It is included in the SMS2003 SP1 Beta.

The Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS) 2003 Operating System Deployment (OSD) Feature Pack (Beta) provides support for SMS to create and deploy images of Windows Operating Systems.  The OSD Feature Pack allows the deployment of Windows 2000, Windows XP or Windows 2003 Operating Systems to systems currently running NT 4.0, Windows 2000, Windows XP or Windows 2003 via SMS advertisements or CD based installation with the following features

·      Support for unattended image deployment to Windows Desktops

·      Support to create and distribute OS images using SMS 2003 advertisements or CD triggered installations

·      Fully integrated with SMS 2003 SP1 leveraging SMS inventory based planning and targeting, advertisement status and site to site content replication

·      Built in imaging using advanced Windows Imaging (WIM) format

·      Advanced image installation task scheduler supporting scripts to perform installation custom actions

·      Includes Microsoft Windows Pre-Execution (WINPE) version 1.5

·      Leverages the new Microsoft Windows User State Migration Tool (USMT) 2.6 to capture and restore user state.

System Requirements 

The SMS 2003 OSD Feature Pack requires SMS 2003 SP1 Release Candidate.  To utilize the user state migration features of OSD, participation in the USMT 2.6 beta is also recommended. 

HTH;

Dan

any way to extract/install PE from there to a usable state without having SMS?

As far as I know, No. Also, once you get it installed and get the image file out, it is in a new format, WIM if I remember correctly.

I have the WIM file and some others that I pulled from the MSI file. I've tried running every setup contained within and nothing. I've noticed that there's a file called WIMGapi.dll. Are there any doc's on using the API?

Since I actually don't have any servers for SMS2003 when I try to do a normal install, it tells me that it can't continue because it can't find any servers to connect to. Any way to fool it?

There is no fooling you need to setup a DC for SMS to point it to, my advice get a VM, or partition your hard disk.

hate to sound like a n00b, what is DC? And, is there a guide somewhere?

Supossedly Longhorn has the ability to "work" with WIM files but I have not tested this, and I am not sure what exactly "work" meant.

likuidkewl, where you ever able to check this out?

Mike

hate to sound like a n00b, what is DC? And, is there a guide somewhere?

DC = Domain controller either Windows 2000 or 2003 Server. Not sure if SMS 2003 requires Win2003 or if 2000 will do. Also, if I am not mistaken, you will need SQL2000 to install SMS.

Mike