Use Windows Deployment Services to Automatically Detect the Deployment Server

An additional option is available when using Windows Deployment Services to host MDT boot images when the MDT deployment share is hosted on the same server as Windows Deployment Services.

When a PXE client loads the MDT boot image, the name of the Windows Deployment Services server hosting the boot image is captured and placed in the MDTProperty WDSServer. You can then reference this property in the boot image’s BootStrap.ini file and in the deployment share’s CustomSettings.ini file by the DeployRoot property. Doing so results in a client that boots from Windows Deployment Services automatically using the deployment share hosted on the Windows Deployment Services server. This eliminates the need to specify a server name in any configuration file.

To set the local Windows Deployment Services server as the deployment server

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/Advanced Configuration/Database (where deployment_share is the name of the deployment share to configure).

3. In the Actions pane, click Properties.

4. Click the Rules tab.

Information typed on this tab is stored in the CustomSettings.ini file.

5. Configure the DeployRoot property to use the %WDSServer% variable—for example, DeployRoot=\\%WDSServer%\Deployment$.

6. Click Edit Bootstrap.ini.

7. Configure BootStrap.ini to use the %WDSServer% property by adding or changing the DeployRoot value to DeployRoot=\\%WDSServer%\Deployment$.

8. On the File menu, click Save to save the changes to the BootStrap.ini file.

9. Click OK.

The deployment share needs to be updated.

10. In the details pane, click deployment_share (where deployment_share is the name of the deployment share to configure).

11. In the Actions pane, click Update Deployment Share.

The Update Deployment Share Wizard starts.

12. On the Options page, select the desired options for updating the deployment share, and then click Next.

13. On the Summary page, verify the details are correct, and then click Next.

14. On the Confirmation page, click Finish.

15. Import the updated boot WIM into Windows Deployment Services.