User's Manual

14 Introduction
This guide also includes a "Known Issues and Frequently Asked Questions" section.
What’s New
The Deployment Toolkit version 1.0 was the first release of a Dell-designed
and tested suite of MS-DOS
®
—based utilities, sample script files, and best
practices models to use for configuring and deploying Dell systems in a
customized, predictable, and unattended manner.
The new features for DTK version 2.5 include:
• Support for new Dell systems
NOTE: For the list of Dell systems supported for this version of DTK, see the
readme.txt file in the root folder, or the Dell Systems Software Support Matrix
on the Dell Systems Management Tools and Documentation DVD or on the
Dell Support website at support.dell.com.
Prerequisites and Requirements
The DTK is a collection of Windows PE- and Linux-based utilities and scripts
that assist in performing pre-operating system tasks and deploying Dell
systems. An advanced knowledge of Windows PE and Linux is required for
users who want to use the DTK utilities to perform pre-operating system
configuration tasks or to run a scripted deployment in the respective
environments.
A pre-operating system environment is defined as the environment used to
configure system hardware before a major operating system, such as Windows
or Linux, is installed. The DTK utilities and scripts, for example, are executed
in a Windows PE or embedded Linux environment for hardware configuration.
Because of the open nature of the utilities and scripts and the environment in
which they can be used, it is strongly recommended that DTK users have an
advanced understanding of the Windows PE and Linux environment and scripting
knowledge for the respective environments. DTK users with an advanced
understanding of Windows PE and Linux can take full advantage of the utilities
and exploit their capabilities above and beyond what the sample scripts can
provide.