This document will cover some of the basics of implementing a User Driven Installation (UDI) Task Sequence with Configuration Manager 2007 SP2 with MDT 2010 Update 1 integration.

This document assumes you are already familiar with, and have previously implemented OS Deployments of Windows 7 using ConfigMgr 2007 SP2, with MDT 2010 Update 1 integration, and have configured the prerequisites outlined in the help documentation for ConfigMgr and MDT.

The primary focus of this document will be to implement a UDI Task Sequence for a Light Touch deployment of Windows 7, that will prompt for the Computer Name (primarily for a Bare Metal Deployments), and also allow for the selection of applications to be installed during the deployment of Windows 7 (for both a Refresh Scenario, and/or a Bare Metal Deployment). I will mention some of the other options along the way, and include links to additional documentation as appropriate.

Ensure you have configured MDT 2010 Update 1 Integration in ConfigMgr 2007 SP2, and created at least one Microsoft Deployment Task Sequence with the UDI Template within the ConfigMgr 2007 Admin console. This will ensure ensure you have the requisite packages for an MDT Task Sequence, including the MDT Custom Settings and MDT Toolkit Packages (the Toolkit package will contain the customized xml file we modify with the UDI Wizard Designer), as well as the other packages that may be needed for the Task Sequence; USMT 4.0 and ConfigMgr 2007 SP2 Client packages. You also will need to ensure you have created all of the needed Software Distribution Packages and associated Programs in those packages in ConfigMgr 2007, making sure to select the proper settings to allow them to be deployed in a Task Sequence, and then also make sure you copy these and the other packages to the appropriate Distribution Points. This also includes the Operating System Package, Boot Image Packages, and Application Packages, as well as the MDT, USMT, and ConfigMgr Client packages.

I will include the steps below to create the Task Sequence, and associated packages in Part 1, if you have already done this, you can skip to Part 2, where we will walk through the use of the UDI Wizard Designer to customize the UDI Deployment.

Part 1, creating a User Driven Installation Task Sequence for Windows 7 Deployment

In the ConfigMgr 2007 Admin Console, under Computer Management, Operating System Deployment, Right Click Task Sequences, and select “Create Microsoft Deployment Task Sequence”:

From the drop down choose the “User Driven Installation Task Sequence” Template:


Click Next, and give the Task Sequence a name:

Click Next and specify the Domain to join, as well as the Domain Join credentials, as well as the User name and Organization name fields. You can also specify your Multiple Activation Product Key as long as you are not using a KMS Server in the environment, if KMS is being used, a separate command line step can be used to provide the Product Key with the slmgr.vbs script built into Windows 7:

Click Next and select the radio dial option for “This task sequence will never be used to capture an image:

Click Next and select an existing x86 boot image, or select Create a new boot image package if you do not already have one. When deploying an Operating System Image package, an x86 boot image can be used for both x86 and x64 OS Deployments:

Click Next and specify an empty shared folder for the MDT Toolkit Files package creation, if you have already created the MDT Toolkit Files package, browse to Specify an existing MDT Toolkit Files package:

Click Next and type in at least a name for the MDT Toolkit Files package to be created:

Click Next and select your Windows 7 OS Image package, or select the option to Create a new OS Image if you have not already done so, and have a Windows 7 WIM Image to do so: Note: We are using a previously captured WIM image in this process, although it is possible to use Source Files to create and/or use an OS Install Package instead:


Click Next and Specify an existing ConfigMgr client package, or select Create new ConfigMgr client package:


Click Next and specify an empty shared folder for the USMT 4.0 package creation, if you have already created the USMT 4.0 package, browse to Specify an existing USMT package: NOTE: Do not change the path specified for the executables and related files, it can cause this process to fail:

Click Next and do the same for the MDT Settings package, specifying an empty share to create a new package, or specify existing if you have done this previously and name it MDT2010Update1 Settings or something similar if creating a new package. In this example, we will not be using the Customsettings.ini, however, it is possible to further customize the UDI experience by specifying multiple UDI Configuration XML files based on variables specified in the Customsettings.ini, for more details on this process see the following blog post:
http://www.myitforum.com/absolutenm/templates/Articles.aspx?articleid=18765&zoneid=89

Next, in this example, I will edit the new UDI Task Sequence, and enable the Local Administrator account, and set the local Administrator Password. More details on this in Part 2 next... The next thing we need to do is perform the customization of the OSD Setup Configuration File (xml) using the UDI Wizard Designer provided with MDT 2010 Update 1. The file we will be editing is part of the MDT Toolkit Package. So now we will move on to Part 2.

Part 2a, Customizing the User Driven Installation with the UDI Wizard Designer

In this example I will disable many of the initial prompts, such as Domain Join, User Account settings, and the Language and Locale Settings using the UDI Wizard Designer. It will not prompt for these settings and this allows them to be controlled and set in either the UDI Wizard Designer, or in the Task Sequence for a consistent deployment result, while still allowing the Desktop Technician or User to control their computer name, and select applications to be installed during the deployment. These are optional configurations, and just what I chose based on a customer request. You can configure as little or as much as you want to be prompted for during the deployment by enabling or disabling the desired settings in the UDI Wizard Designer. Anything you do not explicitly set, and then disable in the UDI Wizard Designer, will be set later in the Task Sequence.

First let’s run the UDI Wizard Designer. It is part of the MDT 2010 Update 1 Install, click on Start, and then All Programs, and then Microsoft Deployment Toolkit, and then on the UDI Wizard Designer.

Next click on the File Menu, and then click on Open Configuration and browse to the Source folder of your MDT Toolkit Files package, scripts folder below that, and select the UDIWizard_Config.xml file to open the default configuration file: NOTE: You may want to make a backup copy of this file before making any changes:

You will notice in the lower left corner of the screen, on the Navigation pane, two Tabs; Wizard and Application,  if you click one of these, it will change the pages on the upper left, clicking those pages, lets you customize the deployment options. In Part 2a we will go through the Wizard pages, in Part2b, we will go through the Application pages, as you click on each one, notice the settings for each.

You can customize the Welcome Page if you like:


You can also add or remote preflight checks in the Preflight Page: Note: Each of these preflight checks are using MDT Scripts that could be further customized, for example, by default, the Memory check ensures the computers are running a minimum of 1 GB:


On the Computer page, notice I disabled all except the Computer Name field:

This allows the Desktop Technician to specify the computer name in a Bare Metal deployment for a new computer, or to change the computer name in a Refresh Scenario. The other settings here will be configured by the Task Sequence settings we configured in Part 1.

I disabled the User Configuration Page and Admin Password Field altogether; these will be configured by the Task Sequence settings we configured in Part 1:


I chose to configure and disable the lanugauage settings, so they will be forced to English as the default language and keyboard locale and I also chose to make the Language Page enabled, instead of silent to allow for the selection of different Time Zones, setting the default to most common for my environment:

Add the appropriate volume and Operating System entry or entries, in my example I deployed a package with two images in the same WIM, Windows 7 SP1 Enterprise x64 at index 1 and Windows 7 SP1 Enterprise x86 at index 2. This allows for easy duplication of the Task Sequence using one Windows Image Package, so be able to deploy one Task Sequence with Win7 x86, and another with Win7x64, using the same UDIWizard_Config.xml, and a single WIM OS Image package. If all you have is one image in your WIM, and one architecture, then enter that here as appropriate:

You can either enable or disable the summary page; I chose to leave it enabled:


Part 2b, Customizing the Applications and Groups

Now we will configure the applications that will be available for selection during the deployment, Click Application, in the lower left of Navigation pane. Notice the two groups present by default, delete these as we will create our own in this example:

The default Base Variable name and Root Application Group Name do not need to be changed:

Add application Group Names as appropriate for your environment, I chose Department 1, Department 2, these are up to you, and used to group applications for easier selection during the deployment:

On the Package Selection Page, you will add your ConfigMgr 2007 Server name, and click the Refresh link in the Tasks Pane. Next, select and add the applications you want to be available during the deployment to the Selected Packages list in the Workspace pane using the buttons provided:


These applications have to already be properly created packages in ConfigMgr, with associated programs created, and also properly configured to allow for installation in a Task Sequence, as well as deployed to the appropriate Distribution Point/s. The settings on the program properties that need to be configured are these Whether or not a user is logged on (Environment tab), and Allow this program to be installed from the Install Software task sequence without being advertised (Advanced tab):
 

Next, on the OSD Applications Page, we will add the applications/programs to the groups we have created Click on Add under the Application Items Task pane:

Notice there are two sections on the Application Details screen, one for 32 bit applications and one for 64 bit applications. This is misleading, as it is not so much for the architecture of the application; rather, it is depending on whether you are deploying a 32 bit version of Windows 7, or a 64 bit version. I added only the 32 bit entries for my programs, and none of them showed up in the list during the actual deployment. I recommend adding the programs to both entries, 32-bit and 64-bit, that way, you could use this same configuration file with a little modification to deploy either a 32 bit or 64 bit OS, also if you combined both 32 bit and 64 bit images in the same WIM, you could use this deploy either architecture by allowing the Desktop Technician to select it during deployment, this would also require a modification to the Volume page in the Wizard:

You can mark applications as “selected” and/or “locked”, I chose to mark all as selected, and not locked:


I added the application to both 32-bit and 64-bit, and you can select the Group it will be in:


You can also add a description of the application:


Once you have added all of the applications, click on File, Save Configuraiton, and then you will need to update the DP for the MDT Toolkit Files package:


Lastly, I will show you the results of this configuration and task sequence after I advertised the task sequence to a collection, and added an existing ConfigMgr Client to the collection, and ran the OSD Task Sequence, commonly called a Refresh Deployment.

This is the Welcome Screen:

This is the Preflight check page:


This is the Computer Page, you can change the computer name, everthing else is disabled:

Next is the options from the Volume Page:

Next we have the applications selection: I selected Department 1 Apps group:

Once the deployment finishes, you get the summary screen:

The Applications Installed Tab shows the results of the installed apps: