What Is Remote Installation Services?
In this section
Remote Installation
Services (RIS) is an automated installation technology that you can use to
create installation images of operating systems or of complete computer configurations,
including desktop settings and applications. These installation images can then
be made available to users at client computers. RIS is typically used during
large-scale deployments when it would be too slow and costly to have
administrators or end users interactively install the operating system on
individual computers.
Compared to a
standard interactive installation, RIS decreases installation time, eliminates
the need to use CDs during installation, and minimizes end user and
administrator interaction during installations. To accomplish this, RIS relies
on Pre-Boot eXecution Environment (PXE) technology. PXE technology enables
computers without an operating system to start up and connect remotely over a
TCP/IP network connection to a RIS server, which then installs an operating
system. The client computers must support remote booting with the PXE ROM, or
they must be started with a remote-startup floppy disk and have a network
adapter that is supported by that disk.
To perform a RIS
installation, an administrator or end user typically boots a client computer
from a PXE-capable network adapter by pressing F12 early in the startup
process. This instructs the computer to acquire an IP address and connect to a
RIS server. The client computer then downloads a small version of the Windows
Setup program from the RIS server. You can configure a RIS installation so that
the Windows Setup program interactively steps the administrator or end user
through a shortened setup process, or you can configure it so that the entire
setup process is automated after the end user or administrator presses F12.
Also, you can configure a RIS installation so the installation is image-based
or setup-based. By using image-based installations, you can deploy applications
with an operating system. By using setup-based installations, you have more
flexibility in terms of handling hardware differences among the computers in
your organization.
The following figure
shows how a RIS installation differs from an interactive installation.
Comparison of RIS
and Interactive Installations
Like all automated
installation technologies, RIS has many benefits that a standard interactive
installation does not. These benefits include:
Fewer errors during installation
Because RIS
installation uses either preconfigured disk images or answer files to install
and configure the operating system, there is minimal user interaction during
the setup process. This reduces the number of errors that are introduced during
setup.
Greater consistency
By using the same
disk image or answer file to install and configure the operating system, you
can ensure that all of the computers in your organization are set up exactly
the same way.
Shorter installation times
RIS installation is
faster than interactive installation because the operating system and
applications are preinstalled and preconfigured on the disk image and require
only minimal configuration after the disk image is copied to a destination
computer. In addition, you can speed up the installation process by using the
fully automated installation features of RIS. Instead of prompting end users or
administrators for configuration information, the Setup program reads
configuration settings from an answer file.
Lower support costs
By minimizing errors
during the setup process, increasing the consistency of the computers in your
organization, and reducing the amount of time an administrator needs to spend
setting up a computer, you can reduce the overall support costs in your
organization.
RIS is more complex
and requires more upfront configuration and planning than other automated
installation technologies. This is because RIS relies on several operating
system services and protocols, as well as specialized hardware that supports
the PXE specification. However, RIS installation is an efficient deployment
technology if you have a high-speed network and you need to install clean
operating systems and preconfigured applications onto a large number of
computers with minimal end user or administrator interaction.
RIS Dependencies
and Requirements
RIS relies on
specialized hardware as well as several Windows Server 2003 features and
technologies. This includes the following:
High speed network connectivity
The computers on
which you are installing an operating system must all be connected to a
reliable, high speed network. Wide area networks (WANs) that are connected with
analog modems or Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) do not have
sufficient bandwidth to support RIS installation.
PXE-enabled hardware
To take full
advantage of RIS, each of the computers on which you are installing an operating
system must have a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI), Mini-PCI, or
CardBus type of network adapter that supports the PXE specification.
PXE-enabled network adapters allow client computers to be remotely booted. In
addition, the basic input/output system (BIOS) for each computer must be
capable of using the network adapter as a boot device (also known as
remote-boot capability). A ROM BIOS that is at least version .99n satisfies
this requirement. Also, most computers that conform to the Net PC or PC98
specifications have a PXE remote boot–enabled network adapter and remote
boot–enabled BIOS.
The published PXE
specification defines the remote boot process and also establishes the PXE
compliance standards for hardware manufacturers and other vendors. RIS uses PXE
environment extensions to Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), an
industry-supported technology, to allow workstations to do the following:
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Boot remotely
using their network adapters to access boot code from a network location.
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Install an
operating system from a remote source to a client’s local hard disk.
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The PXE environment
is built upon Internet protocols and services that are widely used in the
computer industry. This includes TCP/IP, DHCP, and TFTP. The PXE extensions to the
DHCP protocol enable information to be sent to network-bootable systems and
also allow these systems to locate remote installation services.
TCP/IP network
Your network must
support TCP/IP to perform RIS installations.
Dedicated RIS server
You need to install
Remote Installation Services on a dedicated server running Windows Server 2003.
The RIS server must have at least two NTFS disk partitions — one for booting
the server operating system and another to contain the directory structure for
the client operating system images or distribution shares. The partition
containing the images or distribution shares must be large enough to store one
or more operating system images, depending on your requirements. In addition,
the RIS server must run the following services: Remote Installation Services,
Single Instance Store service (SIS), and the Trivial File Transfer Protocol
Daemon (TFTPD).
DNS
RIS servers rely on
the Domain Name System (DNS) to locate the required Active Directory domain
controllers to facilitate domain operations. If you use Windows
Server 2003 DNS, you have the benefit of dynamic updates for your DNS
server. However, it is not a requirement to use Windows Server 2003 DNS
for RIS to function. Whichever DNS server software you use, it must support the
SRV RR record type and the dynamic update protocol specified in RFCs 2052 and
2136, respectively.
DHCP
RIS servers require
a DHCP server on the network which is authorized and has an activated scope.
Remote boot–enabled computers must receive an IP address from a DHCP server
before they can contact a RIS server to request an operating system
installation. You can install Windows Server 2003 DHCP or you can use the
DHCP services provided with Windows 2000 Server. In addition, you can use
a non-Microsoft DHCP server software.
Active Directory
You must install RIS
on a computer running Windows Server 2003 in an Active Directory domain.
For best results, configure this computer as a member server. Although you can
install RIS on a domain controller, the heavy traffic load generated by RIS can
impact the performance of the domain controller.
RIS uses Active
Directory to locate RIS clients and other RIS servers. You can administer the
RIS server from the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in (Dsa.msc)
located on the RIS server. For more information about Active Directory, see the
Directory Services Guide of the Windows Server 2003 Resource
Kit.
RIS Limitations
Although RIS is a
fast, efficient automated installation technology, it has the following limitations:
Clean installation only
You can only use RIS
to install a clean version of an operating system, with or without software
applications. You cannot use RIS to upgrade an operating system or software
configuration.
Limited configuration of server
components
You might not be
able to include all the server components that you want to provide with RIS
installation. For example, some server components require that you install and
configure them only after the RIS-based installation is complete. This can
include components such as Certificate Services, the Cluster service, or
software that is dependent on Active Directory.
No support for installing domain
controllers
You cannot install a
preconfigured domain controller using a RIS image. However, you can use RIS to
install a stand-alone server and then configure the server as a domain
controller by running the Active Directory Installation Wizard.
No support for configuring encryption
and security settings
You cannot use RIS
to deploy files that are encrypted with a system such as the Encrypting File
System (EFS). Also, you cannot use RIS to deploy systems with preconfigured
user-level security settings such as file and folder permissions. To configure
these settings, you can run a script after completing your RIS-based
installation.
No support for wireless networks
You cannot use RIS
to deploy images over a wireless network. Wireless networks do not support
remote-booting computers that use PXE technology.
Limited support for multihomed
computers
Multihomed RIS
servers are supported if the network adapters use multiple separate subnets or
if all network adapters use the same subnet. In both cases, the RIS server must
also be the DHCP server. The DHCP server must have active scopes for each
subnet serviced and must be authorized for each IP address on the network
adapters being serviced.
Technologies
Related to RIS
RIS installation is
similar to other automated installation technologies: unattended installation,
image-based installation with Sysprep and Windows Server 2003, and Automated
Deployment Services (ADS). Like RIS installation, these technologies are
designed specifically as mass deployment solutions. Although you can use all of
these technologies to automate the installation of Windows Server 2003, each of
these technologies is based on a different set of installation processes, and
rely on a different set of programs and tools. If you want to automate
installations with minimal user interaction, use an unattended installation. To
copy preconfigured operating systems and software applications, you should use
an image-based installation with the Sysprep tool. RIS is typically used during
large-scale deployments with minimal administrator or end user interaction.
Unattended installation
Unattended installation
is a method of automating clean installations and upgrades with minimal user
interaction. Unattended installations are particularly useful if you are:
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Upgrading a
Windows server to Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition or Windows
Server 2003, Enterprise Edition operating systems.
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Performing
automated installations on computers that have various hardware
configurations.
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Performing
automated installations on specific types of servers, such as domain
controllers, remote access servers, and servers that run Certificate Services
or the Cluster service.
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Configuring a wide
range of operating system settings during an automated installation without
using batch files and scripts.
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In addition to these
deployment solutions, unattended installation is a useful method of creating
master installations for image-based and RIS installations.
To perform an
unattended installation, you first create an answer file, which is a text file
that contains answers to the questions that Windows Setup normally prompts you
for during an installation. After you configure your answer file, you typically
create a distribution share (a folder that contains the Windows
Server 2003 installation files) as well as any device drivers or other
files that are required to customize the installation.
Note
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You do not need to
use a distribution share to perform an unattended installation. You can use
an operating system CD instead of a distribution share.
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After you have
created an answer file and a distribution share, you are ready to start the
unattended installation on a destination computer. To do this, you run the
Windows Setup program (either Winnt.exe or Winnt32.exe), and specify the name
of the answer file that you want Setup to use and the location of the
distribution share that contains the installation files. Setup then runs and
carries out all of the instructions that are specified in the answer file.
Unattended
installation requires some upfront planning and design, but it is the most
flexible and robust automated installation technology.
Image-based installation with Sysprep
Image-based
installation with the System Preparation (Sysprep) tool is a method of copying,
also known as cloning, preconfigured operating systems and software
applications onto servers.
Image-based
installation with Sysprep is a suitable automated installation technology if
you need to:
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Install identical
operating systems and software configurations on multiple computers.
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Install an
operating system and software configuration as quickly as possible.
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Perform clean
installations of an operating system, rather than upgrade an existing
installation.
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Minimize end user
interaction and post-installation tasks.
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Install operating
systems on computers that have similar hardware and hardware abstraction
layers (HALs).
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To perform an
image-based installation with Sysprep, you first set up a master installation —
a computer with the operating system, software applications, and configuration
settings that you want to install onto the destination computers in your
organization. Then you run Sysprep, which prepares the master installation so
that you can create a disk image (that is, a functionally identical replica of
its disk) that can be copied onto multiple computers. Next, you use a
non-Microsoft disk-imaging program to create the disk image of the master
installation. Finally, you copy the disk image onto your destination computers.
You need two tools
to perform an image-based installation with Sysprep: Sysprep, which can be
found on any Windows Server 2003 operating system CD, and a non-Microsoft
disk-imaging program, which you must purchase from a non-Microsoft vendor. You
run Sysprep on the master computer before you create an image of the master
computer’s hard disk. Sysprep configures various operating system settings on
the master computer to ensure that every copy of the master computer’s disk
image is unique when you distribute it to a destination computer. Specifically,
Sysprep configures a master installation so that unique security identifiers
(SIDs) are generated on each destination computer. Sysprep also configures the
master computer’s disk image so that every destination computer starts in a
special setup mode known as Mini-Setup. After you copy a disk image onto
a destination computer, Mini-Setup runs the first time you start the
destination computer.
You use the
non-Microsoft disk-imaging program to create an image of the master computer’s
hard disk. You also use the disk-imaging program to copy the disk image from
the master computer onto a shared folder or a CD, and from the shared folder or
CD onto a destination computer.
Image-based
installation with Sysprep requires substantial planning and design, but it is
the fastest method of installing operating systems and applications. You cannot
use it to perform operating system upgrades.
Automated Deployment Services
You can use
Automated Deployment Services (ADS) to remotely and automatically deploy
Windows 2000 Server and Windows Server 2003 family operating system images onto
servers without an operating system. You can also use ADS to configure,
maintain, and manage servers. By using ADS, you can reduce administration costs
of your data center. ADS is designed for organizations that are running data
centers like service providers and corporations.
ADS reduces the
number and complexity of the steps required to deploy and configure a server by
using task sequences. The processes required to deploy and configure a server
have been captured by a set of scripts or tasks that are easily extensible by
the data center to follow their business and technical processes. Placing the
configuration steps within scripts makes it easy to automatically perform the
deployment or configuration of a server or group of servers based on external
events (such as the arrival of a customer order, or the need to add additional
servers because the existing servers are overloaded).
With ADS, you use a
single server, called a “Controller,” to perform large-scale server
administration in your data center. The Controller, together with the other ADS
services, enables you to deploy operating system images onto servers or to
repurpose existing devices with new operating system images. In the data-center
environment, you can use ADS to:
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Mount an image as
a file and edit the image.
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Remotely purpose a
device that has no operating system to a useful state or repurpose a device
from one state to another state.
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Run extensible and
configurable operations, such as scripts, on one or more systems from a
single administration point.
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Leverage the ADS
WMI Object Model to build custom applications
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