Need tips for large installation...

[MtK]

Hi,

I want to be able to install my unattended CD in my company, where I obviosly have more than 1 PC...

how can i define computer's names, IP's, and other stuff the are machine uniques?

(all with the same CD)

[Alanoll]

that's a very good question, and just for curiousity, I want to know too.

my guess would be multiple unattend.txt files.

[JPamplin]

I don't know how you could do the IP addresses without setting up a "static DHCP" server which would give out the same IP address to a certain MAC address. By the time you collected all the MAC addresses, though, you might as well type it in the IP control panel of each machine manually.

As far as machine names go, I just set the machine name to be randomly generated, as such, in WINNT.SIF:

[UserData]
    ProductID=11111-22222-33333-44444-55555
    FullName="User"
    OrgName="Windows XP"
    ComputerName="*"

which of course you can go back later and change the PC name later. Honestly, the typical PC unattended install has to reboot after certain kinds of updates anyway, so I would think you could set that stuff as you were installing the PC at the user's desk or during the final reboot.

Defining that in some sort of file on a static CD might be making this too complicated. You may want to try other methods.

JP

[big_gie]

Run the setupmngr, I think there is an option somewhere for multiple computers... look it the help file too.

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[enuffsaid]

MtK,

Does your company have a Domain Controller with Active Directory?

At our company PC's are imaged through RIS. If it's the first time a PC is imaged, it will recieve a name from a list, and that name will then be reserved for that PC. The name will be paired to the MAC Adres. I believe this information is stored in the Active Directory. However, I'm not sure.

Regards,

eNuffSaid

[Aaron]

Would this be it?

Auto naming of PC from MAC address

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[pauledavey]

assuming that the PC's are HP or compaq for example, you can always set the PC name the same as its asset tag in the bios for example. Failing that use teh serial number of the PC as its computername.

Then use WMI and vbscript to pull that data and feed it in to Netset.exe(from win2k resource kit) to set your computername and IP info on each PC.

You would run your script at the runonceex stage of the build.

HTH

Paul