MDT includes the following improvements for LTI deployments:

·     Support for Windows 8 application package deployment. LTI supports the deployment of applications based on the new Windows application package standard, which is used in Windows 8. The Windows application package standard is based on the Open Packing Conventions (OPC) standard. OPC defines a structured means to store data and resources for the application using a standard ZIP file. Windows 8 and the Windows Store use the Windows application packaging standard for applications.

You can import Windows 8 application packages using the Deployment Workbench. Then, you can select the Windows 8 application packages for deployment using the Deployment Wizard.

For more information on how to deploy Windows 8 application packages using LTI, see the section, Deploying Windows 8 Applications Using LTI, in the MDT document Microsoft Deployment Toolkit Samples Guide.

·     Deployment of Windows RE. Windows RE helps users troubleshoot and recover from startup-related problems on their computers. The Deployment Workbench can automatically generate .iso and .wim files that contain Windows RE support, allowing you to deploy Windows RE to target computers using LTI.

For more information about deployment of Windows RE using LTI, see the section, Enable Windows RE Support in LTI, in the MDT document Using the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit.

·     Deployment to virtual hard disks (VHDs) for native boot. Native boot allows VHDs to run on a computer without a virtual machine or hypervisor. Native boot is supported in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. LTI supports the deployment to VHDs to support native boot.

For more information about LTI support for deployment to VHDs for native boot, see the following sections in the MDT document Using the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit:

·     Prepare for Deployment to Virtual Hard Disks with Native Boot

·     Configure the Create VHD Disk Task Sequence Step Type

·     Add local administrator accounts. LTI supports the ability to add multiple user accounts to the local Administrators group on the target computers. The Deployment Wizard includes an additional wizard page that provides the ability to include additional local administrator accounts during the LTI deployment process interactively.

For more information about the Deployment Wizard user experience, see the section, Running the Deployment Wizard, in the MDT document Using the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit.

·     Deployment Wizard user experience improvements. The Deployment Wizard user interface (UI) has been redesigned to closely model the user experience with System Center products, such as Configuration Manager 2012. The streamlined UI allows you to be more productive performing LTI deployments than in prior versions of MDT.

For more information about the Deployment Wizard user experience, see the section, Running the Deployment Wizard, in the MDT document Using the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit.

In addition, this release of MDT includes many other small enhancements and bug fixes that relate to LTI deployments.

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