Deploying Images (Standard 7 SP1)

  • Article

7/8/2014

You can deploy an image to production devices or to end-user devices by using existing Microsoft technologies such as Sysprep, ImageX, System Center Configuration Manager (ConfigMgr), Windows Deployment Services (WDS) and Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM).

A production device is an embedded device that is in production at an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) factory. An OEM needs to deploy an image to each production device before the device can be sold. An end-user device is an embedded device belonging to a company that uses embedded devices. The company deploys an image to each new embedded device to further customize the image and add additional software. The corporation or small business also deploys an image when an embedded device in the field needs an update.

This information introduces some common deployment scenarios supported by Windows Embedded Standard 7.

Deployment Scenarios

Customizing an Existing Image on New Hardware and Deploying

An IT professional at a company who receives a new embedded device from an OEM may need to add some software tools and applications onto the device that are needed by the company. The IT professional can take one of the new devices and make configuration changes and add the needed software. After completing the modifications, he or she can use Sysprep to prepare the image for deployment to multiple end-user devices. The image can then be deployed using any of the deployment mechanisms that support Windows 7, such as CONFIGMGR, ImageX, WDS or DISM.

Deploying an Existing Image to New or Repurposed Hardware

An IT professional at a company may receive an embedded device that needs an existing image deployed to it. The IT professional can use one of the following methods for deploying the image:

  • Remote Installation using a Preboot Execution Environment (PXE) Server
    If the target device supports a network boot using PXE, then it can be configured to boot to the CONFIGMGR Operating System Deployment (OSD) Server and follow the on screen instructions to install a preconfigured image that has been created for the device.
  • Offline Media
    If the target device has no connection to a network with access to existing images, the IT professional can use other bootable media containing the image file and ImageX tool, and use ImageX to deploy the image.
  • Offline Media and a Network Share
    If the target device can access a network share, the IT professional can use some bootable media and load an image via the network connection.
  • Automated Download using Target Machine Update
    Using CONFIGMGR or WDS, the IT professional can provide an image and some device-specific data, such as machine id and subnet membership to the CONFIGMGR or WDS database. Then the IT professional can configure the target device to do a network boot using PXE, which causes the image to be deployed without user interaction.

In This Section

  • Building Images
    Describes how to create, customize, and localize a Standard 7 installation.
  • Technical Articles
    Provides technical articles on building, deploying, and servicing Standard 7 images.