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Network imaging software

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  • Business Computing
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Last response: in Business Computing
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September 24, 2013 6:41:21 AM

I work for a college's IT department and we currently use Fog to image our machines. We run Windows 7 almost exclusively. We would like to have a better and easier way of imaging the machines, and publishing updates to the system without touching each machine. Does anyone know of either paid or free software that can manage this task? 150+ computers in total, and the possibility to manage the entire campus with 1 image would be great.

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September 24, 2013 9:09:19 AM

MDT, ImageX, Sysprep, SCCM... All from Microsoft. I'm surprised that a college IT department is ignorant of such tools.
September 24, 2013 10:14:33 AM

ex_bubblehead said:
MDT, ImageX, Sysprep, SCCM... All from Microsoft. I'm surprised that a college IT department is ignorant of such tools.


Thanks man. I'll take a look. Well we are not really a technical school, and are just really starting to get infrastructure up and running. So mass imaging has not really been an issue until recent years. The other problem is that we are not fully integrated with AD yet.
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September 24, 2013 10:22:30 AM

And "1 image" will not work for the entire school. Different departs have different needs. Trying to forcefit everyone into the same image results in either too many licenses for some applications, or some users not having what they need.

Does everyone need the full blown Adobe CS? No. But the graphic arts dept probably does.
September 24, 2013 10:46:12 AM

^
+1

Thus the beauty of MDT. One base image, containing only that which is common to everyone, to which one can choose to add additional software as needed, all installed and ready to use in one fell swoop.
September 24, 2013 11:44:40 AM

Absolutely! You have described the perfect scenario for the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) where you can create a single image with your base applications and configuration that is common to all systems, and then create packages to deploy specific applications or additional customizations to specific deployments. You can also deploy to disparate hardware using a properly maintained driver store to ensure proper compatibility with all systems.

In USAFRet’s example, you can import Adobe CS as an application and create a graphic arts department task sequence in which the base image is deployed with Adobe included along with a filled driver store that includes up to date graphics drivers for workstation class graphics cards. You can then deploy the same basic image with a different task sequence to the computer sciences department with Visual Studio and other deployment tools, and again through another task sequence to the architectural department with CAD utilities; all across different makes and models of systems.

You can also leverage a variety of additional technologies with MDT, such as the Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit (MAP) to evaluate application and compatibility with newer versions of Windows including Windows 7 and Windows 8, the Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) to resolve application incompatibilities that might be holding a deployment back, and the Microsoft User State Migration Tool (USMT) to migrate data from a system being replaced or an environment being upgraded.

To find out more about these technologies, explore the Deploy page for Windows 8 and for Windows 7 at the Springboard Series on TechNet. The video on Deploying Windows 8 with MDT is a good place to start.
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