Server-Based Setup: The Basics

Server-based Setup (NETSETUP.EXE) is used to prepare the server to run Windows 95 Setup (SETUP.EXE) on network client computers. Windows 95 provides improved support over Windows 3.x for installing and running a shared copy of Windows 95 (that is, "shared installations"). After installing Windows 95 source files on a server, Server-based Setup can be used to create and manage machine directories, which contain the specific configuration information for each computer on a shared installation. You can also use Server-based Setup to create setup scripts (which are batch files for automated setup), as described in Chapter 5, "Custom, Automated, and Push Installations." Windows 95 supports the following kinds of shared installations:

Computers that start from the local hard disk and then run a shared copy of Windows 95 from the server.
Computers that start locally from a floppy disk and then run a shared copy of Windows 95 from the server.
Diskless workstations that remote boot (sometimes called RIPL or remote IPL) from servers and run a shared copy of Windows 95.
At the time of the release of Windows 95, the remote-boot option can be used only for diskless workstations on Novell® NetWare® version 3.x and 4.0 networks. Support for remote boot of Windows 95 workstations will be available in upcoming releases of Windows NT. For information about Windows NT support, contact your sales support representative.

Server-based Setup replaces the Administrative Setup process used for Windows 3.x and Windows for Workgroups. The following table compares the actions required on older versions of Windows to the Windows 95 methods.

Methods for Creating Network-based Setup and Shared Installations

Windows for Workgroups	Windows 95
Run setup /a to create a Windows distribution directory on the network	Run Server-based Setup under Windows 95 (netsetup)
Customize INF files for system, desktop, applications, and Program Manager	Create a setup script in MSBATCH.INF format
For shared installations, create network directories and configure shared files	Included automatically as part of Server-based Setup
For shared installations, create correct configuration files and startup disks for each workstation to define settings for MS-DOS, Windows, and networking software	Included automatically as part of the setup script and Windows 95 Setup
Run setup /n on each workstation	Run Windows 95 Setup with setup script (setup msbatch.inf)

When you use Server-based Setup to create shared installations for computers that start from a floppy disk or for remote-boot workstations that use a disk image on a server, you need to run Setup only once for each type of computer. Server-based Setup can create machine directories for the other similar computers. So you only have to make copies of the startup disk (either the floppy disk or the boot image).

Therefore, for example, for shared installations of Windows for Workgroups on remote-boot workstations, users simply restart their workstations to upgrade to Windows 95. For upgrading shared installations that start from floppy disks, users can upgrade by simply restarting their computers with the new startup disk.