January 25, 2012

Newsletter January 2012

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		TrueSec News and Geek Stuff

January 2012

Ah what a spring we have ahead of us! Microsoft finally revealed all the good stuff coming with System Center 2012 and released a new wave of RC’s and BETA’s. They are positioning a whole suit of products as the road to the Microsoft Private Cloud Solution and I am happy to say that TrueSec has been on that trail for a while now.

We are running 3 - 4 and 5 day trainings on the most vital parts of the System Center suit and have done so for some time now. Right now we have Config Manager,Virtual Machine Manager, Operations Manager and Orchestrator classes on our web. Coming shortly is the Data Protection Manager class. We are also working hard on a 5 day System Center Suite Hands-On LAB. This will be a LAB for our customers that would like to see the complete suite in action.

Our class “Mastering Config Mgr 2012” that Kent Agerlund been doing for almost a year now, with continuous updating the material to the latest released version. What differs this (and in fact all the TrueSec trainings) from the regular Microsoft trainings is that its built on real life scenarios, integrates with community tools, MDT and other related tools that are used in real live projects. This as well as the fact that our instructors spend the majority of their time with customers, and only smaller portion of their time is spent in the class room sharing their experience guarantees you get a skilled pro that goes beyond the GUI and what’s in the book. (Read some verbatim from Kent’s last session in Minneapolis).

Take the opportunity to meet Kent in this upcoming Free LiveMeeting on February 16, ConfigMgr 2012 - New features and functionalities

Meet Kent and Johan Arwidmark in London on February in their 5 day class : “MVP Combo Pack – The ultimate MDT2012 and Config Mgr2012 training”. It’s a rare occasion to meet them both and tap their brains.

Another major product release that we are covering is of course Windows 8, both client and server. We have listed the “Mastering Windows Server 8” training and will start deliver that class as soon as public beta software is released. Being a member of the TAP program for Windows 8, it has given us the opportunity to follow and participate in the product development with Microsoft. Our popular Deployment trainings will also start to partially cover the Windows 8 client starting this spring (again awaiting the public beta).

Niklas Goude, our PowerShell MVP, has updated his Mastering PowerShell to be a real differentiator to other standard PS trainings. Next session is in Los Angeles already end of February.

We are happy to announce our partnership with QuickStart taking our trainings to the west coast as they offer training facilities in California, Oregon and Washington. Earlier this fall we started doing trainings with Benchmark Learning in Minneapolis. Check them both out!

This month’s newsletter content providers are Johan and Mike whom been busy writing the sequels in the Deployment Fundamentals series. Volume ll hit the shelves in December and the third book title is in the writing to be released shortly.

Finally I like to congratulate yet one more of our instructors/consultants Hasain Alshakarti in earning the honorable title of Microsoft MVP Enterprise Security.

Mikael Nystrom:

Make your users happy.

Johan Arwidmark:

The Hydration Kit for ConfigMgr2012 RC2 is available for download

Making your users happy

I know that branding Windows is not something “new”, it has been around forever (it feels like that anyway) but for some reason it very seldom happens and when it does the ref image is “Locked-down and cannot be changed” so folks try to do this using GPO’s, script and all other methods. Also, very few IT pros can see no benefit, even if there are. The number one reason is that your boss can “see” that you have done something and that is a good reason. So now when I have convinced you, you need a kit, and here it is. “The ViaMonstra branding kit”

The reason that I never posted this is that all the pictures are my customers, not mine. But then Johan Arwidmark started writing “Deployment Fundamentals Vol III”. That is about Deploying Windows 7 using SCCM (extended with MDT) we thought that branding would be fun to have in the book, and suddenly I was in the position to create graphics that we can use in the book. So now I have something to share, and here it is. The ViaMonstra Branding Kit!

This “Application” has three folders (and one VBScript) , LogonUI, OEMLogo and Wallpaper. In each of these folders you then have the pictures.

In the LogonUI folder you will find “BackgroundDefault.jpg” with a size of 800 x 600 pixels.

In the OEMLogo folder you will find “OEMLOGO.bmp” with a size of 305 x 301 pixels.

In the Wallpaper folder you will find “CorporateWallpaper.JPG” with a size of 960 x 720 pixels.

You will also see a vbscript that will put all the files in the correct location and also update the registry correctly

The VBScript is kind of simple,

it will create folders on the local machine, copy all the files to the correct location and update the registry for the local admin account. So if it updates the local admin account, how will that apply to all the users that logs on to the machine then? Easy, we use the “CopyProfile” in the unattend.xml file when we deploy the image. Note, we do not use copyprofile while creating the image, only when we deploy the image.

You can download the kit from

http://deploymentresearch.com/mnfiles/Install%20-%20ViaMonstra%20Branding%20Pack%20for%20Windows%207.zip

/mike

The Hydration Kit for ConfigMgr 2012 RC2 is available for download

By Johan Arwidmark
Chief Technical Architect – Knowledge Factory

Here is a download for deploying a complete ConfigMgr 2012 RC2 infrastructure in either Hyper-V or VMware: One Domain Controller and one ConfigMgr 2012 RC2 member server – Including pre-requisites like .Net Framework, SQL 2008 R2 SP1 CU4 and IIS - all fully automated.

Once configured, the total build time for the full ConfigMgr 2012 RC2 lab environment is about 1.5 hours (on my laptop).

Download the Hydration Kit for ConfigMgr 2012 RC2 (137 kb).

To build the lab there are three steps you need to do

1. Download the necessary software

2. Prepare the hydration deployment solution

3. Deploy your virtual machines

Detailed instructions are further down this page...

The Task Sequence that builds the CM01 Server (Member Server with SQL, WDS, IIS and ConfigMgr 2012 RC2)

Hydration Instructions

Step 1 - Download the necessary software

On the machine (client or server) that you use to manage Hyper-V or VMware, create the C:\Downloads folder and download the following software (trial versions are ok too):

ConfigMgr 2012 RC2
MDT 2010 Update 1
SQL Server 2008 R2 x64
SQL Server 2008 R2 SP1 Update x64 (KB 2528583)
SQL Server 2008 R2 SP1 CU4 Update x64 (KB 2633146)
Sysinternals BGInfo
Windows AIK 2.0 (named Windows AIK for Windows 7 v3.0 on Microsoft download)
Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise with SP1

Step 2 - Prepare the Hydration environment

1. On your Hyper-V or VMware management machine, make sure PowerShell is installed.

2. Extract Windows AIK 2.0 (or mount the ISO using an ISO mounting tool like SlySoft Virtual CloneDrive), and install Windows AIK 2.0 with the default settings.

3. Install MDT 2010 Update 1 with the default settings.

4. Extract the HydrationCM2012RC2.zip file to C:\. You should now have a C:\HydrationCM2012RC2\Source folder with a few folders and PowerShell scripts.

5. In a PowerShell command prompt, configure Execution Policy in PowerShell, by typing the following command:

Set-ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted -Force

6. In the PowerShell command prompt, create the Hydration Deployment Share by running the following command:

C:\HydrationCM2012RC1\Source\1_CreateHydrationDeployment.ps1

7. Copy the following folders from C:\HydrationCM2012RC1\Source\HydrationDS to C:\HydrationCM2012RC1\HydrationDS, replace any existing files.

Applications
Control
Operating Systems
Scripts

8. Extract the ConfigMgr 2012 RC2 installation files to the C:\HydrationCM2012RC1\HydrationDS\Applications\Install - ConfigMgr 2012 RC2\Source folder.

9. To download the latest ConfigMgr 2012 RC2 pre-requisites, run the C:\HydrationCM2012RC2\HydrationDS\Applications\Install - ConfigMgr 2012 RC2\Source\SMSSETUP\BIN\X64\Setupdl.exe application. In the path textbox, browse to C:\HydrationCM2012RC2\HydrationDS\Applications\Install - ConfigMgr 2012 RC2\PreReqs and click Download.

10. Copy the C:\HydrationCM2012RC2\HydrationDS\Applications\Install - ConfigMgr 2012 RC2\Source\SMSSETUP\BIN\X64\EXTADSCH.exe file to C:\HydrationCM2012RC2\HydrationDS\Applications\Configure - Extend AD for ConfigMgr 2012\Source.

11. Copy the SQL Server 2008 R2 x64 installation files to the C:\HydrationCM2012RC2\HydrationDS\Applications\Install - SQL Server 2008 R2\Source folder.

12. Copy the SQL Server 2008 R2 SP1 x64 installation files to the C:\HydrationCM2012RC2\HydrationDS\Applications\Install - SQL Server 2008 R2 x64 SP1 (Update)\Source folder

13. Copy the SQL Server 2008 R2 SP1 CU4 installation file to the C:\HydrationCM2012RC2\HydrationDS\Applications\Install - SQL Server 2008 R2 SP1 CU4\Source folder

14. Copy the C:\HydrationCM2012RC2\HydrationDS\Applications\Install - ConfigMgr 2012 RC2\PreReqs\dotNetFx40_Full_x86_x64.exe file to the C:\HydrationCM2012RC2\HydrationDS\Applications\Install - NET FrameWork 4.0\Source folder

15. Extract your BGInfo installation files and copy them to C:\HydrationCM2012RC2\HydrationDS\Applications\Install - BGInfo \Source

16. Extract your Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise with SP1 installation files (or mount the ISO using an ISO mounting tool like SlySoft Virtual CloneDrive), and copy them to the C:\HydrationCM2012RC2\HydrationDS\Operating Systems\Windows Server 2008 R2 x64 folder

17. In the PowerShell command prompt, create the Hydration Media Item by running the following command:

C:\HydrationCM2012RC2\Source\2_CreateHydrationMediaItem.ps1

18. Copy the C:\HydrationCM2012RC2\Source\Media001\Control folder to C:\HydrationCM2012RC2\HydrationISO\Content\Deploy, replace existing files

19. In the PowerShell command prompt, update the Hydration Media Item (and create the ISO) by running the following command:

C:\HydrationCM2012RC2\Source\3_UpdateHydrationServersMedia.ps1

Step 3 – Create and deploy the virtual machines

1. In your virtual environment, make sure to have a dedicated virtual network for your virtual machines (since one of them will run a DHCP Server).

2. Copy the C:\HydrationCM2012RC2\HydrationISO\HydrationCM2012RC2.iso file to wherever folder you use store ISO files in your virtual environment.

3. Using either Hyper-V Manager or VMware Sphere, create a virtual machine named DC01 with a 300 GB hard drive, and at least 1 GB of RAM. Configure the virtual machine to use the virtual network dedicated for the Hydration, and to boot from the HydrationCM2012RC2.iso file.

4. Start the DC01 virtual machine, after booting from the iso, select the DC01 Task Sequence, and wait until the setup is complete.

5. Using either Hyper-V Manager or VMware Sphere, create a virtual machine named CM01 with a 300 GB hard drive, and at least 4 GB of RAM. Configure the virtual machine to use the virtual network dedicated for the Hydration, and to boot from the HydrationCM2012RC2.iso file.

6. Start the CM01 virtual machine, after booting from the iso, select the CM01 Task Sequence, and wait until the setup is complete.

Additional Notes:

If you need to change server names, IP addresses, domain names etc. in the environement, all configuration is stored in the four .ini files in the Source\Media001\Control folder.

/ Johan

Where to find us......

MVP Combo Pack- The Ultimate MDT 2012 and ConfigMgr 2012 training with Kent Agerlund and Johan Arwidmark

London, UK

February 13-17

Mastering System Center Configurations Manager 2012 with Kent Agerlund

Bellevue, WA

February 21-24

Mastering System Center Operations Manager with Kare Rude Andersen
Bellevue, WA

March 12-15

Mastering PowerShell
with Niklas Goude
Los Angeles February 21-23

Mastering System Center Virtual Machine Manager with Mike Nystrom Bellevue, WA
March 5-7

Full schedule at http://www.truesec.com

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