups and subgroups. When you create a task sequence in Deployment Workbench, you can choose a task sequence template. A key feature of the task sequence is that it stores state data, or variables, on the destination computer. These variables persist, even across reboots. The Task Sequencer can then use these variables to test conditions and possibly filter tasks or groups. The Task Sequencer also can restart the computer and gracefully continue the task sequence where it left off. These are important characteristics when driving a deployment process from beginning to end. Task sequences contain the following types of items: n Steps Steps are commands that the Task Sequencer runs during the sequence, such as partitioning the disk, capturing user state, and installing the operating system. Within a task sequence, steps do the actual work. In the task sequence templates pro- vided by MDT 2010, most steps are commands that run scripts. n Groups The task sequence steps can be organized into groups, which are folders that can contain subgroups and steps. Groups can be nested as necessary. For example, the default task sequence puts steps in groups by phase and deployment type. You can filter both steps and groups, including the groups and steps that they contain, based on conditions that you specify. Groups are especially useful for filtering because you can run an entire collection of steps based on a condition, such as the deployment phase or type of deployment. To edit a task sequence, perform the following steps: 1. In the Deployment Workbench console tree, click Task Sequences (or a subfolder) in your deployment share. 2. In the details pane, right-click the task sequence you want to edit and then click Properties. 3. Click the Task Sequence tab, as shown here, edit the task sequence as described in Table 6-5, and then click OK. For more information about settings on the Properties and Options tabs, see the sections titled “Configuring Group and Task Properties” and “Configuring the Options Tab“ later in this chapter. Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark. CHAPTER 6 Developing Disk Images 204 TABLE 6-5 Editing a Task Sequence TO USE THESE STEPS Add a group In the task sequence, select the item beneath which you want to create a new group, click Add, and then click New Group. Deployment Workbench creates and selects a new group called New Group. Add a step In the task sequence, select the item beneath which you want to create a new step and click Add. Then choose the type of step that you want to create by clicking General and then choosing one of the following (MDT 2010 supports more steps than those listed here, but they are already in the task sequence or are primarily for server deployment): n Run Command Line n Set Task Sequence Variable n Run Command Line As Deployment Workbench creates and selects a new step with a name relating to the type of step you’re creating. Add a reboot In the task sequence, select the item beneath which you want to add a reboot, click Add, click General, and then click Restart Computer. Deployment Workbench creates and selects a new task that restarts the destination computer. Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark. Editing a Task Sequence CHAPTER 6 205 TO USE THESE STEPS Add an application In the task sequence, select the item beneath which you want to add an application installation, click Add, click General, and then click Install Application. Then select the Install Application step you just added, and on the Properties tab, click Install A Single Application. Choose the application you want to install from the Application To Install list. iMpoRtAnt If you install antivirus software as part of the task sequence, be sure to carefully test how the antivirus software interacts with the deployment process before moving to a production environment. Antivirus software can prevent MDT 2010 from successfully deploying Windows 7 and applications. If necessary, you can always disable the antivirus software and then re-enable it at the end of the task sequence. To edit an item in a task sequence, select the item you want to work with and then edit the settings in the right pane. note MDT 2010 includes a variety of special steps, such as the Enable BitLocker task or Install Operating System step, that you can configure. You change settings for these steps by selecting the step in the left pane and then configuring the step on the Properties tab. In general, the most interesting steps to configure are Validate (under Validation and under Preinstall\New Computer Only), Format and Partition Disk (under Preinstall\New Computer Only), Install Operating System (under Install), Apply Network Settings (under State Restore), and Enable BitLocker (under State Restore). To remove an item in a task sequence, select the item you want to work with and then click Remove. If a group is removed, Deployment Workbench removes the group and everything it contains, including subgroups and tasks. To reorder an item in a task sequence, select the item you want to work with and then click Up or Down to change its position within the task sequence. During deployment, the Windows Deployment Wizard runs the tasks from top to bottom in the order specified. Configuring Group and Task Properties In the task sequence, every group and step has a Properties tab. Each group and step has a name and description that you can edit on the Properties tab. The Run Command Line and Run Command Line As steps also have a command line and a starting folder location that you can edit. Other steps have additional properties depending on the type of step. The following list describes what you see on the Properties tab: n Type The Type box indicates the type of step. You cannot change the type. Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark. CHAPTER 6 Developing Disk Images 206 n Name In the Name box, type a short, descriptive name for the group or step. During deployment, this name appears in the status window of the Task Sequencer. n Description In the Description box, type a description of the group or step. n Command Line (Run Command Line and Run Command Line As tasks only) In the Command Line box, type the command to run at this step in the task sequence. Include any command-line arguments. Environment variables are also permitted in command lines. n Start In (steps only) In the Start In box, type the path in which to start the command. This path specifies the current working directory for the command. If you do not provide a path in this box, the paths in the Command Line box must be fully qualified or the command must be in the path. Configuring the Options Tab Groups and tasks have the following settings on the Options tab (shown in Figure 6-5): n Disable This Step Select the Disable This Step check box to disable the step or group, including all groups and steps that it contains. n Success Codes (steps only) List the return codes that indicate successful comple- tion. The Windows Deployment Wizard determines whether a step completed success- fully by comparing its return code to each code in the Success Codes box. If it finds a match, the step completed successfully. A success code of 0 usually represents success- ful completion. A success code of 3010 usually represents a successful completion with a reboot required. Thus, most of the steps in the templates that MDT 2010 provides list the success codes as 0 3010. n Continue On Error If an error occurs in the current step, select the Continue On Error check box to continue with the next step in the task sequence. If you clear this check box, the Windows Deployment Wizard stops processing and displays an error message if the step or group does not complete successfully. Additionally, on the Options tab, you can filter the group or steps based on conditions specified in the Conditions list. If the condition evaluates to true, the group or step runs. If the condition evaluates to false, the group (and all of the groups and steps that group contains) or step does not run. See the following sections for more information about conditions you can add to the Conditions list. Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark. Editing a Task Sequence CHAPTER 6 207 FIGURE 6-5 The Options tab Task Sequence Variables Task sequence variables allow you to compare a variable to a static value using a variety of conditions, such as equal, greater than, and less than. The Task Sequencer maintains numer- ous variables that you can use in these tests. For example, the Task Sequencer defines a vari- able called DeploymentMethod that indicates the method of deployment. One possible value of DeploymentMethod is UNC. For a complete list of variables that the Task Sequencer main- tains, see the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit Reference in the MDT 2010 documentation. To add a variable to an item’s Conditions list, perform the following steps: 1. On the Options tab, click Add and then click Task Sequence Variable to display the Task Sequence Variable Condition dialog box, shown here. 2. In the Variable box, type the name of the variable you want to test. Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark. CHAPTER 6 Developing Disk Images 208 3. From the Conditions list, choose one of the following conditions: • Exists • Equals • Not equals • Greater than • Greater than or equals • Less than • Less than or equals 4. In the Value box, type the static value you want to compare to the variable using the condition specified in the previous step. if Statements Use if statements to combine variables into bigger expressions. For example, create an if statement that evaluates to true only if all the conditions it contains are true (the same as a logical AND), or create an if statement that evaluates to true if any of the conditions it contains are true (the same as a logical OR). To add an if statement to an item’s Conditions list, perform the following steps: 1. On the Options tab, click Add and then click If Statement to display the If Statement Properties dialog box, shown here. 2. In the If Statement Properties dialog box, choose one of the following options and then click OK: • All conditions (AND) • Any conditions (OR) • None 3. From the Conditions list, select the if statement added in the previous step and then add task sequence variables to it as described in the previous section. If you choose All Conditions, all variables added must evaluate to true for the group or step to run. If you choose Any Conditions, the group or task will run if any one of the vari- ables added evaluates to true. Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark. Editing a Task Sequence CHAPTER 6 209 note You can nest if statements to create complex logic. If you are familiar with Boolean logic, represent Boolean expressions as if statements in the Conditions list. Operating System Versions The Task Sequencer allows you to filter steps and groups based on the computer’s current operating system. For example, you can choose to run a preinstallation step only if the destination computer is currently running Windows Vista SP1. To add an operating system filter to an item’s Conditions list, perform the following steps: 1. On the Options tab, click Add, and then click Operating System Version to display the Task Sequence OS Condition dialog box. 2. From the Architecture list, click either X86 or X64. 3. From the Operating System list, choose an operating system version and a service pack level. 4. From the Conditions list, choose one of the following conditions: • Equals • Not equals • Greater than • Greater than or equals • Less than • Less than or equals WMI Queries The Task Sequencer allows you to filter steps and groups based on WMI queries. The WMI query must return a collection. If the collection is empty, the result evaluates to false. If the collection is not empty, the result evaluates to true. The following are some sample WMI queries you could use to filter steps in the task sequence: n SELECT * FROM Win32_ComputerSystem WHERE Manufacturer = ‘Dell Computer Corporation’. This is true only if WMI reports the computer’s manufacturer as Dell Computer Corporation. n SELECT * FROM Win32_OperatingSystem WHERE OSLanguage = ‘1033’. This is true only if WMI reports the operating system language as 1033. n SELECT * FROM Win32_Service WHERE Name = ‘WinMgmt’. This is true only if the WinMgmt service is available. n SELECT * FROM Win32_Processor WHERE DeviceID = ‘CPU0’ AND Architecture = ‘0’. This is true only if the processor architecture is x86. n SELECT * FROM Win32_Directory WHERE Name = ‘D:\Somefolder’. This is true only if D:\Somefolder exists on the computer. Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark. CHAPTER 6 Developing Disk Images 210 To add a WMI query to an item’s Conditions list, perform the following steps: 1. On the Options tab, click Add and then click Query WMI to display the Task Sequence WMI Condition dialog box. 2. In the WMI Namespace box, type the WMI namespace in which to run the query, as shown here. The default namespace is root\cimv2. 3. In the WQL Query box, type the WMI query. Updating the Deployment Share The Windows AIK 2.0 comes with Windows PE 3.0, so no additional files are necessary to cre- ate Windows PE boot images for MDT 2010. When you update your deployment share in the Deployment Workbench, MDT 2010 automatically generates the following custom Windows PE images (here platform is x86 or x64): n Lite Touch Windows PE (platform) .wim file n LiteTouchPE_platform.iso If you want, you can configure the deployment share to also generate the following Windows PE images: n Generic Windows PE (platform) n Generic_platform.iso You don’t need to manually customize Windows PE to add network interface card (NIC) device drivers to it. Deployment Workbench automatically adds the NIC device drivers that you add to the deployment share to the Windows PE boot images. You have the additional option of automatically adding video and system device drivers from the deployment share to the Windows PE boot images. You can also perform additional customizations of your Windows PE images. For example, you can customize the background bitmap, add additional directories, and increase the scratch space size from its default value of 32 megabytes (MB) up to a maximum of 512 MB if needed. To learn more about customizing Windows PE, see the Windows Preinstallation Environment User’s Guide for Windows 7 in the Windows AIK. Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark. Editing a Task Sequence CHAPTER 6 211 Updating a deployment share causes Deployment Workbench to update its configuration files, source files, and Windows PE images. Deployment Workbench updates the deployment share’s files and generates the Windows PE boot images when you update the deployment share, not when you create it. Deployment Workbench stores these boot images in the de- ployment share’s \Boot folder. After you have updated the deployment share and generated Windows PE images, you can add the .wim image file to Windows Deployment Services. If you want, you can burn the Windows PE .iso images to CD or DVD media by using third-party CD/ DVD-burning software. Windows Deployment Services is the best way to start the Windows PE boot images on lab computers. Updating the boot images is faster than burning media, and booting destination computers is quicker. For more information, see Chapter 10. note You must use the same platform edition of Windows PE to start computers for installing each platform edition of Windows. In other words, you must start destination computers using a x86 edition of Windows PE to install a x86 edition of Windows 7. Likewise, you must use a x64 edition of Windows PE to install a x64 edition of Windows 7. If you use mismatched editions, you might see errors indicating that the image is for a different type of computer. Deployment Workbench automatically chooses the correct platform edition of Windows PE to match the operating system you’re deploying. To configure a deployment share for imaging in the lab, perform the following steps: 1. In the Deployment Workbench console tree, click Deployment Shares. 2. In the details pane, right-click the deployment share you want to configure and then click Properties. 3. Click the General tab and then choose the platforms that the deployment share sup- ports. To indicate that the deployment share supports the x86 platform, select the x86 check box. To indicate that the deployment share supports the x64 platform, select the x64 check box. This option determines the platforms for which Deployment Workbench generates Windows PE boot images. 4. Click the Rules tab and then edit the deployment share’s settings. These settings are located in CustomSettings.ini, which is located in the deployment share’s Control folder. For more information about the settings that you can configure on this tab, see the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit Reference in MDT 2010. 5. Click the Windows PE Settings (platform) tab for each platform and edit the settings described in Table 6-6, as shown on the following page. Then, click OK. Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark. CHAPTER 6 Developing Disk Images 212 TABLE 6-6 Windows PE Settings Tab AREA SETTINGS Images to Generate Generate A Lite Touch Windows PE WIM file Select this option to generate a customized WIM file that you can use to perform LTI using Windows Deployment Services (this option is selected by default and cannot be cleared). Generate A Lite Touch Bootable ISO Image Select this option to generate a bootable customized Windows PE ISO image that you can use to perform LTI by starting your destination computers manually (this option is selected by default). Generate A Generic Windows PE WIM file Select this option to generate a generic WIM file that you can use to perform LTI using Windows Deployment Services. Generate A Generic Bootable ISO Image Select this option to generate a bootable generic Windows PE ISO image that you can use to perform LTI by starting your destination computers manually. Windows PE Customizations Custom Background Bitmap File Type the path and file name of a bitmap file to use as the Windows PE background. Extra Directory To Add Type the path of a folder containing ex- tra files and subfolders to add to the Windows PE bootable images. Scratch Space Size Select the size of the scratch space for your Windows PE image. The available values are 32, 64, 128, 256, and 512 MB, with 32 being the default. Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark. [...]... first introduced in Windows Vista and deployment tools included in the Windows AIK make deploying Windows 7 in your organization easier than deploying earlier versions of Windows The new wim file format makes it possible to deploy highly compressed image files Windows 7 helps reduce image count by removing hardware and other dependencies from the image Modularization in Windows 7 makes servicing images... more flexible and consistent configuration Finally, deployment tools in the Windows AIK 2.0 provide a robust way to create, customize, and manage Windows 7 images Although the Windows AIK 2.0 provides the basic tools for customizing and deploying Windows 7, MDT 2010 provides a more flexible framework for deploying Windows 7 in businesses MDT 2010 enables you to create and customize multiple image builds... to deploy Windows 7 images in the production environment Windows Automated Installation Kit User’s Guide for Windows 7 contains detailed information about the tools and technologies included in the Windows AIK 2.0 This guide is in the file Waik.chm in the Windows AIK 2.0 Chapter 6  Developing Disk Images Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark C hapter 7 Migrating... some businesses may find Windows Easy Transfer a simple and useful alternative to using USMT This section briefly describes the basic functionality of Windows Easy Transfer, which can be particularly useful in bench deployments Before you use Windows Easy Transfer, check for the following prerequisites: n The destination computer must be running Windows 7 Windows 7 can create a Windows Easy Transfer data... execute the data collection portion of the migration on previous versions of Windows, but the destination computer must be running Windows 7 n The source computer can be running any of the following operating systems: • Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) • Windows Vista • Windows 7 n You must decide which user state data to migrate Windows Easy Transfer does not offer the same degree of control as USMT, but... recommends that you use USMT to migrate user state to Windows 7 USMT handles most common scenarios out of the box, and exceptional cases are easy to configure Additionally, MDT 2010 already includes the pre-deployment and postdeployment logic for saving and restoring user state Windows Easy Transfer Windows Easy Transfer is the Windows 7 equivalent of the Windows XP Files And Settings Transfer Wizard This... files from the user profile Note  Windows 7 and Windows Vista store user profiles using a different folder hierarchy than Windows XP Therefore, carefully review Chapter 15 before you rely on IntelliMirror in any Windows XP migration project Evaluating Migration Technologies  Chapter 7 Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark 225 Using Windows Easy Transfer Although USMT... click Next 9 Confirm the location where Windows Easy Transfer saved your migration data and then click Next 10 Click Close 11 With the computer’s user documents and settings safely in temporary storage, you can now install Windows 7 on the computer Continue with the remainder of these steps after successfully installing Windows 7 12 After installing Windows 7, connect the computer to the portable... Scanstate.exe and Loadstate.exe XML Control Files Feature Manifests (Windows 7) Feature Manifests (Windows 7) Migdocs.xml Migapp.xml Scanstate.exe Earlier Version Manifests (Windows XP) Miguser.xml Custom.xml Config.xml Config.xml* Loadstate.exe Earlier Version Manifests (Windows XP) Store * Use to load a subset of original configuration Figure 7- 3  USMT components In addition to ScanState and LoadState, USMT... requirements For example, by using MDT 2010 to deploy Windows 7, you can include custom actions such as installing applications, packages, and drivers that are performed during installation Additional Resources These resources contain additional information and tools related to this chapter n Chapter 3, “Deployment Platform,” includes information about the Windows 7 installation architecture, its key features . edition of Windows PE to install a x86 edition of Windows 7. Likewise, you must use a x64 edition of Windows PE to install a x64 edition of Windows 7. If. To learn more about customizing Windows PE, see the Windows Preinstallation Environment User’s Guide for Windows 7 in the Windows AIK. Please purchase PDF