Q: Are you familiar with the deployment tools that Vista has to offer?
About the author
J. Peter Bruzzese is an independent consultant and has worked for and with Goldman Sachs, CommVault Systems and Microsoft, among other clients. He focuses on corporate training and travels frequently to speak at conferences. Peter is the author of Tricks of the Windows Vista Masters and writes for Redmond Magazine. Listen to his supplemental podcast on Vista deployment to hear more information about compatibility problems and Vista vs. XP.
Gone are the days of the sit-down-and-install for deployments of any magnitude. With Vista especially, Microsoft has provided some powerful tools for deployment. For example, Windows Deployment Service (WDS) provides a central storage and deployment point for Vista (as well as XP) images. This tool is the replacement service to Remote Installation Service (RIS). For a great rundown of Vista deployment through WDS, check out Rhonda Layfield's article "Vista Deployment Done Right."
There is much to learn about WIM files and using the new BCDEdit tool over the old Boot.ini file, but that knowledge is essential if you are going to handle a deployment of Vista.
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