What are you guys using for a Windows imaging solution?

I am looking at 93 new computers this year for an XP to Win7 migration. We currently do not have an imaging solution in place. What would you guys recommend? We are looking to purchase this fairly quickly.

Any questions just ask. Thank you.

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gc8dc95

SCCM. Quick and Easy for us.

I know in the past, they used Ghost. Seemed to be a decent setup also, but I like the way it is setup now. We use .1x authentication for everything, so I just opened a couple port in my area (secure location) and can have several machines imaging at once.

Hatch1921

My local community college runs Deep Freeze http://www.faronics.com/products/deep-freeze/enterprise/ The head of IT for the department loves it.... might be a solution for you at some point?

Passing it on.
Frank

kj0

we use a number of programs, Mainly just Altiris which is awesome, has a lot of extra features. We also use Ghost and WDS on occasion. It depends on what we are trying to achieve.

I recommend either ghost or Altiris, but I believe Ghost may be EOL. Ghost was just install server, create your boot device(if not TFTP) and then kick off your session once the machines are booted into ghost.

Altiris you will need to connect it to a DB and IIS. Bit more to set up than ghost, but once setup, set your DHCP to point to your Altiris server and then once the machines are booted into Altiris you can log onto the console and drag and drop.

Architect192

If you dont have an SCCM infrastructure, go with a simple MDT and WDS deployment solution. It's "free" and works great.

pamccabe

Architect192 wrote: »

If you dont have an SCCM infrastructure, go with a simple MDT and WDS deployment solution. It's "free" and works great.

Forgive me, but can you tell me what MDT and WDS are?

Looking through the other suggestions now.

kj0

WDS is Windows Deployment Services. It is a feature of Windows Server. It does .WIM files, but usually only captures a select partition.

pamccabe

kj0 wrote: »

we use a number of programs, Mainly just Altiris which is awesome, has a lot of extra features. We also use Ghost and WDS on occasion. It depends on what we are trying to achieve.

I recommend either ghost or Altiris, but I believe Ghost may be EOL. Ghost was just install server, create your boot device(if not TFTP) and then kick off your session once the machines are booted into ghost.

Altiris you will need to connect it to a DB and IIS. Bit more to set up than ghost, but once setup, set your DHCP to point to your Altiris server and then once the machines are booted into Altiris you can log onto the console and drag and drop.

Just wanted to say thank you for the recommendation and info regarding setup. Great suggestion. We do have some Macs and I see Altiris supports that. Going to dig into this more.

kj0

If you're doing Macs, Then I highly recommend DeployStudio. It also does Windows. I haven't set it up for Windows before, but I have for the macs and you can also automate scripts and package install with it.

...And it FREE

Home

inscom.brigade

Backup software for data backup and disaster recovery in Windows and Linux - Acronis, has work well I have heard many others say that they use acronis also

kj0

And another Freebie to check out is Clonezilla. It's gotten us out of a tricky situation once.

So, I know I've said a few that we use, Here's the breakdown.

Main Image

Altiris
DeployStudio

On the side
Ghost
WDS

One of our Offices that builds our SOE before we change them pushes them out in either WIM or .GHS depending on the device intended for (Staff/Student/Workstaton/etc.) We then deploy the image still sysprepped to a machine and capture it into Altiris. As for the Macs, I build my own images from scratch, and then Automate the joining process all in deploy Studio.

We only have a license for Altiris 6.9Sp4 so we don't have any of the Mac features to use, So I'm not too sure about how the macs work.

Deploy Studio uses a .nbi file with you server details sitting in your NetInstall iservice on the server so that tells what port to look at for your DeployStudio.

sanrus

+1 for clonezilla. open source and simple.

Expect

In my previous sysadmin job I have implemented fog-project,which is an Open-Source imaging solution, I doubt it can compete with the big guns though.

ScrawnyRonnie

I've looked into this some for my job as well but I have a few unanswered questions too.

1) Will the same image work on different models/brands of computers? Drivers is my concern
2) What about 32-bit and 64-bit? Are 2 separate image files needed depending on the PC to be imaged?
3) At what point in the process are product keys needed?
4) Lets say I have a Fujitsu laptop that came with Windows 7 Pro 64-bit. If I image it, it has to be imaged with that OS correct?

QHalo

While I was an Altiris administrator for several years and fully support its use, it's incredibly expensive. Just an FYI since you seem to be entertaining even free solutions if cost is a consideration.

bermovick

Still using an old version of ghost here for the windows machines, and mclone for the linux machines that get reimaged (far more often than they should need to be)

discount81

I don't understand why anyone in a Microsoft only environment would use anything other than SCCM(if they have it) or WDS (if they dont) ?

I've used Acronis, Ghost, Altiris, Unicenter etc in the past before WDS, and they are a pain in the ass compared to WDS.

I prepare an Image in VMWare, take a snapshot once I install all the software, take a snapshot after I do sysprep, run WinPE Image X, create the WIM, create an unattended file for the settings.
Upload to the server, voila.
If you are doing 93 machines, just use Multicast, and you will be able to do the entire project in a few hours work.

Once you create the image, you can do this at any site, just install the WDS role, then upload the image.

Ongoing maintenance is just uploading new drivers for new models of machine you buy, and once a month or so firing up the last snapshot of the VMware image, updating any software on it, and creating a new WIM.

ptilsen

I'll just repeat what others are saying: WDS or 2012 Configuration Manager or SCCM 2007. Acronis, Ghost, Altiris, and so on are just not as good as what Microsoft is providing out of the box and with ConfigMgr these days. If you're in an environment with more than maybe a hundred PCs, ConfigMgr is worth the time and effort to get setup.

ptilsen

ScrawnyRonnie wrote: »

1) Will the same image work on different models/brands of computers? Drivers is my concern
2) What about 32-bit and 64-bit? Are 2 separate image files needed depending on the PC to be imaged?
3) At what point in the process are product keys needed?
4) Lets say I have a Fujitsu laptop that came with Windows 7 Pro 64-bit. If I image it, it has to be imaged with that OS correct?

In SCCM task sequences, you import the drivers you need for PE in a boot image (typically network and storage, sometimes chipset or USB, depending) and make driver packages for the rest. HP and Dell both have catalogs of driver packages pre-built for you, and I would be most other major manufacturers do as well, so it's not too much work. You don't build different images for different hardware (thick images) or install software on them, typically. Rather, you build a base image with common configurations and maybe a couple common apps, then use task sequences to handle all the drivers and software. One TS can typically handle all hardware, and with work it can even handle multiple software needs Cloning and adjusting for different users or departments works well and is another option.

You do need different images for different architectures, but again, with task sequences you can still easily copy the shared steps between them.

Product keys are handled during installation. If you're large enough, you can use KMS and not worry about it. MAK works as well. You'll definitely want one or the other, though; the OEM key that comes on PCs isn't helpful. However, the license itself is usable. Microsoft will allow you to use KMS activation or a MAK in its place, so you don't need to buy the licenses twice or anything.

You do need to own the license. So if you're deploying Fujitsu laptops that come with Win 7 Pro (or Windows 8, which includes downgrade rights), you just need to deploy Windows 7 Pro. It doesn't have to use the OEM key (again), and it doesn't matter what architecture (arch. is not tied to the license of any current products, including Windows 7). You don't need to use anything from the image included with the computer, however.

no!all!

SCCM 2012. Can't imagine work without it!

kj0

ScrawnyRonnie wrote: »

I've looked into this some for my job as well but I have a few unanswered questions too.

1) Will the same image work on different models/brands of computers? Drivers is my concern
2) What about 32-bit and 64-bit? Are 2 separate image files needed depending on the PC to be imaged?
3) At what point in the process are product keys needed?
4) Lets say I have a Fujitsu laptop that came with Windows 7 Pro 64-bit. If I image it, it has to be imaged with that OS correct?

1. When you build your image, you can install every driver under the sun that is required and store the cab files under C:\DRVS, once you are ready to capture the image you configure your answer file for the image and place that under C:\windows\Panther and call it unattend.xml which will include your key/KMS and a little bit more detail (we also run a script to call another script that installs up-to-date packages). Once your answer file is in place, you can then run sysprep from C:\system32\sysprep\sysprep.exe This then wipes clean any drivers installed and makes the image neutral. Make sure you select shutdown as once it restarts you will need to re-sysprep again as the startup will install the drivers for that machine it is installed on.

2. You will need a separate 64-bit and 32-bit, however, you should only need two images.

3. If you have corporate key/MAK or are using KMS you can put this detail into the Answer file that you create using the WAIK (which i think is now the Assesment and Deployment Tool).

4. Depending on the arrangement you have with MS, we are allowed to install our Enterprise Win7 on machines with WinXP COA stickers.
Of course, If it is a personal laptop, then of course, you can only install what came with it.

Seeing that way this thread is going, I must stress (before anyone else stresses out) that different imaging techniques are able to do different things that other don't, however, this is changing and a lot are catching up. Some people prefer some to others, or it is what they know best. I suggest giving a couple of free ones a go, and even trialing ones like Altiris.

Cyberhooligan

windows imaging is certainly beyond just ghost backups.

ScrawnyRonnie

My boss just told me XP will no longer be HIPAA compliant come April. We have ~75-100 XP computers that will either need to be replaced or upgraded. Many of them came with 7 but were downgraded at the time so those will be easier. We currently don't have any imaging software so I've done it manually. Now that we have a lot that need to be done at once, she told me to check some prices.

MyDogIsChoking

We use smartImager only now - tried all the rest.
Got to tell you, we've used Altiris, SmartDeploy, SCCM, MDT, Acronis ... everything.
Finally found one that supports UEFI/GPT on the fly and does everything else automatically. Way better than anything else. Once you use smartImager you won't use anything else. My 2 cents.

Everyone

SCCM.

I got to spend a couple weeks in Okinawa helping a customer finish an XP to Windows 7 migration before XP went out of support last year. They had a classroom setup with spots to image about 20 machines at a time. I was imaging machines faster than they could bring them to me. Imaged over 300 machines while I was there, helped them complete the project ahead of schedule.

Nafe92014

Our college uses FOG and Clonezilla

Drovor

Using Altiris in our environment but I think eventually we will move to SCCM seeing as it comes with license agreement. From what I've heard Altiris costs a nice chunk of money for license/support.