Integrate Configuration Manager with MDT • • 4 minutes to read • Contributors • • • In this article Applies to • Windows 10 This topic will help you understand the benefits of integrating the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit with Microsoft System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager SP1 when you deploy a new or updated version of the Windows operating system. MDT is a free, supported download from Microsoft that adds approximately 280 enhancements to Windows operating system deployment with System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager SP1. It is, therefore, recommended that you utilize MDT when deploying the Windows operating system with Configuration Manager SP1. In addition to integrating MDT with Configuration Manager, we also recommend using MDT Lite Touch to create the Windows 10 reference images used in Configuration Manager. For more information on how to create a reference image, see. Why integrate MDT with Configuration Manager As noted above, MDT adds many enhancements to Configuration Manager. While these enhancements are called Zero Touch, that name does not reflect how deployment is conducted.
Configuration Manager 2012; Installing SCCM2012. Install MDT console extensions for. After extending the Active Directory schema, install Configuration Manager. The configuration of WDG-MDT-01 supports Configuration Manager for this sample. The configuration of computers in the production network may vary. To find out more about the prerequisites for installing Configuration Manager, see Supported Configurations for.
The following sections provide a few samples of the 280 enhancements that MDT adds to Configuration Manager. MDT enables dynamic deployment When MDT is integrated with Configuration Manager, the task sequence takes additional instructions from the MDT rules. In its most simple form, these settings are stored in a text file, the CustomSettings.ini file, but you can store the settings in Microsoft SQL Server databases, or have Microsoft Visual Basic Scripting Edition (VBScripts) or web services provide the settings used.
The task sequence uses instructions that allow you to reduce the number of task sequences in Configuration Manager and instead store settings outside the task sequence. Solarwinds Engineers Toolset V11 Keygen Download. Here are a few examples: • The following settings instruct the task sequence to install the HP Hotkeys package, but only if the hardware is a HP EliteBook 8570w. Note that you don't have to add the package to the task sequence. [Settings] Priority=Model [HP EliteBook 8570w] Packages001=PS100010:Install HP Hotkeys • The following settings instruct the task sequence to put laptops and desktops in different organizational units (OUs) during deployment, assign different computer names, and finally have the task sequence install the Cisco VPN client, but only if the machine is a laptop. [Settings] Priority= ByLaptopType, ByDesktopType [ByLaptopType] Subsection=Laptop-%IsLaptop% [ByDesktopType] Subsection=Desktop-%IsDesktop% [Laptop-True] Packages001=PS100012:Install Cisco VPN Client OSDComputerName=LT-%SerialNumber% MachineObjectOU=ou=laptops,ou=Contoso,dc=contoso,dc=com [Desktop-True] OSDComputerName=DT-%SerialNumber% MachineObjectOU=ou=desktops,ou=Contoso,dc=contoso,dc=com Figure 2.
The Gather action in the task sequence is reading the rules. MDT adds an operating system deployment simulation environment When testing a deployment, it is important to be able to quickly test any changes you make to the deployment without needing to run through an entire deployment.
MDT rules can be tested very quickly, saving significant testing time in a deployment project. For more information, see. The folder that contains the rules, a few scripts from MDT, and a custom script (Gather.ps1). MDT adds real-time monitoring With MDT integration, you can follow your deployments in real time, and if you have access to Microsoft Diagnostics and Recovery Toolkit (DaRT), you can even remote into Windows Preinstallation Environment (Windows PE) during deployment. The real-time monitoring data can be viewed from within the MDT Deployment Workbench, via a web browser, Windows PowerShell, the Event Viewer, or Microsoft Excel 2013.