SysPrep SBS 2008 Configuration

Hello,
After configuring an SBS 2008 Server is it possible to sysprep and capture
the configuration and deploy it out to multiple machines. I know this is
possible but maybe not to the degree I’d like.

So, I have setup SBS 2008 and I have done the following:
entered my domain name mycompany.local
configured group policies
relocated data such as exchange and sharepoint (to a second disk)
users and computers are in AD (this was part of a migration from SBS 2003)
applied updates
configured WSUS
and generally configured all other components of SBS 2008

I have obviously put quite a lot of effort into setting this machine up and
I would like to have this configuration replicated out to my clients. Can I
use sysprep to do this after this amount of configuration has taken place?
Removing all added user and computer accounts, and allowing to enter a new
domain name during setup when it gets deployed. If I can’t do this what can I
do on a new installation to get it as close as possible to a final
configuration to this degree, from a complete configuration what will sysprep
NOT reset/remove.

Thanks

sysprep is a good tool for getting a desktop configuration pushed out to
multiple machines with similar hardware, but I'd not use it for a server
setup. There are some things in AD that sysprep won't reset and in that
regard it'd leave your system highly insecure. One compromised server and
all of your clients are then equally at risk.

In my opinion it is best to go through the configuration for a clean install
of SBS each and every time. Most of your "setup" (unless there are things
you haven't mentioned here) are easy to reproduce so you aren't saving any
time by sysprepping an image. Updates? You should be configuring WSUS
regardless, so this isn't a big deal. Group Policies? 2008 supports
starter templates. Sharepoint? Not a good idea to replicate this as much
of the data stored in SQL is dependent on AD accounts which, as I've
mentioned above, is not a good idea to spread across multiple installs.

Basically I just can see *no* benefit to a sysprepped image of SBS...

-Cliff


"Steve" <> wrote in message
news:E18AC703-FF9E-40F3-B68A-...
> Hello,
> After configuring an SBS 2008 Server is it possible to sysprep and capture
> the configuration and deploy it out to multiple machines. I know this is
> possible but maybe not to the degree I’d like.
>
> So, I have setup SBS 2008 and I have done the following:
> entered my domain name mycompany.local
> configured group policies
> relocated data such as exchange and sharepoint (to a second disk)
> users and computers are in AD (this was part of a migration from SBS 2003)
> applied updates
> configured WSUS
> and generally configured all other components of SBS 2008
>
> I have obviously put quite a lot of effort into setting this machine up
> and
> I would like to have this configuration replicated out to my clients. Can
> I
> use sysprep to do this after this amount of configuration has taken place?
> Removing all added user and computer accounts, and allowing to enter a new
> domain name during setup when it gets deployed. If I can’t do this what
> can I
> do on a new installation to get it as close as possible to a final
> configuration to this degree, from a complete configuration what will
> sysprep
> NOT reset/remove.
>
> Thanks
>
>

Cliff Galiher wrote:
> sysprep is a good tool for getting a desktop configuration pushed out to
> multiple machines with similar hardware, but I'd not use it for a server
> setup. There are some things in AD that sysprep won't reset and in that
> regard it'd leave your system highly insecure. One compromised server
> and all of your clients are then equally at risk.
>
> In my opinion it is best to go through the configuration for a clean
> install of SBS each and every time. Most of your "setup" (unless there
> are things you haven't mentioned here) are easy to reproduce so you
> aren't saving any time by sysprepping an image. Updates? You should be
> configuring WSUS regardless, so this isn't a big deal. Group Policies?
> 2008 supports starter templates. Sharepoint? Not a good idea to
> replicate this as much of the data stored in SQL is dependent on AD
> accounts which, as I've mentioned above, is not a good idea to spread
> across multiple installs.
>
> Basically I just can see *no* benefit to a sysprepped image of SBS...
>
> -Cliff
>
>
> "Steve" <> wrote in message
> news:E18AC703-FF9E-40F3-B68A-...
>> Hello,
>> After configuring an SBS 2008 Server is it possible to sysprep and
>> capture
>> the configuration and deploy it out to multiple machines. I know this is
>> possible but maybe not to the degree I’d like.
>>
>> So, I have setup SBS 2008 and I have done the following:
>> entered my domain name mycompany.local
>> configured group policies
>> relocated data such as exchange and sharepoint (to a second disk)
>> users and computers are in AD (this was part of a migration from SBS
>> 2003)
>> applied updates
>> configured WSUS
>> and generally configured all other components of SBS 2008
>>
>> I have obviously put quite a lot of effort into setting this machine
>> up and
>> I would like to have this configuration replicated out to my clients.
>> Can I
>> use sysprep to do this after this amount of configuration has taken
>> place?
>> Removing all added user and computer accounts, and allowing to enter a
>> new
>> domain name during setup when it gets deployed. If I can’t do this
>> what can I
>> do on a new installation to get it as close as possible to a final
>> configuration to this degree, from a complete configuration what will
>> sysprep
>> NOT reset/remove.
>>
>> Thanks
>>
>>
There's a SBS 2008 OEM kit. Whatever they've exposed to be sysprep'd
will be through that kit.

Steve,

Unfortunately what you have in mind is not possible, and to whatever degree
you attempt to take an approach on this it will not be supported by MS. MS
is very specific that you may not (cannot) deploy a configured server or
roll it back either fully configured or with domain resources already
configured. You cannot Sysprep a configured DC or AD domain, nor an Exchange
server.

The process you outline "reads" in a similar way to what the SBS Dev team
accomplished with deploying new SBS 2003 domains, but it's never been
possible to do that same concept with a configured domain and users. This
was a ridiculously complicated concept that MS chose to abandon for very
good reasons.

The closest you could get would be to generate a generic new SBS 2008 with
no configured users via the SBSanswerfile.xml for the domain specific naming
and details. That would produce a new domain and server installed with much
of what you want to accomplish and this is in fact what MS has in mind as
the solution path for you to deploy a new server with minimal manual
configuration. However you would then be stuck with how to bring the
existing domain configuration into it without going back through the hell of
ADMT related process and in the end, it's not going to accomplish your
overall goal of making a predictable and simplified construction path. You
would be better off using the MS Migration Mode setup to reduce the
user/workstation reconfiguration or an SBSmigration.com type Swing Migration
to eliminate it. (Note: SBSmigration.com is my website.)

Jeff Middleton




"Steve" <> wrote in message
news:E18AC703-FF9E-40F3-B68A-...
> Hello,
> After configuring an SBS 2008 Server is it possible to sysprep and capture
> the configuration and deploy it out to multiple machines. I know this is
> possible but maybe not to the degree I'd like.
>
> So, I have setup SBS 2008 and I have done the following:
> entered my domain name mycompany.local
> configured group policies
> relocated data such as exchange and sharepoint (to a second disk)
> users and computers are in AD (this was part of a migration from SBS 2003)
> applied updates
> configured WSUS
> and generally configured all other components of SBS 2008
>
> I have obviously put quite a lot of effort into setting this machine up
> and
> I would like to have this configuration replicated out to my clients. Can
> I
> use sysprep to do this after this amount of configuration has taken place?
> Removing all added user and computer accounts, and allowing to enter a new
> domain name during setup when it gets deployed. If I can't do this what
> can I
> do on a new installation to get it as close as possible to a final
> configuration to this degree, from a complete configuration what will
> sysprep
> NOT reset/remove.
>
> Thanks
>
>