|
If you spend enough time working with Windows Server 2003, you undoubtedly will be required to install this software on multiple systems. This job can be more "interesting" than it has to be — not to mention that it can take more time than you may want it to.
Use only qualified server hardware
Before you even think about installing Windows Server 2003 on a machine, you'd best be sure that the hardware you're considering will make a good home for that software. Nevertheless, without a formal seal of approval or a guarantee from a vendor, how can you be sure that the software will work with your hardware?
Fortunately, you can be sure by checking the Windows 2003 Hardware Compatibility List (HCL). This is a comprehensive list of hardware that's been tested and certified compatible with Windows 2003. The HCL is available online at Microsoft.com.
You can also use the installation utility to automatically check your hardware for you. However, to use the latest HCL available, the system must also have Internet access. There are two ways to test your system for HCL compliance. The first is to insert the Windows Server 2003 installation CD and let the auto-run mechanism start (or execute startup.exe from the root of the CD). Click Check System Compatibility and then click Check My System Automatically. The second method is to execute the following from the command prompt or Run dialog box:
i386\winnt32 /checkupgradeonly
Both methods attempt to first download the latest HCL and then test your system's hardware for compliance with the requirements of Window 2003. If any problems or incompatibilities are found, you see an on-screen report.
 | Many hardware vendors offer server machines with Windows Server 2003 preinstalled. When you're buying new servers, price one that includes the Windows Server 2003 operating system versus one that doesn't. You may be pleasantly surprised by the price breaks you can get when buying a preinstalled system. |
Let the software do the work: Automating installation
Normally, user input drives the Windows 2003 installation program: from character-based prompts during the initial load phase and by user navigation of menus and input items during the later phases. As an alternative, text files called answer files may drive Windows 2003 installation, making it possible to automate installation more or less completely. Script-driven installation can be especially handy when you must install more than two or three copies of Windows 2003 at any given time.
Windows 2003 supports more methods for automating installation than previous implementations (such as Windows NT 4.0), including the following:
- A new [GuiRunOnce] section in the answer file contains a list of commands to execute when a user logs on to the system the first time after the graphical user interface (GUI) mode portion of the installation completes.
- You can create a set of automated commands to complete the Setup process without requiring human intervention (at least, as long as no errors are encountered).
- You can even automate the first logon after Windows 2003's setup completes to install and configure selected applications, and then shut down the system thereafter — all from the magic answer files!
How do you get a piece of this magic? Well, you can search for and edit a predefined answer file called unattend.txt in the Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit. Or you can work with a utility called the Setup Manager, which you must install on your system after Windows Server 2003's base installation completes, to create an answer file for you from scratch. (To install Setup Manager, double-click Support\Tools\deploy.cab on the Windows Server 2003 installation CD.)
Windows 2003's Setup Manager is similar to the Windows 98 utility of the same name. This outstanding tool provides buttons that map to various sections of the installation process and guides you through interactive dialog boxes to specify a script for a single system installation or for multiple systems at the same time.
Windows 2003 also includes two utilities that are somewhat Ghost-like in their capabilities. (Ghost is a popular system-imaging utility for Windows NT 4.0 that allows administrators to set up a single installation, take a snapshot, and then customize that same snapshot to install one, two, or many machines at the same time.)
The two Ghost-like utilities are
- Sysprep: A utility designed to duplicate disk contents when installing multiple, identically configured machines at the same time. First, you create a normal installation on a single machine, and then you install the applications you want to distribute. Next, you use Sysprep to distribute copies of this configuration to other identical systems elsewhere on the network. It doesn't get much easier than this!
- Syspart: A utility designed to clone installations across multiple machines where the hardware is dissimilar. It works as an extension of the unattended install facility with a default unattend.txt answer file.
 | Consult the Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit (published by Microsoft Press) or the TechNet CD to find out all you can about the various installation files before starting any big jobs. You'd also be well advised to try a couple of trial runs using these tools before attempting to automate the installation of one or more production servers. |
Beating installation weirdness with persistence
Despite your best efforts, and even if you've taken all the proper precautions, the occasional Windows 2003 installation will fail. Causes of failure can range from defective media, to network congestion (trying to copy files to too many machines at once), to boot sector viruses.
When an installation fails, take a deep breath, count to ten, and try any or all of the following corrections:
- Restart the installation: If you get past the initial parts of the character mode portion of the installation, the software is often smart enough to pick up where it left off and carry on from there. If you're that lucky, count your blessings, and then go out and buy a lottery ticket!
- If installation won't pick up where it left off, look for a directory named $WIN_NT$.~LS: (If you're doing a floppyless install with the /B parameter, also look for $WIN_NT$.~BT.) Delete one (or both) of these directories and their contents. The Windows 2003 installation program looks for these directories and attempts to save time by picking up where it left off. This behavior works fine when copies are correct and pristine but can get in the way when problems surface. You may want to include the DOS DELTREE command in your emergency install disk tool kit because it lets you dispatch these directories and their contents quickly and easily.
- If all else fails, repartition and reformat the boot drive to remove all vestiges of your failed attempt: You'll start over with a clean slate! Your emergency install disk tool kit could also include DOS Fdisk and a handy utility called Delpart.exe, which can remove even non-DOS partitions (such as NTFS) from a PC hard drive. Delpart.exe is available for free download from several Web sites. Search your favorite search engine for Delpart.exe.
| 
