When you have 20, 50, or 100 servers to install, you don't want to waste your time babysitting the installation for each and every server. Besides being very boring (you'll be answering the same questions over and over and over), it is a waste of your time—time you'll never get back—and this is where unattended installations come to the rescue.
An unattended installation is simply a way to automate the setup and installation process. When determining the level of user interaction you want to require during automated installation, you have several choices. Each of these choices uses an answer file to control the level of interaction. These choices are as follows:
User Controlled The answer file defines the default answers to use during installation. The user can confirm the defaults or make changes as the installation progresses.
Fully Automated The answer file contains all the answers needed to install computers of a specific type. Users aren't prompted during the installation process, allowing you to rapidly deploy computers. However, if settings don't work, the installation might fail.
Hidden Pages The answer file specifies most of the answers needed to install computers of a specific type. Setup prompts the user to provide any information not defined in the answer file, and the user sees only these parts of the installation process. Use this option to ensure computers are configured in a specific way while at the same time allowing users to customize some parts of the process.
Read Only As with hidden pages, the answer file specifies most of the answers needed to install computers of a specific type. If a dialog box in Setup has partial information, the user can complete only the unanswered portion. The rest of the values are set in read-only mode and can't be changed during the installation.
GUI Attended The answer file is used to automate the text-based portion of the installation. It doesn't, however, provide answers for the graphical user interface (GUI) portion of the installation, allowing the user to configure the related settings as necessary. Use this option to help streamline and speed up the installation process while allowing users to maintain control over most of the installation.
Note
Although the preceding refers specifically to Microsoft Windows Server 2003 installations, these methods can also be used for Microsoft Windows XP.
Unattended installations are most helpful on large networks where new computers are deployed frequently or must be rebuilt frequently, such as in a development lab. Besides helping you save countless hours of time, automating installation can also help the organization standardize and remove potential pitfalls from the installation process. Hey, I think we've all clicked the wrong answer once or twice during an install and didn't realize it until much later—you know, when it's after 9 P.M., you've been at work for 16 hours already and now are desperately trying to figure out what the heck is going on because server installs aren't supposed to be so troublesome, and the spouse and kids are wondering if you'll ever come home.
Another benefit of unattended installation is that it reduces the level of expertise required of the person running the installation. Once automated installation setup and configuration is in place, nonexperts can install servers by following a few simple instructions, and you can be sure the results will be the same every time. This can help in those environments in which you don't have enough experienced administrators—or the experienced administrators are typically too busy handling other tasks to manage server installations.
Selecting an unattended installation method for Windows Server 2003 requires some thought and preparation regarding the target environment and the installation functionality that you need it to provide. There are three approaches to automated setup in Windows Server 2003, each providing its own particular benefits.
Although it is technically possible to install all of the computers interactively from a CD-ROM, for most firms (except perhaps for the very smallest) this sort of installation is not very practical. For most companies, automating the installation process is a necessary approach and is implemented using one of three methods:
Creating an Unattend.txt file When you create an Unattend.txt file, you create a file that contains answers to all the questions that Setup asks. You can then run the Unattend.txt script using Winnt or Winnt32 from the command line. You can also create an actual Windows script that provides the necessary command line so that the only thing administrators must do is enter the name of the Windows script at the command line. A boot floppy disk can be used to help simplify installation.
Using the Remote Installation Service By using Remote Installation Service (RIS), you can store prebuilt Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 installation files and scripts on a central server, called the RIS server. Then you perform a network boot of the computer you want to install, and access the installation files and scripts. If the computer isn't capable of a network boot, you can use a generalpurpose floppy disk generated by RIS to perform a network boot.
Note
By using RIS for Windows Server 2003, you can perform RIS installations on both client machines (Windows 2000, Windows XP) and servers (Windows 2000 Server, Windows Server 2003). This is a change from Windows 2000 RIS with which you could install only client machines (Windows 2000 Professional) using RIS.
Using Sysprep image-based installation By using Sysprep, you create prototype computers that are fully configured and then create images of these computers so that you can quickly deploy many computers at once. You can think of an image as a clone of the prototype computer's hard disk drive in that it contains all the essential files to make a new computer look exactly like the old one.
So, there you have it: three different methods for automating installation. To determine the one that's right for your organization, you must answer a number of questions about your networking and software environments. The specifics of the networking environment where this automated installation is to occur can introduce some constraints and limitations on how you can perform automated installations. This might change your approach to an aspect of the automated setup process or might make it impossible for you to use a method entirely.
For example, on networks with high-speed connections, the use of a distribution folder (i.e., a share on the local network) facilitates automated installations for distributed target systems. On networks that have slow connections without a local server to house the distribution share, you might need to perform automated installations using CD media.
Unattended and Sysprep installations can be performed by using product files or images on CD media, while RIS requires network connectivity for the boot. RIS requires Preboot Execution Environment (PXE)–compliant hardware or a network adapter supported by the remote installation boot floppy disk.
There are other, less clear-cut considerations that are specific to your business environment: physical access to computers, available staff, even office politics. Once you have assessed your installation needs, you can select the most appropriate approach to automation. In this chapter, we discuss installing the Windows operating system by using the unattended method; that is, using answer files (such as Unattend.txt) at the command line. In Chapter 6, you'll find a detailed discussion specific to using RIS and Sysprep.
Most forms of unattended installation use a distribution folder; that is, a network location of the Windows Server 2003 operating system containing the source files or images. You can have Setup Manager build this folder for you automatically when you create Unattend.txt files. The default structure of a distribution folder for unattended installations corresponds to the folder structure on the Windows Server 2003 CD media. The structure of the distribution folders used by an unattended installation is shown in Figure 5-1.
In addition to containing a copy of the Windows Server 2003 source files, the distribution folders might also contain additional folders and files, including drivers (such as mass storage device drivers, hardware abstraction layers [HALs], as well as Plug and Play device drivers), configuration files, and applications. These files and folders are copied to the designated partition on the target computer during installation. The distribution folder could also have a Sysprep subfolder containing required Sysprep program and configuration files (used for image-based installations).
Note
For more information about the structure of the RISetup and RIPrep distribution folders, see the section entitled "Using RIS Images". The structure of the distribution folders used by RIS (both RISetup and RIPrep) differs substantially from that used in unattended (Unattend.txt) installations.
The consistency provided by using the distribution folder can also be helpful in subsequently creating the master installations with RIS or image-based installations. Because driver updates, service packs, security patches, and so on are constantly released, you must update your master installation periodically. If you use RISetup to create your master installation, you must update the RISetup Remote Installation folder for that operating system only periodically and regenerate the master installation (by running RIPrep to create the updated image).
How these distribution folders are established varies depending upon the form of automated installation that you are using, as follows:
Distribution folders for unattended setup can be created automatically by Setup Manager when you create Unattend.txt files or manually by copying the contents of the I386 folder on the Windows Server 2003 CD to a network share.
When using RIS to automate installations, the RIS Setup Wizard (RISetup) walks you through creating the Remote Installation folder.
Sysprep-based images are posted to and downloaded from a network share by the third-party disk-imaging software employed.
Inside Out: Contents of the boot floppy disk
Boot disks can be used for most types of automated installations. The contents of the boot floppy disks are different for each type of automated install, however. The function and contents of the floppy disk used for each type of automated installation is shown in the following table:
Type of Installation | Boot Disk | CD Driver | Net Driver | Answer File |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Unattended—network | Yes | No | Yes | No (on net) |
Unattended—product CD | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
RIS | Only for PXE emulation | No | Yes | No (on net) |
There are several different types of answer files, each of which is used by a different type of automated installation process.
Unattend.txt The Unattend.txt file allows for complete automation of the installation process, using either the distribution CD or distribution folder as the source for the distribution files. You select a new clean installation or an upgrade on the operating system currently on the computer using an Unattend.txt file.
RIS .sif files The Setup Installation file (.sif) is a variation of the Unattend.txt file used in conjunction with RIS to automate a new, remote Windows installation usually for a new installation. The file name is assigned during creation by Setup Manager and usually is set as Winnt.sif.
Sysprep.inf The Sysprep.inf file is used to automate the Mini-Setup portion of the installation; that is, the portion of setup after the initial reboot when the user normally would be prompted for configuration information. Sysprep.inf is dependent upon Sysprep.exe and Setupcl.exe being present in the %SystemDrive%Sysprep folder on the destination computer.
Note
Sysprep supports only a subset of the sections and entries that can be used in an Unattend.txt file. For detailed information on the sections and entries that can be used in a Sysprep.inf file, see the Sysprep.inf section of the "Microsoft Windows Corporate Deployment Tools User's Guide" help file in the Windows Server 2003 Deployment Kit. You'll also find a sample Sysprep.inf file later in this chapter.
You can automate some installation and configuration tasks before Mini-Setup runs using Factory mode. Factory mode is a special feature of Sysprep that uses an answer file to automate installation and configuration tasks before you prepare a computer for final delivery. Typically, Factory mode is used by computer manufacturers to customize computers after copying disk images onto those computers, but before MiniSetup starts.
Factory mode enables disk configuration support so that you can create partitions and format disks and network connectivity so that you can connect to shared folders containing Windows Installer (.msi) packages, device drivers, and data files that should be downloaded and installed. You can also use Factory mode in the enterprise for these same purposes. Answer files used with Factory mode include the following:
Winbom.ini The Winbom.ini file is a manually created answer file used to control Sysprep running in Factory mode. For a complete list of the sections and entries that can be used in a Winbom.ini file, see the Winbom.ini section of the "Microsoft Windows Corporate Deployment Tools User's Guide" help file.
Winpeoem.sif The Winpeoem.sif answer file is used to configure the mass storage drivers loaded in a customized Windows preinstallation environment.
.ins and .isp files The Internet settings (.ins) answer file is used to control dial-up or broadband access to the Internet. A related type of answer file is the Internet service provider (.isp) file that is used to connect to dial-up ISP services.
Oeminfo.ini The Oeminfo.ini file contains the data identifying the enterprise and its product support services that is displayed in the System Properties dialog box.
Oobeinfo.ini The Oobeinfo.ini file supports the customization of the Windows Welcome dialog box.
The primary answer file for Factory mode is Winbom.ini. This file includes the bill of materials (customizations) you want to make to the disk image. You tell Sysprep to use Factory mode by running sysprep –factory on the master computer and then creating a disk image of the master computer. When you copy the image onto the destination computer and start it, the computer starts in Factory mode and searches for the Winbom.ini file. The computer then uses this answer file to configure itself. In the [Factory] section of the Winbom.ini are Reseal and ResealMode entries, which are used to complete the customization and run Sysprep with the –Reseal parameter, which finalizes the customization and prepares the computer for final delivery. Note that Factory.exe must be in the SysprepI386$OEM$ folder with Sysprep.exe and Setupcl.exe.
The Setup Manager tool provides a convenient, graphical interface for configuring settings within an answer file for specific installations, and it can write the answer file to the disk in a number of different formats (Unattend.txt, Winnt.sif, and Sysprep.inf).
By using Setup Manager, you can configure a range of installation and configuration settings, which are divided into general network and advanced settings. You can set the user and organization names, time zone, display settings, and product key. You can also configure the networking components, computer name, domain, and administrator password information, as well as the regional settings, languages, installation folder, printers, and telephony settings. Once all needed settings are configured, Setup Manager writes the information to the appropriate answer file for your mode of installation.
The Setup Manager Wizard (Setupmgr.exe) is not installed by default, but rather has to be extracted from the Deploy.cab file in the SupportTools directory on the distribution CD. Simply access the SupportTools directory on the CD-ROM, double-click Deploy.cab, then double-click Setupmgr.exe to begin the extraction process. While you are there, you might as well extract the rest of the files, including Deploy.chm (the Microsoft Windows Corporate Deployment Tools User's Guide) and Ref.chm (the detailed conventions and syntax reference for the Deployment Tools User's Guide).
You start Setup Manager Wizard by running Setupmgr.exe. You are first asked whether you want to create a new answer file or to modify an existing one, as shown in the following screen:
If you are creating a new answer file, you are prompted for the type of automated installation you want the answer file to support—unattended, RIS, or Sysprep-based, as shown in the screen on the following page.
Each of these options results in an answer file with a slightly different format and name. For example, when creating an answer file for a network installation, the file name is Unattend.txt, whereas the RIS type of setup creates a file name ending with the file extension .sif, and Sysprep uses the file name Sysprep.inf.
Tip
The answer file for an unattended installation using CD media is called Winnt.sif. A Setup Manager–created Unattend.txt file is renamed to Winnt.sif and placed on a floppy disk, which is used during installation.
After selecting the type of setup for which you want to create the answer file, you will be asked the version of the Windows operating system that will be installed by using this answer file. The options include the following:
Windows XP, Home Edition
Windows XP Professional
Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition
Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition
Windows Server 2003, Web Edition
Note
The Datacenter Edition of Windows Server 2003 is not supported for unattended installation files by the Setup Manager Wizard. Datacenter Edition supports an unattended installation, but you must use media and manually create the Unattend.txt file.
If you are performing either an unattended setup or an RIS-based setup, you'll next be prompted to specify the level of user interaction, as shown here:
The level of user interaction can be set to the following options:
User Controlled Answers are provided, but the user can modify them.
Fully Automated All required answers are provided, and the user is not prompted to respond.
Hidden Pages All required answers are provided, and the user does not see the dialog boxes.
Read-Only All required answers are provided and are visible to the user, but are not modifiable.
GUI Attended The GUI portion of the installation is interactive; only the text portion is automated.
Tip
Because of the nature of image-based installations, Sysprep does not support user interaction during setup.
The distribution share (the location on the network containing the Windows source files) can then be specified, or you can designate that the files are to be pulled from the distribution CD, as shown in the screen on the following page.
The Setup Manager Wizard also allows you to create or modify a distribution share. If you create a distribution share, you are prompted for the location of the Windows source files (specifying the CD or other location with the source files).
Once the distribution share is created or you select one to modify and you accept the terms of the End-User License Agreement, you are presented with the Setup Manager configuration dialog box.
You then must specify the distribution share location and share name for this answer file, as shown in the following screen:
The Setup Manager interface centralizes answer file configuration. Setup Manager displays all of the configuration settings in a single window with a tree of configuration options and corresponding settings. Setup Manager divides the configuration content into three areas: General Settings, Network Settings, and Advanced Settings. The first two of these sections contain mandatory settings, yet you will undoubtedly want to investigate the range of optional settings available to preconfigure installations. Setup Manager, shown in the following screen, presents all of the configuration information on a single screen, allowing you to set all the values you need for the answer file in one place.
The following are the options available in the General Settings section:
Name And Organization The name and organization entries are specified first, and the default user name is mandatory.
Display Settings The display settings enable you to specify the color depth, screen resolution, and refresh frequency.
Time Zone The time zone setting lets you specify the designated time zone for all installations using this answer file.
Product Key If you are using a retail or Open License CD, this key is required— installation will not continue until you specify the product key. However, media under the Select and Enterprise Agreement volume license agreements bypass this requirement.
The following are the options available in the Network Settings section:
Licensing Mode For server operating systems, the licensing mode setting lets you set the server licensing mode. Select either per server or alternatively per device or per user. If per-server licensing is selected, you must set the number of client access licenses (CALs) for the server. Verify that your selections here match your Information Technology (IT) licensing allocation plans to keep CAL usage in compliance.
Computer Names The computer name is a mandatory entry. Computer names can be entered manually, imported from a text file, or generated automatically based upon the organization name.
Administrator Password The administrator password that will be used for all computers installed using this answer file can be specified. You can (and should) choose to encrypt the administrator password in the answer file. You can also opt to log on as the administrator automatically when the computer boots; this is useful for engineers and administrators performing server configuration immediately following installation of the OS.
Networking Components This section allows you to specify the networking components that you want included in the installation using this answer file. You can either accept the Typical Settings (which installs Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol [TCP/IP] using Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol [DHCP] and the Client for Microsoft Networks) or specify Custom Settings, which enables the selection of additional clients, services, and protocols (notably, support for NetWare clients and services, as well as protocols such as NetBIOS Extended User Interface [NetBEUI], Internetwork Packet Exchange/Sequenced Packet Exchange [IPX/SPX], and AppleTalk).
Workgroup Or Domain You can specify whether the computer should be joined to a workgroup or domain. You can instruct Setup to create computer accounts within a specific domain or use a precreated computer account. Both techniques require using the credentials of a user account that has sufficient permissions to add computers to domains. The password is entered in cleartext, and there is no way to encrypt it. Because of the password issue, you might instead want to allow the user to log on after installation and then join the domain manually. You could also have the installation create a computer account but not provide the user account and password, which would ensure the user is prompted for this information the first time the computer logs on to the domain after Windows Setup completes. Another workaround is to script the computer account creation as discussed in Microsoft Knowledge Base article 315273.
The following are the options available in the Advanced Settings section:
Telephony The telephony settings are used to specify the country, access number, and type of line for the dial-up networking connection.
Regional Settings You can opt to use the default regional settings or specify another localization option in the answer file.
Languages Enables the selection of the language and character set used to display Web pages and other content.
Browser And Shell Settings These settings let you specify the customization method for Microsoft Internet Explorer, using either the default settings or an autoconfiguration script or by setting the proxy and home page settings individually.
Installation Folder Here, you can designate into which folder the Windows operating system will be installed, using either the default name (Windows), a generated name, or a name specified by you.
Install Printers This lets you specify the printers to be installed automatically at the initial user logon.
Run Once You can specify a command line to be run upon initial user logon. Postinstall commands that require user logon to run or operate correctly should be set here.
Additional Commands These commands will be executed once the unattended setup has been completed but prior to user logon.
Note
You cannot run commands that require a user logon with the Additional Commands option—these should be specified as a Run Once option.
Once all of the answer file options have been set, you are prompted to save the file (with the default name). You can view or modify this file in a text editor such as Notepad. We recommend using the default name only if you plan to create a limited number of answer files. If you have many answer files, you can do the following:
Place specific types of answer files in separate folders depending on the type of system being installed and the configuration settings used.
Name each answer file so that it helps identify the type of system being installed and the configuration settings used.
With some types of answer files, namely, unattended installations, Setup Manager also creates the Unattend.bat script needed to launch the installation. This makes it easier to start the unattended installation by typing the name of the script file rather than a complex command line.
The Unattend.bat script specifies the location of the answer file and the source files that Setup should use. It also provides a convenient way to use a complicated command line to start installation. The following text shows the batch file created by Setup Manager to start the automated installation using Unattend.txt file:
@rem SetupMgrTag @echo off rem rem This is a SAMPLE batch script generated by Setup Manager. rem If this script is moved from the location where it was generated, rem it may have to be modified. rem set AnswerFile=.unattend.txt set SetupFiles=\CORPSVR01windistI386 \CORPSVR01windistI386winnt32 /s:%SetupFiles% /unattend:%AnswerFile% /copysource:lang
Here, the script specifies that a distribution share was set up on CorpSvr01 and that Winnt32 is to use the setup files from this share. Further, the script specifies the name of the unattended installation answer file as Unattend.txt. This file is stored in the root directory of the distribution share.
Inside Out: Manually configuring answer files
Answer files are stored as text files on the disk, and, in theory at least, you can manually create and edit them using a simple text editor such as Notepad. Given the number of different sections, however, and the range of settings within each of these sections, manually constructing an answer file could be rather laborious, not to mention subject to typographical errors. The graphical tool that Microsoft has provided (Setup Manager) is far more effective and has been improved for Windows Server 2003.
The answer file that Setup Manager generates is different depending on the type of answer file you are creating and your answers. The answer file generated for an unattended installation (Unattend.txt) looks something like this:
;SetupMgrTag
[Data]
AutoPartition=1
MsDosInitiated="0"
UnattendedInstall="Yes"
[Unattended]
UnattendMode=FullUnattended
OemSkipEula=Yes
OemPreinstall=Yes
TargetPath=WINDOWS
[GuiUnattended]
AdminPassword=f4d4b1c5a7daa210aad3b435b51404ee158daba31f78e32c5bee79add9d
EncryptedAdminPassword=Yes
AutoLogon=Yes
AutoLogonCount=1
OEMSkipRegional=1
TimeZone=4
OemSkipWelcome=1
[UserData]
ProductKey=DEXHD-SSKED-IK22I-DK2DI-I5KSK
FullName="City Power and Light User"
OrgName="City Power and Light"
ComputerName=*
[LicenseFilePrintData]
AutoMode=PerSeat
[TapiLocation]
CountryCode=1
Dialing=Tone
AreaCode=206
[RegionalSettings]
LanguageGroup=1
Language=00000409
[SetupMgr]
DistFolder=C:windist
DistShare=windist
[GuiRunOnce]
Command0="rundll32 printui.dll,PrintUIEntry /in /n
\cprintserver03mainprint02"
[Identification]
JoinDomain=CPANDL
DomainAdmin=wrstanek
DomainAdminPassword=dudR5Ang!
[Networking]
InstallDefaultComponents=YesAs you can see, an answer file is basically an initialization (ini) file, which has been around since the earliest days of the Windows operating system. The file is written as standard American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) text and can be viewed in any standard text editor, including Notepad. It is divided into sections with headings that are enclosed in brackets. Each heading section is followed by individual configuration parameters formatted as ParameterName=Value. The main sections are as follows:
Data Sets the essential installation parameters. AutoPartition with a value of 1 tells Setup to install the Windows operating system on the first available partition that has adequate space and that doesn't already contain an installed version of the operating system. If you enter a value of zero (0), Setup will stop and prompt for a partition to use. MSDOSInitiated determines whether the installation is running directly from the Windows CD-ROM. It should be 0 if you're doing an install from CD-ROM and 1 if you're doing an RIS install. UnattendedInstall should be set to Yes if you preinstall the Windows operating system by using the CD boot method.
Unattended Specifies how much user interaction there is. UnattendMode sets the overall interaction level. Here, the installation is fully automated (FullUnattended). Installations can also be user-controlled and GUI-attended (meaning only the text mode of Setup is automated and the GUI portion runs normally). OemSkipEula specifies whether the user sees the End-User License Agreement (EULA) and must accept it. If set to Yes, the EULA is skipped. Otherwise, the user must accept the EULA when prompted to continue. OemPreinstall controls whether Setup installs its files from distribution folders. If set to Yes, Setup copies the folders and files contained in the I386 or IA64 $OEM$ folder during installation. The TargetPath is the folder in which you want to install the Windows operating system.
GuiUnattended Controls the GUI phase of the installation. As you can see, the administrator password for the computer can be entered and encrypted. You can also preset regional and time zone information and specify that the Welcome screens be skipped. If OEMSkipRegional is set to 0, Setup stops at the Welcome screen and prompts the user before continuing. Watch out for the AutoLogon section; if it is set to Yes, the user can log on after installation as the administrator and this could pose a security threat. If it is set to No, the computer doesn't automatically log on after installation. The AutoLogonCount controls the number of times the user can log on as the administrator. Here, the user can do this only once. This means that after installation users could make configuration changes and then reboot the computer. The user couldn't log on, however, after the reboot to confirm the changes—unless AutoLogonCount were set to 2.
UserData Sets the user name, computer name, and organization name, as well as the product key to use. If ComputerName is set to * (asterisk), Setup generates a random name based on the organization name. When creating an Unattend.txt file, you can also specify a list of up to 15 computer names to use sequentially during unattended installations (or you can import a list from a file). You cannot do this with Sysprep or RIS. By using Sysprep, you can enter a computer name to use or generate one. By using RIS, the computer name is taken from the %MachineName% environment variable stored in the RIS image.
LicenseFilePrintData Sets the licensing mode to use for the computer as PerSeat or PerServer. If licensing is PerServer, there is also an AutoUsers parameter that specifies the number of client licenses purchased for the computer.
TapiLocation Controls telephony options for the installation. It includes the country code for dialing, the access code for the computer's location, and the type of dialing to use for the telephony device in the computer (either tone or pulse). You can also set a longdistance access code, such as 9, which is the number to dial to access an outside line.
RegionalSettings Specifies the regional settings to use during setup, including the language and the language group.
SetupMgr Controls the distribution share used. DistShare sets the name of the network share for which Setup should look, and DistFolder sets the name of the local folder.
GuiRunOnce Contains any configuration commands that you want to run during the installation. Typically, as shown in the example, this is used to configure any network printers that might be available for use. You could also add commands to install roles or services, such as a domain controller. If this was the first command to run, you'd enter the line Command0="dcpromo /answerfile: AnswerFile", where AnswerFile is the answer file that has the necessary configuration information for the domain controller. Or you could simply enter the line Command0="dcpromo" so that the program runs on first logon after installation.
Identification Sets the workgroup or domain information for the computer. JoinWorkgroup sets the name of the workgroup to join when installing the computer. JoinDomain sets the name of the domain to join when installing the computer. DomainAdmin and DomainAdminPassword set the account information needed to join the computer to the domain. You'll note in the example, the password is in cleartext, which is a security issue to watch out for, especially because there is no way to encrypt this password.
Networking Determines whether the default networking components are installed. If the default isn't used, custom settings for protocols, services, and components could be defined in separate sections.
Now compare this to the following answer file for a Sysprep install:
;SetupMgrTag
[Unattended]
OemSkipEula=Yes
InstallFilesPath=C:sysprepi386
[GuiUnattended]
AdminPassword=f4d4b1c5a7daa210aad3b435b51404ee158daba31f78e32c5bee79add9D
EncryptedAdminPassword=Yes
AutoLogon=Yes
AutoLogonCount=1
OEMSkipRegional=1
TimeZone=4
OemSkipWelcome=1
[UserData]
ProductKey=DKDKE-RWKWK-R5642-RSESV-EDDED
FullName="City Power and Light User"
OrgName="City Power and Light"
ComputerName=*
[TapiLocation]
CountryCode=1
Dialing=Tone
AreaCode=206
[RegionalSettings]
LanguageGroup=1
Language=00000409
[SetupMgr]
DistFolder=C:sysprepi386
DistShare=windist
[GuiRunOnce]
Command0="rundll32 printui.dll,PrintUIEntry /in /n
\corpprsvr03corpmainprt"
[Identification]
JoinDomain=CPANDL
DomainAdmin=administrator
DomainAdminPassword=d5$h71828RS
[Networking]
InstallDefaultComponents=YesAs you can see if you do a comparison, the Sysprep.inf file is very similar to the Unattend.txt file. In many ways it is streamlined, because it doesn't need to ask you basic configuration information— this is obtained from the image. A very important note is that Sysprep expects there to be a %SystemDrive%Sysprep folder on the system to be duplicated. Setup Manager can create the %SystemDrive%Sysprep folder with all the necessary files, which includes Sysprep.exe, Setupcl.exe, and Factory.exe. The Sysprep.inf file must also be in the %SystemDrive%Sysprep folder on the system to be duplicated.
The final type of file you might use is the .sif file used with RIS. An RIS file looks like this:
;SetupMgrTag
[Data]
AutoPartition=1
MsDosInitiated="1"
UnattendedInstall="Yes"
floppyless="1"
OriSrc="\%SERVERNAME%RemInst\%INSTALLPATH%"
OriTyp="4"
LocalSourceOnCD=1
[SetupData]
OsLoadOptions="/noguiboot /fastdetect"
SetupSourceDevice="DeviceLanmanRedirector\%SERVERNAME%RemInst\%INSTALLPATH%"
[Unattended]
UnattendMode=FullUnattended
OemSkipEula=Yes
OemPreinstall=No
TargetPath=WINDOWS
FileSystem=LeaveAlone
NtUpgrade=No
OverwriteOemFilesOnUpgrade=No
[GuiUnattended]
AdminPassword=f4d4b1c5a7daa210aad3b435b51404ee158daba31f78e32c5bee79add9d9
EncryptedAdminPassword=Yes
AutoLogon=Yes
AutoLogonCount=1
OEMSkipRegional=1
TimeZone=%TIMEZONE%
OemSkipWelcome=1
[UserData]
ProductKey=DFDFD-FSAFW-EFREF-AFASF-AFAAA
FullName="City Power and Light User"
OrgName="City Power and Light"
ComputerName=%MACHINENAME%
[LicenseFilePrintData]
AutoMode=PerServer
AutoUsers=5
[SetupMgr]
DistFolder=C:windist
DistShare=windist
[Identification]
JoinDomain=%MACHINEDOMAIN%
DoOldStyleDomainJoin=Yes
[Networking]
InstallDefaultComponents=Yes
ProcessPageSections=Yes
[RemoteInstall]
Repartition=Yes
UseWholeDrive=Yes
[OSChooser]
Description="Windows Server 2003 Standard Installation"
Help="This will install Windows Server 2003 in a standard configuration."
LaunchFile="%INSTALLPATH%\%MACHINETYPE% emplatesstartrom.com"
ImageType=FlatAlthough this .sif file is similar to the other types of answer files, it has many important differences. Consider these differences when comparing the files, and also note that some of these parameters could be used with other types of automatic installations:
Data In installations for which you need not insert a boot floppy disk in the target machine to begin, you can set the value to 0 if you are going to use an RIS boot floppy disk primarily because the computer you are installing is non-PXE-compatible and 1 if the computer you are installing is PXE-compliant and can be network booted. OriSrc and OriTyp set the remote installation source file location and type, respectively. LocalSourceOnCD specifies whether the install is from media stored on CD-ROM that is in the computer's CD-ROM drive. If set to 1, Setup looks for the installation files on the local CD-ROM. Otherwise, Setup will look for the RIS network share.
Unattended FileSystem specifies whether to convert the primary partition to NTFS or to leave it alone. NtUpgrade controls whether Setup upgrades a previous version of the Windows operating system to the version you are installing. OverwriteOemFiles-OnUpgrade specifies whether to overwrite original equipment manufacturer (OEM)– supplied files that exist on the computer with Windows operating system files that have the same name during an upgrade.
RemoteInstall Controls how remote installation works with disks and partitions. If Repartition is set to Yes, Setup deletes all partitions in the first hard disk of the computer being installed and reformats it with NTFS. Otherwise, Setup will use the first available existing partition (a partition must exist or remote installation will fail). If UseWholeDisk is set to Yes (or is not set, which is the default), Setup extends the partition it creates to the end of the hard disk, meaning it will repartition the first hard disk drive as a single partition. When set to No, Setup doesn't extend the partition to the end of the hard disk.
OSChooser Sets remote installation information for the operating system image, including a description and help topic. LaunchFile specifies the file to execute when the user selects an operating system image from within the client interface. ImageType sets the type of image, which can be either flat, meaning it's a CD-ROM-based image, or Sysprep, meaning it's a Sysprep image created using the RIPrep Wizard.