Connecting to Network Resources

During LTI and ZTI deployment processes, you might require access to a network resource on a server different from the server hosting the deployment share. You must be authenticated on the other server so that you can access shared folders or services there. For example, you can install an application from a shared folder on a server other than the server hosting the deployment share that the MDT scripts use.

Note To query SQL Server databases hosted on a server other than the server hosting the deployment share, see the Database, DBID, DBPwd, Instance, NetLib, Order, Parameters, ParameterCondition, SQLServer, SQLShare, and Table properties in the MDT document Toolkit Reference.

Using the ZTIConnect.wsf script, you can connect to other servers and access resources on them. The syntax for the ZTIConnect.wsf script is as follows (where unc_path is a Universal Naming Convention [UNC] path to connect to the server):

Cscript.exe “%SCRIPTROOT%\ZTIConnect.wsf” /uncpath:unc_path

In most instances, you run the ZTIConnect.wsf script as a Task Sequencer task. Run the ZTIConnect.wsf script prior to tasks requiring access to a server other than the server hosting the deployment share.

To add the ZTIConnect.wsf script as a task to the task sequence of a build

1. Click Start, and then point to All Programs. Point to Microsoft Deployment Toolkit, and then click Deployment Workbench.

2. In the Deployment Workbench console tree, go to Deployment Workbench/Deployment Shares/deployment_share/Task Sequences (where deployment_share is the name of the deployment share to configure).

3. In the details pane, click task_sequence (where task_sequence is the task sequence to modify).

4. In the Actions pane, click Properties.

5. Click the Task Sequence tab, browse to group (where group is the group in which to run the ZTIConnec.wsf script), and click Add. Click General, and then click Run Command Line.

Note Add the task before adding any tasks that require access to resources on the target server.

6. Complete the Properties tab of the new task using the information listed in Table 3 (accept default values if none are specified), and then click Apply.

Table 3. Completing the Properties Tab of the New Task

In this box	Do this
Name	Type Connect to server (where server is the name of the server to which to connect).
Description	Type text that explains why the connection needs to be made.
Command	Type Cscript.exe “%SCRIPTROOT%\ZTIConnect.wsf” /uncpath:unc_path (where unc_path is the UNC path to a shared folder on the server).

7. Complete the Options tab of the new task using the information listed in Table 4 (accept default values if none are specified), and then click OK.

Table 4. Completing the Options Tab of the New Task

In this box	Do this
Success codes	Type 0 3010. (The ZTIConnect.wsf script returns these codes upon successful completion.)
Conditions list box	Add any conditions that might be necessary. (In most instances this task requires no conditions.)

After adding the task that will run the ZTIConnect.wsf script, subsequent tasks can access network resources on the server specified in the /uncpath option of the ZTIConnect.wsf script.