Using Systems Management Server to Deploy Windows 2000
Using Systems Management Server to Deploy Windows 2000 |
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When you have Windows 2000 on a distribution point in the same site as the computers to be upgraded, and the advertisement is available at the computers, you can do the following:
Distribution to all users can be done by means of SMS at a time that you believe is convenient. However, you can give users the option to adjust the date and time, as shown in Figure 14.9, to coincide with a time when they are not using their computers. You can also make the upgrade mandatory at a certain date and time so that users cannot postpone the upgrade indefinitely.
Figure 14.9 Users Can Schedule the Upgrade for a Convenient Time
The distribution that you initiate to users will also include appropriate command-line parameters to indicate which auto-answer file to use and other options, so that the setup will be done according to the standards that you have determined.
Many organizations do not give their end users full privileges on client computers. This helps to minimize problems that are caused by users making uninformed or unintentional computer changes. However, this lack of privileges would normally stop users from initiating a Windows 2000 upgrade for their computers. SMS avoids this problem by doing the Windows 2000 upgrade in the context of a special SMS security account.
When the first and final phases of the Windows 2000 upgrade are completed at the computer, Systems Management Server produces status files that are propagated up the SMS hierarchy. This information can be used to report on the overall progress of the upgrade project or to investigate the status of an individual computer, as discussed in the next section.
Customized status files can be produced to indicate specific details relating to the status of the upgrade, if desired. The programs that create these status files are invoked as part of the package execution; and therefore, must be included in its definition. For example, you might want to include such status files if you have the Windows 2000 Setup program initiate post-upgrade tasks.
