• Creating Unattend Files
  
  
• Automating the User Interface Screens of the Windows Deployment Services client
  
  
• Automating the Remaining Phases of Setup
  
  

To automate the entire installation you use two different unattend files: one for the Windows Deployment Services UI screens, and one for the latter phases of Setup. Two files are necessary because Windows Deployment Services can deploy two image types: Windows Vista images that support the Unattend.xml format, and Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 images, which do not support the Unattend.xml format.

• Windows Deployment Services client unattend file. To automate the Windows Deployment Services client user interface screens (such as entering credentials, choosing an install image, and configuring the disk), create a client unattend file. This file uses the Unattend.xml format and is stored on the Windows Deployment Services server in the RemoteInstall\WDSClientUnattend folder. For more information, see Automating the Windows Deployment Services client later in this topic.
  
  
• Image unattend file. Image unattend files automate the remaining phases of setup (for example, offline servicing, Sysprep specialize, and mini-setup). This file uses the Unattend.xml or Sysprep.inf format, depending on the version of the operating system of the image. It is stored in a subfolder (either $OEM$ structure or \Unattend) in the per-image folder. For more information, see Automating the Remaining Phases of Setup later in this topic.
  
  

It is possible to use a single unattend file throughout the entire installation process. To do this, you must pass an unattend file to Setup.exe with the /unattend:<unattend file> option, and you must configure the command-line unattend precedence appropriately. For precedence information, see Advanced Unattended Installation Scenarios. For an example file, see Sample Unattend Files. In addition, Windows Deployment Services supports implicit unattend searching and can be used in conjunction with AutoUnattend.xml. For more information about implicit search paths, see Methods for Running Windows Setup at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=120686.

You automate the UI screens using the Windows Deployment Services client unattend file (Unattend.xml). To completely automate the UI screens, you must specify settings that correspond to each screen. Unfortunately, this is not easy to figure out because of the Unattend.xml design. Unattend.xml is organized by the phases of unattend setting processing. As a result, there is not always a 1:1 mapping relationship between a particular setting and a UI screen. In addition, not all of the settings that are necessary to automate the UI screens for the Windows Deployment Services client are grouped within the file. We recommend that you use Windows System Image Manager (Windows SIM) to author the Windows Deployment Services client unattend file because it abstracts the format of the unattend file and makes for a simplified authoring experience.

Some of the settings in Unattend.xml that are processed by the Windows Deployment Services client are identical in syntax and form to other sections supported by Windows Vista Setup. For example, the DiskConfiguration setting used by the Windows Deployment Services client is identical to the DiskConfiguration section used by Setup. Other settings are specific to Windows Deployment Services (these reside in the WindowsDeploymentServices section) and are processed only when Setup.exe is running in Windows Deployment Services mode (see “When Setup Is Started in Windows Deployment Services Mode” in How the Windows Deployment Services Client Works (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=147067)). The Windows Deployment Services client processes only settings in the Windows PE section of the client unattend file. It will not process settings in any other sections of that file, nor will it pass on the client unattend file for further processing after the image is applied, unless at least one of the following is true:

• You have configured command-line precedence and are using an unattend file that was passed to Setup through the command line.
  
  
• You do not have an image unattend file, and the client is not configured to join a domain.
  
  

To associate a client unattend file by architecture

1. Create an Unattend.xml file with settings applicable to Windows Deployment Services client screens. For examples of these setup tasks, see Sample Unattend Files.

2. Copy the client unattend file to a folder in the RemoteInstall folder. For example: RemoteInstall\WDSClientUnattend.

3. Open the Windows Deployment Services MMC snap-in, right-click the server that contains the Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008 image that you want to associate the unattend file with, and then click Properties.

4. On the Client tab, select Enable unattended installation, browse to the appropriate unattend file, and then click Open.

5. Click OK to close the Properties page.

   	Note
   	The commands for this task are: To associate a client unattend file by architecture run WDSUTIL /Set-Server /WDSUnattend /Policy:enabled /File:<filepath> /Architecture:<arch>. To associate a client unattend file per computer, run WDSUTIL /Set-Device /Device:<computername> /ID:<GUID or MAC address> /WDSClientUnattend:<relative path>

Unattend File Settings

You automate the remaining phases of Setup with an image unattend file (Unattend.xml or Sysprep.inf). For examples, see Sample Unattend Files.

• Unattend.xml. For Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 images, author Unattend.xml by using Windows SIM, save it to a known location, and then associate the file with an image using the management tools. To do this, right-click the image in the MMC snap-in that you want to associate with the unattend file, and then click Properties. On the General tab, click Allow image to install in unattend mode, click Select File, browse to select the unattend file, and then click OK twice. The Unattend.xml file will be saved to the following location: \RemoteInstall\Images\<imagegroup>\<imagename>\Unattend\ImageUnattend.xml.
  
  
• Sysprep.inf. For images prior to Windows Vista, author Sysprep.inf by using Setup Manager and then save these files to the $OEM$ structure of the image (for example, D:\RemoteInstall\Images\Windows XP\winxpsp2\$OEM$\$1\sysprep\sysprep.inf). Now when you deploy the image, Setup will automatically locate and use the Sysprep.inf file.