Windows Deployment Services
Applies To: Windows Server 2008
Windows Deployment Services is the updated and redesigned version of Remote Installation Services (RIS). Windows Deployment Services assists with the rapid adoption and deployment of Windows operating systems. You can use it to set up new computers through a network-based installation without having to be present physically at each computer and without having to install Windows directly from CD media.
Hierarchy of Managed Entities
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Managed Entities
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The WDSServer service is the main server-side service for Windows Deployment Services. It provides basic service functions such as memory management, thread pooling, and network interface binding in an effort to support its hosted subcomponents, known as providers. The providers provide the true functionality associated with WDSServer. There are five providers included with the default (Deployment Server) installation:
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The Pre-Boot Execution Environment (PXE) server is used by Windows Deployment Services to provide network boot programs to client computers. PXE technology is a standard created by Intel that establishes a common and consistent set of pre-boot services within the boot firmware. The end goal is to enable a client to perform a network boot and receive a network boot program (NBP) from a network boot server. |
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The Pre-Boot Execution Environment (PXE) provider for Windows Deployment Services provides client boot services over the network. It registers itself with the WDSServer service (the main server-side service of the Windows Deployment Services solution) and requests a remote procedure call (RPC) endpoint. PXE technology is a standard created by Intel that establishes a common and consistent set of pre-boot services within the boot firmware. The end goal is to enable a client to perform a network boot and receive a network boot program (NBP) from a network boot server.
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The Windows Deployment Services image server stores and maintains the installation and boot images. The image server is the module used by the Windows Deployment Services client when it is communicating with the server. The server registers a remote procedure call (RPC) endpoint for communication between the client and the server. |
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The multicast server deploys an image to a large number of client computers concurrently without overburdening the network. When you create a multicast transmission for an image, the data is sent over the network only once, which can drastically reduce the network bandwidth that is used.
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The multicast server uses a content provider to transmit the data from the server to the client. The Windows Deployment Services content provider can transfer any file over a multicast transmission. This content provider connects the multicast transmission or namespace to the data that has been requested by clients. |
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You use the Windows Deployment Services Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) server to download the files that are needed to do a network boot using the Pre-Boot Execution Environment (PXE). PXE technology is a standard created by Intel that establishes a common and consistent set of pre-boot services within the boot firmware. The end goal is to enable a client to do a network boot and receive a network boot program (NBP) from a network boot server. The TFTP server downloads boot files such as Pxeboot.com, Wdsnbp.com, Bootmgr.exe, and Default.bcd, as well as the boot image that contains Windows Preinstallation Environment (Windows PE).
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