Capturing operating system images

You can capture an operating system image by using the task sequence.

About this task

The recommended way to build an operating system image for deployment is to build a reference server with everything installed that is required for the image. You need to build a reference server with the tools, drivers, agents, service packs, updates, and so on. After the server is built, run sysprep and shut down the server.

Procedure

1. Build the reference server with everything installed that is required for the image. Generally, the Windows operating system is ready, and all the necessary drivers are installed.

   Include everything that a new system might require, such as tools, drivers, agents, service packs, and updates.

2. Run the sysprep /generalize command on the reference server to prepare the image for installation onto other machines, as described in Running Sysprep.
3. To capture the operating system on a server with Configuration Manager, you must add the computer name, MAC address, and GUID information for the target reference server to the Configuration Manager database and to a collection.
   Open the Import Computer Information Wizard by clicking Devices > Import Computer Information. Add the computer name, the MAC address, and the GUID. To find a specific server, you only need to add the computer name and the MAC address.

   Figure 1. Import Computer Information Wizard
   
   
4. On the target server (the server that is to be captured, in this case), set the variable that contains the location of the operating system to be captured.
   1. Go to the collection with the target reference server. Right-click the sever object, then select the Variables tab.
      Figure 2. Setting the operating system location on the target server
      
      
   2. Set the OSDTargetSystemRoot variable to the system driver, for example, OSDTargetSystemRoot=c:\windows.
5. Set up a share folder on the Configuration Manager site server to store the captured images.

   For example, create a directory on the Configuration Manager server called c:\images.

   Create a share and assign everyone Full Control for the share permissions.

6. Create a task sequence for capturing the image.
   Figure 3. New Task Sequence Wizard
   
   
7. Name the task sequence.
   Figure 4. Naming the task sequence in the New Task Sequence Wizard
   
   
8. Edit the task sequence information to include all steps for capturing the image.

   For example, fill in the path for storing the image using the share that you created in an earlier step.

   Figure 5. Editing the OS capture task sequence to identify the share
   
   

   Once the task sequence has been completed, an advertisement must be made. Advertisements are used in Configuration Managerto assign jobs to particular client machines in this case, the machine that is being captured.

9. Right-click the task sequence, and select Advertise.
   Figure 6. Advertising the OS capture task sequence
   
   
10. Use the New Advertisement Wizard to assign the task sequence.
    Figure 7. New Advertisement Wizard
    
    

    Make sure the task sequence is made available to PXE. (As shown in the example in Figure 7.) Also select the collection that contains the target system. This is the machine that was added to the database earlier. Without being added to the database and to a collection, the machine will never pick up the advertisement.

11. Fill in the settings on the Schedule page.
    Figure 8. New Advertisement Wizard: Schedule page
    
    
12. Fill in the settings on the Distribution Points page.
    Figure 9. New Advertisement Wizard: Distribution Points page
    
    
13. Boot the reference server that is being captured.

    Now that the advertisement is waiting, boot the server that is being captured to PXE. Verify that the site server and the target server make a connection and that the site server transfers the boot image to the site server share.

    The target server connects to the Configuration Manager site server and loads the boot image from the share. Then, the target server starts the task sequence to capture the operating system image on the target server back to the share on the Configuration Manager site server.

14. After the capture process has completed go back to the Configuration Manager server and verify that the image_name.wim file is stored in the shared images directory.

    At this point, you can use Configuration Manager to deploy the image to other servers.

    Note

    It is possible to use images captured manually (without using Configuration Manager to do the capture), but using Configuration Manager can prevent future problems when the image is deployed using Configuration Manager. The best practice is to capture the image using Configuration Manager.

    For more information, see the Microsoft System Center – About the Operating System Deployment Reference Computer webpage.