hey guys. I'm working for a depart

[oshayan]

hey guys.
I'm working for a department with 100+ PCs, and my job is to create and deploy base images and applications for remote computers on the network. I'm quite new to this game so I was hoping to get some advice/tips about what is the best way to go about this.

Most of the PCs are IBMs so I thought that the cheapest method for deployment is to use free applications such as 'Remote Deployment Manager' and 'Software Delivery Assistant' (both available on the IBM website). These have worked reasonably well, but now I need to focus on non-ibm PCs. If I continue with the current method, it would mean that I would have a set of tools for IBMs and a set of tools for non-ibms.

The organisation has a tight budget (so they tell me), and the cheaper the solution, the more likely that it will be accepted by the gods in the boardroom.

A final piece of trivia. If the image and application deployment is accepted by my department, it will be pushed to other departments around the country and possibly internationally.

Am I going about this the right way?
Can anyone offer me other tools that can meet my needs?

Any and every piece of advice about this matter will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you all in advance.

 

[ReddLefty]

Read this thread. It's all about RIS server that comes with Windows 2000 Server. I currently have a slew of different types of computers.. mostly clones as a matter of fact, and I used RIS services and it's great.

thread733-597918



"In space, nobody can hear you click..."

 

[endwarde]

Yes, I agree with ReddLefty. We also use RIS to install the "CD Installation" of XP to all of our different types of PCs in the office. The "Plug and Play" ability of XP auto detect just about all of the hardware that is of any age at all. The only adjustments I have had to make have had to do with newer Dell PCs that have incompatable NICs which make you have to manually insert a few drivers into the installation image. No biggie.

After the installation runs through(and you can set up an unattended install file to work with it also), we then use AD to install the latest service pack and MS Office.

All in all, pretty slick... and great for multiple machine types over a network.