White Papers
Deploying an Operating Systems Image on Dell Business Client Systems Using Microsoft System Center
2012 Configuration Manager
5
Introduction
IT administrators of large scale enterprises use centralized systems management processes for
managing the heterogeneous network of clients. Common administrative activities involve deploying
standardized corporate operating system images to client hardware, and using a consistent mechanism
to gather application software, hardware, and operating systems (OS) information across the network
from a central management console like Microsoft System Center 2012 Configuration Manager
(Configuration Manager 2012).
These administrators are often faced with the complex task of managing generations of client hardware
systems and making sure that their image management strategy and deployment processes continue to
work across these changing hardware technologies.
The Dell™ Client System Deployment CABs (Driver CABs) provide a convenient mechanism for an IT
professional to rapidly develop and deploy customized corporate OS images on Dell client systems. This
white paper provides an overview of how to leverage the operating system deployment (OSD)
capabilities of Microsoft® System Center 2012 Configuration Manager in conjunction with the Dell™
Client System Deployment CABs to deploy a customized OS image on Dell client systems.
The intended audiences for this white paper are IT and network administrators or managers who use
Configuration Manager2012 operating system deployment tools and processes for building and managing
images. The reader is expected to have a basic understanding of Configuration Manager2012 OSD and
has a task sequence created for a bare metal deployment.
Client system deployment CAB overview
The Dell Client System Deployment CAB files that are now available on the Dell Support Web site and
the Dell Technical Center Web site offer new levels of ease and flexibility for creating and deploying
customized OS images on Dell Latitude E-Series systems. The key capabilities provided by the Dell
Client Systems Deployment CAB are:
All system applicable drivers in a single archive
The flexibility to manage and deploy corporate standard images on Dell client systems
either by model or by generations of systems
With the Dell Client Systems Deployment CAB, IT Administrator can perform the following tasks:
Use Microsoft Windows OS-based PnP enumeration capabilities to install drivers for
applicable devices Create a system-level optimized deployment sequence
Set up an appropriate boot control sequence Optimize the deployment of targeted
system-specific driver packages
Content structuring
All Dell CABs use the following file naming structure: <Model>-<OS>-<Version>.cab. A Windows Vista®
OS CAB for a Dell Latitude
TM
E4300 notebook would be named: E4300-Vista-A00.cab. Any of the system
CABs are viewed and/or edited using either Windows Explorer and/or the cabinet SDK tools available
for download from the Microsoft Web site.