Static DNS

[stuartlee]

Hi Ladies/Gentleman

Firstly let me introduce myself and what i am trying to do, my name is stuart i work for the IT department for a college in London.

What i am trying to do is make a default profile (desktop background, static DNS, custom start bar menu ect) for windows 7. previously we have been using windows xp and just use the "copy to" profile method however with windows 7 it seems not so simple so i have been using AIK and sysprep with the answer file method.

I have managed to get my custom desktop background working and my sysprep answer file after many attempts now works however i notice the startbar menu i make on the customised administrator profile and the static DNS ip do not stay. the DNS reverts back to obtain automatically and the startbar goes back to windows default. The startbar is not of high importance at the moment but i would very much like to get the static DNS in place as i have lots of machines to configure and do not want to have to add it manually every time.

bellow is a copy of my answer file if anyone can point out where i am going wrong would be fabulous i have tried everything i can think of.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>

<unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend">

<settings pass="specialize">

<component name="Microsoft-Windows-Security-SPP-UX" processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">

<SkipAutoActivation>true</SkipAutoActivation>

</component>

<component name="Microsoft-Windows-Deployment" processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">

<RunSynchronous>

<RunSynchronousCommand wcm:action="add">

<Order>1</Order>

<Path>net user administrator /active:yes</Path>

</RunSynchronousCommand>

</RunSynchronous>

</component>

<component name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">

<CopyProfile>true</CopyProfile>

<ShowWindowsLive>false</ShowWindowsLive>

<TimeZone>GMT Standard Time</TimeZone>

</component>

<component name="Microsoft-Windows-DNS-Client" processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">

<Interfaces>

<Interface wcm:action="add">

<DNSServerSearchOrder>

<IpAddress wcm:action="add" wcm:keyValue="1">**.**.**.**</IpAddress>

</DNSServerSearchOrder>

<Identifier>tosetmydns</Identifier>

</Interface>

</Interfaces>

</component>

</settings>

<settings pass="oobeSystem">

<component name="Microsoft-Windows-International-Core" processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">

<UILanguage>en-gb</UILanguage>

<InputLocale>en-gb</InputLocale>

<SystemLocale>en-gb</SystemLocale>

<UserLocale>en-gb</UserLocale>

</component>

<component name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">

<AutoLogon>

<Password>

<Value>********************</Value>

<PlainText>false</PlainText>

</Password>

<Enabled>true</Enabled>

<LogonCount>5</LogonCount>

<Username>administrator</Username>

</AutoLogon>

<FirstLogonCommands>

<SynchronousCommand wcm:action="add">

<Order>1</Order>

<CommandLine>cscript //b c:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs /ipk *****-*****-*****-*****-*****</CommandLine>

<RequiresUserInput>false</RequiresUserInput>

</SynchronousCommand>

<SynchronousCommand wcm:action="add">

<Order>2</Order>

<CommandLine>cscript //b c:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs /ato</CommandLine>

<RequiresUserInput>false</RequiresUserInput>

</SynchronousCommand>

</FirstLogonCommands>

<OOBE>

<HideEULAPage>true</HideEULAPage>

<NetworkLocation>Work</NetworkLocation>

<ProtectYourPC>3</ProtectYourPC>

</OOBE>

<UserAccounts>

<AdministratorPassword>

<Value>**********************=</Value>

<PlainText>false</PlainText>

</AdministratorPassword>

<LocalAccounts>

<LocalAccount wcm:action="add">

<Password>

<Value>********************</Value>

<PlainText>false</PlainText>

</Password>

<Description>Local Administrator</Description>

<DisplayName>Administrator</DisplayName>

<Group>Administrators</Group>

<Name>Administrator</Name>

</LocalAccount>

</LocalAccounts>

</UserAccounts>

<RegisteredOrganization>HWLC</RegisteredOrganization>

<RegisteredOwner>ITSERVICES</RegisteredOwner>

</component>

</settings>

<cpi:offlineImage cpi:source="catalog:e:/sources/install_windows 7 professional.clg" xmlns:cpi="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:cpi" />

</unattend>

Above you can see my answer file, i have been looking around the forums and someone sugested that the line bellow

<Identifier>tosetmydns</Identifier>

is where you need to put the MAC address of the network card, but as i will be deploying this to over 1000 machines it would be almost imposible to make 1000+ answer files so in my file above i just put tosetmydns,i did however try using the MAC address there with the 1 machine i am testing....i tried this putting : inbetween each two digets of the mac address and i also tried it with no : but neither worked. also i am unsure what i need to put on the following fields in sysprep AIK during the answer file creation:

DNS Domain

Use Domain name devolution

if i right click DNSSufixsearchorder i can select the option to insert a new domain name, do i need to do this?

Disable dynamic update mode

DNSdomain

enable adaptor domain name registration

identifier (as i read before this is for the mac address of the adaptor? i have over 1000 adaptors and pretty sure they all have differant mac addresses)

please if someone could help shed some light on this would be great, thanks for your help guys

[maxXPsoft]

try adding <DNSDomain>xxx.xxx.1.1</DNSDomain> right after </DNSServerSearchOrder>

Know this can be done but can't find my notes right now

also <Identifier>Local Area Connection</Identifier>

Edited April 24, 2010 by maxXPsoft

[stuartlee]

try adding <DNSDomain>xxx.xxx.1.1</DNSDomain> right after </DNSServerSearchOrder>

Know this can be done but can't find my notes right now

also <Identifier>Local Area Connection</Identifier>

One word.................. GENIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! you have no idea how many different configurations i have tried, it never accrued to me to put the IP in the DNS domain i would always use characters ******.com and the Local Area Connection also never accrued to me i would always use something more physical like the address of the card! wow problem solved!

Huge thank you to maxXPsoft

[maxXPsoft]

One word.................. GENIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! you have no idea how many different configurations i have tried, it never accrued to me to put the IP in the DNS domain i would always use characters ******.com and the Local Area Connection also never accrued to me i would always use something more physical like the address of the card! wow problem solved!

Huge thank you to maxXPsoft

Thanks

We don't get much help from MS nor the help files so that leaves us with experimentation.

[johnhc]

In unattend.chm, I find that the MAC address is formatted 00-11-22-33-44-55. Enjoy, John.