How to install MDT (Microsoft Deployment Toolkit) - 01

MDT - Microsoft Deployment Toolkit

MDT is a free application given by Microsoft and you can download it from http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/solutionaccelerators/dd407791

FYI: Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2012 RC1 is also now available!

 Features in MDT 2010,

·         Comprehensive tools and guidance to efficiently manage large-scale deployments of Microsoft Office 2010.

·         A new User-Driven Installation (UDI) deployment method that utilizes System Center Configuration Manager. UDI lets end users initiate and customize an OS deployment on their PCs—via an easy-to-use wizard.

·         Automatically detects the true supported platforms for drivers, reducing deployment issues.

I’m going to use “Lite Touch Installation (LTI) for the deployment of Windows 7”. For  "Zero Touch Installation of Windows 7”  we can use Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010 with System Center Configuration Manager 2007 R2 SP2.

These are the things that I will explain here,

• Install and configure Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010 – Update 1.

• Create a Task Sequence and deploy clean Windows 7 images.

• Adding and configuring Microsoft Office 2010 in MDT 2010 for deployment.

• Creating and capturing a reference image of Windows 7 and Microsoft Office 2010.

• Deployment of the customized Windows 7 images with Microsoft Office 2010 installed.

Requirements for MDT 2010

I have configured my Active Directory and DNS infrastructure and operational.

DHCP configured with Windows Deployment Services (WDS).

Windows Deployment Services (WDS) configured.

Windows 7 source files.

Microsoft Office 2010 installation files.

Software,

Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIK) 2.0. You can download it from http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=5753

  MSXML 6.0.

  PowerShell.

 Net Framework 3.5 SP1

 Note: Even though .Net Framework 2.5 SP1 is not a requirement for MDT 2010 installation; one of its features, User-Driven Installation (UDI), does requires the latest Microsoft Framework installed.

MDT 2010 Installation

 All Microsoft Deployment Toolkit versions, the installation is a straight forward procedure: Just download, execute the installer and complete the installation wizard.

Once installed, we can access any of the components from the “Start Menu”.

 “Getting started”: All the steps involved to get MDT 2010 functional. 

 

“Documentation”: All necessary links to start working with the tool.

Also another important section is “Components” where we can verify that all necessary requirements were installed (plus other optional installations).