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Deploying Windows Server VMs with Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2013

Deploying Windows Images with Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) 2013 on Windows Server 2008 R2

In this blog post, we will explore how to deploy Windows images using Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) 2013 on Windows Server 2008 R2. We will also cover the basic requirements and installation of MDT 2013, as well as the configuration of WDS for PXE booting.

Basic Requirements

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To deploy Windows images with MDT 2013, you will need two VMs or physical servers, and an evaluation copy of Windows 2008 R2. Additionally, you will need to download MDT 2013 and ADK for Windows 8.1 from Microsoft’s website.

Installation of MDT 2013

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The installation of MDT 2013 is relatively straightforward. You can install the role using the Server Manager, as shown in the following screenshots:

[Screenshot of installing WDS role]

After finishing this wizard, the WDS role is installed but not configured. To configure the WDS role, you have to select the server in the left pane, right-click the server and select “Configure Server”.

Configuration of WDS for PXE Booting

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To configure WDS for PXE booting, you need to select the server in the left pane, right-click the server and select “Configure Server”. Then, you need to select the deployment and transport server.

[Screenshot of configuring WDS]

Additionally, you need to manually configure the DHCP options 066 and 067 if DHCP and WDS are running on different servers. Option 066 contains the IP address of the WDS server, while option 067 contains the path to a boot file located in the remote installation folder of the WDS.

[Screenshot of configuring DHCP options]

Installation of ADK for Windows 8.1

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To install ADK for Windows 8.1, you can download the feature from Microsoft’s website and install it using the Server Manager.

[Screenshot of installing ADK]

After completing these steps, WDS is now functional, and we can start to install MDT 2013 and ADK for Windows 8.1.

Conclusion

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In this blog post, we have covered the basic requirements and installation of MDT 2013, as well as the configuration of WDS for PXE booting. In part II, we will discuss the configuration of MDT 2013 and how to use it to deploy Windows images.