Datasheet
13
Optimizing Your Deployment Image
operating system ships with tools that allow you to mount and edit images directly.
Of course, before you are able to modify the image, you need to copy the image to a
volume that has a read/write le system. You can’t write changes back to the original
DVD media, but you can write a revised image to a new DVD. The sources directory
contains two image les that are of interest to administrators. These are as follows:
Install.wim: 3 This le contains the Windows Server 2008 R2 image. You
modify a copy of this le when creating a custom image. You install this le
on a Windows Deployment Services (WDS) server when you want to perform a
network deployment of Windows Server 2008 R2.
Boot.wim: 3 This le contains information necessary to boot Windows Server
2008 R2. You install this le on a WDS server as a boot image, allowing the
network installation process to prepare a computer for the deployment of
Windows Server 2008 R2.
Using DISM to Manage Images
DISM.exe is a command-line tool included with Windows Server 2008 R2. DISM.exe
allows you to modify a Windows Server 2008 R2 image whether that image is stored
in WIM format or VHD format. You can use DISM.exe to turn on features, add drivers,
and add software updates to the image. This process is sometimes referred to as an
ofine update to the image. Online updates to an image traditionally involve deploy-
ing the image, performing the updates on an active system, and then recapturing the
updated system to a new image. An advantage of the WIM and VHD image formats is
that they allow you to modify an image that you have created without having to go
through the rigmarole of performing that modication on a live system.
If you obtain the installation media from Microsoft, TechNet, or MSDN, the
install.wim image will allow the following installations:
Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard3
Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard (Server Core)3
Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise3
Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise (Server Core)3
Windows Server 2008 R2 Datacenter3
Windows Server 2008 R2 Datacenter (Server Core)3
Windows Server 2008 R2 Web3
Windows Server 2008 R2 Web (Server Core)3
You need to
have the boot.wim
file installed on the
WDS server even
if you are deploying
VHD images rather
than WIM images.
This file enables
the computer to
boot up over the
network, just as
it would if the file
was stored locally.
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