Best way to deploy Desktop--just OS or Full Image?

[Guest]

Our organization is undergoing a consolidation, and, looking to standardize
the deployment of a standard desktop to all computers (> 50 K).

Most sites (35 +) use some kind of imaging product, usually Ghost Solution
Suite, to produce an image that is then put on the computer by a variety of
means, but, the similarity ends there.

There are two schools of thought: 1) Deploy a full image, with all apps and
current patches, and keep it updated via patch and upgrade pushes ,and, 2)
Deploy just the OS (WinXPSP2) and install all apps after it's on the user's
Desktop, and use a LOT of Admin Installs to keep things automatically
up-to-date.

They are looking at using Computer Associates (CA) Unicenter line to do the
apps and other deployment (but, I think, still using Ghost).

I know one issue will be hardware compatibility, and some sites use
Universal Imaging Utility (UIU) to provide multiple drivers so one image can
be used on multiple platforms, or, they make multiple clones for each
platform, but, this would apply whether the clone is just OS or a Full Image.

So...what's the thought out there, what's the best way?

Thanks!

 

[Shenan Stanley]

Our organization is undergoing a consolidation, and, looking to
standardize the deployment of a standard desktop to all computers
(> 50 K).

Most sites (35 +) use some kind of imaging product, usually Ghost
Solution Suite, to produce an image that is then put on the
computer by a variety of means, but, the similarity ends there.

There are two schools of thought: 1) Deploy a full image, with all
apps and current patches, and keep it updated via patch and upgrade
pushes ,and, 2) Deploy just the OS (WinXPSP2) and install all apps
after it's on the user's Desktop, and use a LOT of Admin Installs
to keep things automatically up-to-date.

They are looking at using Computer Associates (CA) Unicenter line
to do the apps and other deployment (but, I think, still using
Ghost).

I know one issue will be hardware compatibility, and some sites use
Universal Imaging Utility (UIU) to provide multiple drivers so one
image can be used on multiple platforms, or, they make multiple
clones for each platform, but, this would apply whether the clone
is just OS or a Full Image.

So...what's the thought out there, what's the best way?

The best way depends on your particular situation and homogeneousness as
well as space/network speed, LAN vs WAN, if there are IT staff at each
geographic location, etc.

In other words - its something you have to decide for yourself. Best is a
matter of situation.

RIS
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/techinfo/overview/risvsads.mspx

BDD
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/desktopdeployment/gettingstarted.mspx

CD/DVD
http://unattended.msfn.org/

Network
http://unattended.sourceforge.net/

Imaging
http://www.leinss.com/uniimg.html
and/or
http://www.gc.peachnet.edu/www/wbeck/W2KXP.htm#Master

 

[Guest]

Thanks. They plan for few IT staff to be at each site, and, most of this to
be managed remotely, with deployment or distribution servers at each site.

I see bandwidth or LAN issues affecting either method, although, if it's a
full image, vs. OS, I guess the Full Image would have more issues, but,
again, with distribution done on local LAN, that shouldn't be a big issue.

There's gotta be some firm answer on this, cause...the sites are just about
evenly divided on method, and, I need to find a definite tie-breaker reason.

Thanks!

 

[Shenan Stanley]

Thanks. They plan for few IT staff to be at each site, and, most
of this to be managed remotely, with deployment or distribution
servers at each site.

I see bandwidth or LAN issues affecting either method, although, if
it's a full image, vs. OS, I guess the Full Image would have more
issues, but, again, with distribution done on local LAN, that
shouldn't be a big issue.

There's gotta be some firm answer on this, cause...the sites are
just about evenly divided on method, and, I need to find a definite
tie-breaker reason.

*You* and your situation is the tie-breaker reason - that's my point.

I use unattended installations from CD/DVDs as well as over the network as
well as imaging dependent on the part of my job it is for. For my lab
environments - unattended to make the initial install and imaging to
distribute it to the 1500+ machines in some cases. Unattended over the
netwrk for the most flexibility and central management (I can choose what to
install at the beginngina nd let it go while I work elsewhere - in less than
2-4 hours - a completely 'ready to go' PC.) The CD/DVDs are good for
smaller situations or situations where network speed is an issue and/or
there are a lot of staff to help out. I still use GP software pushes, WSUS
and even batch/vbscript pushes as well. 1000's of machines - less than 4
people in most cases. Although - in many cases - I do get the benefit of
'student workers' as well. ;-)

 

[Guest]

OK, so, the image you push, is it just the OS, or, OS + All (or at least,
most) apps?

We don't install even the OS from scratch, unattended or not, as, it takes
too long. On a usual setup, it took m 10-15 min to image a new computer,
and, 20-50 min to move a user and their data to it, put on the Domain, setup
printers, and have the user ready to work.

Thanks!

 

[Shenan Stanley]

OK, so, the image you push, is it just the OS, or, OS + All (or at
least, most) apps?

We don't install even the OS from scratch, unattended or not, as,
it takes too long. On a usual setup, it took m 10-15 min to image
a new computer, and, 20-50 min to move a user and their data to
it, put on the Domain, setup printers, and have the user ready to
work.

OS + Most Apps...
For the most part we make user put their data on network shares - or lose
it.
That way it's backed up periodically and less likely to just disappear.

As for their profiles - (look/feel) that's on a case-by-case when getting
new systems/fresh installs. Sometimes we transfer it - sometimes we don't.

Printers/Shares and such are controlled by central scripts and mapped at
logon.

You mustn't have much in the way of apps... a lot of the machines I
manage/have manages have 15-115 apps on them (The larger number are for
labs...) The images range in size of 3-4GB up to 10-15GB (Windows XP +
apps.)

 

[Guest]

Yeah, we have a Core or Standard image, with XPSP2, Office 2003 SP2, SmarTerm
Terminal Emulator, 3 proprietary programs (we're a VA hospital), Adobe Reader
8.0, WinZIP 11, and all patches and updates up to the current month. We also
have Universal Imaging Imaging Utility (UIU,
http://www.binaryresearch.net/products/the_universal_imaging_utility) so that
our single image will work on any HW platform.

EVERYBODY gets this, and, it's about 4-5 GB.

We DO have additional software that we push out after install, but, the core
is on a single image.

That was my point, there are others that ONLY want to push the OS, then
install ALL other apps over the network, and, to me, that seems slower (in
fact, IS slower).

Thanks!