Use the procedures and information in this topic to help you deploy operating systems in your System Center 2012 Configuration Manager environment.

To deploy an operating system, you must build a reference computer and add computers to the Configuration Manager database. You can then deploy the operating system, and optionally, perform a side-by-side deployment. Use the following sections for more information:

How to Build a Reference Computer

You can configure the reference computer manually, or you can build the reference computer and capture the operating system image by using a build and capture task sequence.

Note
If you build the reference computer manually, you can capture the operating system image by using capture media. For more information about capture media, see the How to Create Capture Media section in the How to Deploy Operating Systems by Using Media in Configuration Manager topic.

To build the reference computer manually

To build a reference computer by using a build and capture task sequence

How to Add a Computer to the Configuration Manager Database

To deploy an operating system to a new computer that is not currently managed by Configuration Manager without using stand-alone media, the new computer must be added to the Configuration Manager database before you deploy the operating system. Although Configuration Manager can automatically discover computers on your network that have a Windows operating system installed, if the computer has no operating system installed, you must import the new computer information by using the Import Computer Information Wizard. This wizard supports importing information about a single computer, or importing information about one or more computers from an external .csv file.

Consider the following factors when you add computers to the Configuration Manager database:

  • If the computer that you import is already in the Configuration Manager database, the computer information that you import overwrites the existing computer information.

  • When you add computers by using a file or when you add a single computer, do not specify data in raw byte format. If the computer information is entered by using raw byte format, the computer import will fail.

  • If you add computers by using a computer information file, you must create the file before you run the Import Computer Information Wizard.

    Create the file by using the comma separated values (CSV) format. Use the following format when you enter the computer information, with each property value in a separate column.

    NEWCOMP1,55555555-5555-5555-5555-555555555555,05:06:07:08:09:0A

  • If you import a computer and then provision the operating system of the computer manually, Configuration Manager considers the computer to be a new client and not the imported computer.

  • If you import a computer to override an existing client and then re-image the operating system for the client by using Configuration Manager, Configuration Manager considers the computer to be a new client.

  • If you import a computer and then provision it by using a PXE-initiated deployment, Configuration Manager matches the computer to the imported computer.

Use the following procedures to import multiple computers by using a computer information file or to import a single computer.

To import computer information from a file

To import computer information for a single computer

How to Deploy Operating System Images to a Computer

You use task sequences to deploy operating system images to destination computers. This means that you must create a task sequence that references the boot image used to boot the destination computer, the operating system image that you want to install on the destination computer, and any other additional content, such as other applications, that you want installed. Then you must deploy the task sequence to the collection that contains the destination computer.

For information about creating and deploying task sequences, see the How to Manage Task Sequences in Configuration Manager topic.

How to Perform a Side-by-Side Operating System Deployment

You can use Configuration Manager to perform a side-by-side computer deployment. Side-by-side computer deployments are useful for computer upgrade scenarios when you want to move the user state and files from an existing computer to a destination computer that has an updated operating system.

To perform a side-by-side deployment

  1. Import the new destination computer into the Configuration Manager database. See, How to Add a Computer to the Configuration Manager Database

  2. Create a computer association between the existing computer and the destination computer. See the How to Create a Computer Association for Side-by-Side Deployment section in the How to Manage the User State in Configuration Manager topic.

  3. Capture the user state from the existing computer. See the How to Capture and Restore User State Data When You Use a State Migration Point section in the How to Manage the User State in Configuration Manager topic.

  4. Create a task sequence to deploy the operating system to the destination computer. How to Manage Task Sequences in Configuration Manager

  5. Restore the user state on the destination computer. See the How to Capture and Restore User State Data When You Use a State Migration Point section in the How to Manage the User State in Configuration Manager topic.

See Also