Use the Add action dialog box to create new actions for
provisioning templates, or to edit the actions of existing
templates. Public templates are visible to all
users. Templates in the My templates group are not visible to
all users, and can only be modified by the template creator or by
users with administrative rights.
Actions are ordered in five sections. You can only select
actions in each section that can apply to the section (for example,
you can't select Software distribution as an action for the
Pre-installation section). You can add any available action to any
section, but be aware that some actions will break the template or
may render your system unusable if completed in the improper
steps.
The Condense toolbar button rewrites the current parent
template to incorporate all included templates, so that all actions
from the included templates become part of the parent template.
This means that the parent template has no more dependencies. This
is useful for exporting templates or making templates public. Once
a template is condensed, it is a new template. You can't expand a
condensed template.
To add actions to a template
Click Tools > Distribution >
OS Deployment.
Under Provisioning templates, click
Public or My templates to display templates.
Double-click a template.
In the Template view, click Action list.
Click the section you want to
add an action to. You can choose from these sections:
System migration: Features and components that
need to be saved before modifying the system (or migrating a device
to other hardware or virtual machine). For example, this section
can include an action to capture profile information when migrating
to Windows Vista.
Pre OS install: Actions that are performed
when the device boots into a pre-installation environment (Linux
PE, Windows PE). For example, on a server you would add RAID
configuration in this section.
OS Install: Actions that are performed in the
pre-installation environment when the OS in installed (Linux PE,
Windows PE).
Post OS Install: Actions that are performed in
the target operating system after it has been installed, such as
running a patch management task.
System configuration: Additional application
installation/execution and system configuration in the installed
OS. For example, add driver installation tasks in this
section.
Click Add.
Type a specific name for the action in the
Name box.
Type a detailed description of the action in the
Description box.
Select an action type from the Type list. The
type you select will determine what options you'll need to specify
for the action. See below for more information on the specific
action types.
If you want to add a variable that applies to this
action only, click Add under Action variables. Type
the name and value of the variable in
the text boxes, and click Save.
Select Stop processing the template if this
action fails if you want to define an action as essential to
the provisioning task. If the action can be ignored, clear this
check box.
When finished, click OK.
Action types
The table below displays the action types and where they fit
into sections by default. You can add any action type to any
section, but note that some actions inherently fit in certain
sequences in provisioning, and if an action is executed outside its
intended sequence, unintended consequences may occur.
Action
name
System
migration
Pre-OS
installation
OS
installation
Post-OS
Installation
System
configuration
Capture
image
X
Configure
agent
X
Configure
target OS
X
Control
service
X
Copy
file
X
X
X
X
X
Create
directory
X
X
X
X
X
Delete
file
X
X
X
X
X
Deploy
image
X
Distribute
software
X
Download
file
X
X
X
X
X
Execute
file
X
X
X
X
X
Hardware-independent imaging
X
Inject
script
X
X
X
X
X
Install
service
X
Join
domain
X
Map/Unmap
drive
X
X
X
X
X
Partition
X
X
X
Patch
system
X
Reboot/Shutdown
X
X
X
X
X
Replace
text
X
X
X
X
X
Scripted
install
X
Uninstall
service
X
Unzip
file
X
X
X
X
X
Update
registry
X
Wait
X
X
X
X
X
Capture image (OS
installation section only)
The Capture image action lets you capture
an image at the time of OS installation, through the use of the
imaging tool you specify. If the tool or the contents to be
captured in an image are located on a share, you must place the Map
drive action prior to the Capture image action in order to
authenticate to the share.
Imaging tool: The path to
the location of the imaging tool.
Command-line parameters:
Enter any command-line parameters that will customize the way the
image is captured.
Launch wizard: Launches
the imaging tool's wizard, which takes you through the
process of capturing an image.
NOTE: To
avoid the problem of the file system being locked open in WinPE,
you must first Sysprep your image. In Windows Vista, follow the
steps below.
Boot into Vista.
Change to the
%SystemRoot%\System32\sysprep directory.
Run "sysprep /generalize
/shutdown".
Boot to the PE and run
ImageX.
The Windows XP/2003 steps don't require the
/generalize and /shutdown switches for sysprep. The /factory switch
should work on those operating systems.
The
Configure agent action lets you select an agent configuration to
install on the provisioned device. This action should be the first
thing done after the reboot that follows the OS install actions.
Configurations are added to the drop-down list as you create them
in Agent configuration. This action can only be completed as part
of a template that includes either the Scripted install or Deploy
image actions, or if the client machine has already been
configured with an agent.
Configuration name: The name of the configuration. Select a
configuration from the list.
Domain and user name: Enter a domain and user name to log on
to the core server on which the agent configuration resides.
Use variable for the password: Select this check box to use
a variable for the password. This variable is set in Template
variables under Sensitive data type. (For details about
variables, see Provisioning template
variables.)
Password: Enter the password to log on to the core server.
Confirm the password in the Confirm password box.
When you
install a new service pack, the agent configuration database IDs
change. This means that the templates referencing those
configurations become outdated. As a result, any provisioning
history referencing those configurations will be unable to display
the name of the configuration it once referenced, and any template
referencing the old configurations will need to be updated before
it will run correctly. The configuration name is not displayed in
the History page, and if you try to re-schedule this template, it
will fail on the Agent Configuration action because of this
problem. To fix it, you must clone the template, open the cloned
template, open the Agent Configuration action, and assign the
configuration you want to use. Then the task will run
successfully.
Configure
target OS (post-OS installation section only)
This action inserts the provisioning agent
(ldprovision) into an image so that the agent can be installed
after reboot. It is required for continued provisioning after the
new OS starts. For this action to work, the following conditions
must be met:
The Windows system drive must be
mounted.
The Windows file system must be
either sysprepped or have an agent on the machine
Linux can't have any uncommon
file systems (xfs, jfs, bobfs). The reiserfs and ext2/3 OSes are
the only current valid supported OSes.
The Linux root system can't be
on a software RAID controller, or be on a software RAID (md's).
Real hardware RAID configurations are allowed, as long as the
controller driver is recognized by the PE.
Insert unique ID: To use
the existing device ID, select this check box and enter the device
ID in the box.
This action should be performed as the last
action in the post-OS installation section because it includes a
reboot operation.
Control service (System configuration section
only)
The Control
service action starts, stops, or restarts a specified service. The
target OS must be Windows for this action.
Display name: The name of the service.
Service control action: The action to execute on the
service. Can be Stop, Start, or Restart.
Copy file (all sections)
The Copy file action copies files to specific locations on the
target device. Both the source and destination can be located on a
share. If this is so, you must include a Map drive action prior to
the Copy file action. The Copy file action can be recursive,
meaning that all files/folders below the source path can be copied,
maintaining their original structure. Wildcard characters are
supported (such as *.exe or ld*.*).
Source path and file name: The server/share
path and file name location of the file to be copied. If you want
to copy all files and folders below the source path, no file name
is necessary.
Destination path and file name: The
server/share path and file name location to copy the file to.
Copy subdirectories: Copies all subfolders and
files below the source.
Create directory (all
sections)
The Create directory action creates a
directory in the specified location and can create the parent
directory, if needed.
Path of the directory:
Type the path to the directory to be created.
Create parent directory if
needed: Select this check box to create the parent
directory.
Delete file (all
sections)
The Delete file action removes files in
specific locations on the target server. The path can be located on
a share. If this is so, you must include a Map drive action prior
to the Delete file action. The Delete file action can be recursive,
meaning that all files/folders below the source path can be
deleted. Wildcard characters are supported (such as *.exe or
ld*.*).
Path and file name: Enter
the full path and name of the file to be deleted.
Delete subdirectories:
Deletes all subfolders and files below the source.
Deploy image (OS
installation section only)
This action deploys the selected image to
the target server through the use of the imaging tool you specify.
If the tool or the image to be deployed are located on a share, you
must place the Map drive action prior to the Deploy image action in
order to authenticate to the share.
You must manually reboot after deploying an
image.
Imaging tool: The path to
the location of the imaging tool. If you select "Other" as imaging
tool, then the entry for the path and filename of the image needs
to contain the complete command line string for the imaging
tool.
Command-line parameters:
Enter any command-line parameters that will customize the way the
image is deployed.
Launch wizard: Click this
button to open a dialog box that lets you specify the type of image
as well as the imaging application and command-line
parameters.
This action distributes a software
distribution package to the target. You can choose from any
distribution package that you have saved in the Distribution
packages tool. This action can only be completed after the agent
configuration action, or after agents have been installed on the
device.
Software distribution
package: Select the package you want to distribute.
Download file (all
sections)
The Download file action downloads the
selected file using an anonymous user (anonymous HTTP login) to a
destination you specify. If the files to be downloaded or the
destination are located on a share, you must place the Map drive
action prior to the Download file action in order to authenticate
to the share.
Source path and file
name: The current server/share path and name of the file to be
downloaded. Downloading files from a UNC path is not supported. If
you want to download a file from a UNC path, you should use the Map
drive action to map to the UNC path, then use the Copy file
action.
Destination path and file
name: The location the file is to be downloaded to.
Use proxy server: Enables
the proxy server option to download a file. By default, this option
is off. If you enable a proxy server, you must fill in the address
and port fields below.
Address: Identifies the
IP address of your proxy server.
Port: Identifies the port number of your proxy
server.
Requires login: Allows you to enter a username
and password if the proxy server is credentialed instead of a
transparent proxy server.
Username: Enter a valid username with
authentication credentials to the proxy server.
Use variable for the password: Select
this check box to use a variable for the password. This variable is
set in Template variables under Sensitive data type. (For
details about variables, see Provisioning
template variables.)
Password: Enter the user's password.
Execute file (all sections)
The Execute file action executes the selected file on the
targeted server, along with any command-line parameters or return
codes you specify.
Target path and file name: The location of the
file you want to execute.
Command-line parameters: Enter any
command-line parameters that customize the way the file is
executed.
Working directory: The program will be
executed with reference to this directory. Any supporting files of
the program should reside in this directory. Command-line
parameters start from this reference point.
Expected return value: The value expected to
be returned by the application upon execution. Can be Any, equals
(=), less than (<), greater than (>), or Between. If the
value is to be anything other than Any, enter the values to be
expected in the boxes provided.
Insert: Opens the Environment variable
dialog box, where you can add an environment variable and its
value.
Name: Type the name of the environment
variable of the file. Use double percent signs to specify
environment variables (for example,
%%windir%%\system32\calc.exe).
The Hardware-independent imaging action includes the
hardware-independent imaging tool (hiiclient.exe) in the
provisioning process. Hardware-independent imaging (HII) lets you
create a single provisioning template or deployment script that can
be deployed to multiple device models. A base image is installed on
the device, and the HII tool then injects drivers that are specific
to the device model.
This action is only included in the Post-OS installation section
for templates based on the Windows preboot environment. After the
OS is installed, but before the device reboots, the HII tool
detects the device model and retrieves drivers for that model. The
drivers are installed onto the device and their information is
included in the registry. After a reboot, when the OS starts it
configures the drivers.
Auto detect: select this option to have the
HII tool automatically select the manufacturer and model of the
device you are provisioning, based on the strings in the device's
BIOS. You should select this option if you want to use the
provisioning template for devices from multiple manufacturers.
Select manufacturer and model: select this
option only if you will use the template on the same device
model every time. Select a manufacturer from the list, then select
a model from the list. The device drivers associated with this
model are listed for your reference.
If you use this action, include a Reboot action after it in the
Post-OS installation section.
This action injects a script into the
target OS file system. You can inject sysprep.inf into the Deploy
image action or unattend.txt into a Scripted install action. The
Inject script action can only be done after the OS install action
and before the first reboot that follows the OS install. The
scripts that you can select are those in the Install scripts
list that can be applied to the current template.
Script name: The name of
the script.
Target file name: The
location of the script you want to inject.
Install service (System configuration section
only)
The target
OS must be Windows for this action.
Display name: The name you want to display to represent the
service.
Service name: The name of the service.
Service description: A description of the service
Target path and file name: The location of the service you
want to install.
Command-line parameters: Enter any command-line parameters
that will customize the way the service is installed.
Service startup type: Can be Manual, Automatic, or
Disabled.
Interactive service: Select this option to display on the
desktop any user interface that can be used by the logged-in user
when the service is started. This includes any message boxes the
service may invoke during the installation process. If this check
box is not selected, the template runs without user interaction,
assuming the default selections of any service messages. If the
service displays any messages during startup, it may cause the
template to pause until the message dialog box is closed.
Join domain (System
configuration section only)
Joins target device to a domain or
workgroup.
Select operation type:
Can be Join domain or Join workgroup.
Domain name: Enter the
domain you want to join.
Workgroup name: Enter the
workgroup you want to join.
Username: Type the
username required to authenticate to the domain.
Use a variable for the
password: Select this check box to use a variable for the
password. This variable is set in Template variables under
Sensitive data type. (For details about variables, see Provisioning template variables.)
Password: Enter the
corresponding password to the username above. Confirm the password
in the Confirm password
box.
Map/Unmap drive (all sections)
Map a drive or connect to a resource to access vital files to
complete actions in a section or disconnect a drive or resource.
Please note that some systems do not accept drive mappings below
drive H.
Map/Unmap a drive: Select whether this action
is to map a drive or disconnect a drive.
UNC path: Enter the server and share you want
to map to.
Drive letter/Mount point: Enter the drive
letter you to map the path above to. If you chose to unmap a drive,
type the name of the drive you want to disconnect.
User name: Enter the name of the user
credential to log on to the drive.
Use variable for the password: Select this
check box to use a variable for the password. This variable is set
in Template variables under Sensitive data type. (For
details about variables, see Provisioning
template variables.)
Password: Enter the corresponding password to
the username above. Confirm the password in the Confirm
password
box.
Partition (Pre-OS installation, OS
installation, Post-OS installation sections only)
The Partition action lets you complete a variety of actions
relating to partitions on the target server. Select partition
actions from the Action type list. The actions are listed
below.
NOTE: The boot
environment and target OS must be set prior to executing this
action.
Create partition: Create a partition on the specified
disk.
Disk: Type the disk ID. On Windows, it is the
disk number. On Linux, it is the name of the disk.
Partition type: Select the partition type.
This can be Primary, Extended, or Logical.
Size: The size of the partition to be created,
in MB.
Offset: A number (in 8-bit byte format)
indicating how far into the disk you want to create the
partition.
Start: The start position of the partition
(cylinder number).
End: The end position of the partition
(cylinder number).
Remove partition: Delete a partition on the specified
disk.
Remove from disk: Type the disk ID. On
Windows, it is the disk number. On Linux, it is the name of the
disk.
Partition ID: The partition number to be
removed.
Remove all partitions: Delete all partitions on the
disk.
Remove from disk: Type the disk ID. On
Windows, it is the disk number. On Linux, it is the name of the
disk.
Format partition: Create a file system structure on a
partition.
Logical disk drive letter: The drive letter of
the partition to be formatted (Windows).
Partition: The device name of the partition to
be formatted (Linux).
File system: For Windows, the file systems are
FAT, FAT32, and NTFS. For
Linux, the file systems are ext2, ext3,
reiserfs, and linux-swap.
Quick format: Select this check box to perform
a quick format on the partition.
Mount partition: Mount a partition.
Disk: The disk number to be mounted
(Windows).
Partition: The device name of the partition
(Linux).
Partition ID: The partition number to be
mounted (Windows).
File system: For Linux, the file systems are
ext2, ext3, and reiserfs.
File path to mount: The name of the partition
to be mounted. The mount point must exist (Linux).
Logical disk drive letter to create: The drive
letter of the partition to be mounted (Windows).
Unmount partition: Unmount a partition.
Disk: The disk number to be unmounted.
Partition ID: For Windows, the partition
number to be unmounted. For Linux, the device name of the
partition.
Logical disk drive letter to remove: The drive
letter of the partition to be unmounted (Windows).
Mount point to unmount: The name of the
partition to be unmounted (Linux). The mount point must exist.
Make bootable: Make a partition bootable.
Disk: The disk number to be made bootable. For
Windows, this is the disk number. For Linux, this is the name of
the disk.
Partition ID: The partition number to be made
bootable.
Bootable: Select the check box to make the
partition bootable.
Windows 7/Windows 2008 R2 with a separate system
partition: Select this check box to create a separate OS
partition.
OS partition ID: The partition number for the
separate OS partition.
Expand partition: Expands the last partition on the
drive. Free space must be available.
Disk: The disk number to be mounted.
Partition ID: For Windows, the partition
number to be mounted. For Linux, the device name of the
partition.
Size: The new size of the partition in MB
(Windows). If you leave this blank, the partition will be expanded
to fill the disk.
Start: The start position of the partition
(cylinder number).
End: The end position of the partition
(cylinder number).
Patch system (System configuration section
only)
The Patch system action scans the target device for
vulnerabilities and remediates them. This action can only run after
a Configuration action that installs the Software updates agent is
run.
Scan only: Scans the machine for
vulnerabilities.
Scan and remediate vulnerability: Scans the
machine for vulnerabilities, and fixes (where possible) the
vulnerability.
Scan and remediate group: Scans the machine
for vulnerabilities and fixes the vulnerabilities included in the
group.
Vulnerability ID: A valid vulnerability ID
from Patch Manager. If the ID is not valid, the action will
fail.
Group ID: A valid group ID from Patch Manager.
If the ID is not valid, the action will fail. You can click the
Group ID list button to select a vulnerability group that you have
created.
The core vulnerability definitions should be updated prior to
executing this action. All patches to be remediated must be
downloaded on the core before executing either remediation option
in this action.
Reboot/Shutdown (all sections)
Reboot or shut down the server. A reboot must immediately follow
the OS install action. Upon reboot, the provisioning agent restarts
the template to continue the progression of provisioning tasks. Use
the Reboot action to move from System migration section to OS
sections or OS sections to System configuration section. Multiple
reboots are supported.
Reboot: Shut down the server and restart
it.
Shut down: Shut down the server at the end of
the provisioning task and leave it powered down (off). You must
make sure that this action is the last action in the template, or
additional actions will not be completed.
Replace text (all sections)
Replace text in an existing file.
Source path and filename: The path and
filename of the file to have text replaced.
Find what: The existing text that is to be
replaced.
Replace with: The text that is to take the
place of the existing text.
Replace first occurrence, Replace all
occurrences: Replace the new text either the first time it is
encountered or every time it is encountered.
Scripted install (OS installation section
only)
Install an
operating system through the use of custom scripts. There can only
be one action that installs an OS.
Windows
UNC path to installation source: This is a path where the
executable file is found within the installation source. This must
have been mounted within the Pre-OS Install section (Map drive
action).
Domain and user name: Enter a domain and user name to log on
to the device on which the executable file resides.
Use variable for the password: Select this check box to use
a variable for the password. This variable is set in Template
variables under Sensitive data type. (For details about
variables, see Provisioning template
variables.)
Password: Enter the password to log on to the device.
Confirm the password in the Confirm password box.
Additional parameters passed to setup: Parameters to be
passed to the install file when it is executed. For Winnt32, the
Provisioning handler automatically fills in the unattend
(/unattend) and the source arguments (/s). These are generated from
the path that was given in the Winnt32 path, and from the script
that has been selected.
Installation script: The unattend file used when installing
the operating system.
Linux
Location of the initrd: The location of the Initial RAMdisk
file. The default is /x86pc/undi/provlinux/initrd.img.
Kernel location: The location of the Linux kernel.
Additional parameters passed on boot: Parameters to be
passed to initrd when it is executed.
Installation script: The unattend file used when installing
the operating system.
Uninstall service (System configuration section
only)
Uninstall a
service on the target device.
Service name: The name of the service to be
uninstalled.
Unzip file (all
sections)
Unzip the contents of a package to a
predetermined location. This action can restore original
structure.
Source path and file
name: The path and file name of the package to be
unzipped.
Target path: The location
where the package is to be unzipped. If this is an existing
directory/folder, any duplicate filenames will be overwritten.
Create target directory if it
doesn't already exist: If the target does not exist, select
this check box to create it automatically.
This action adds or removes keys or values
to the registry, or imports a registry (.reg) file. Editing the
registry incorrectly may damage your system, potentially rendering
it inoperable. Before making changes to the registry, you should
back up any valued data on your computer.
Select an operation from the Registry
operation list.
Delete key: Remove a
registry key's expected folder and path.
Delete value: Remove the
expected value of the key.
Create key: Create a
folder on the left side of the Registry Editor.
Import value: Import a
registry file.
Set value: Create a
value. The data entered is interpreted as a value determined by the
Type list.
Key: Enter the key to
create or delete.
Value: Enter the value to
create or delete.
Datum: Enter data to be
saved in a value.
Type: Select a data type.
This can be String Value, Expanded string value, Binary Value,
DWord Value, or Multi-String Value.
Import file contents:
Type a description of the registry file to be imported.
Import data from registry
file: Type the full path to the registry file, or click
Browse to find it, then click Import file.
Wait (all
sections)
Pause the template execution for a
specified time or until a required file has been created.
Number of seconds to
wait: Pause the template for a specified number of
seconds.
Wait for file to exist:
Pause the action until the specified path and file exists. This is
useful when an action requires an application to install a file.
When the file is created, you can trigger execution of the next
action based on the existence of the file.
Maximum number of seconds to
wait: Waits for the specified time (in seconds). If the time
passes and the file never appears, the template continues with the
next action.
