Best Practices for Standardized Desktop Images

Deployment Server makes it possible to create and deploy disk images to similar hardware. With a little extra work, you can easily create and deploy disk images to any computer regardless of hardware. You will need to prepare your Deployment Server to create and distribute Hardware Independent Images, through the steps outlined in this HIITools guide, and parts may need to be updated occasionally, but you will find that once you have done this, creating and distributing images is a very simple process.

This document focuses on creating and distributing a Standardized Desktop Image. However, you can use HIITools for other purposes as well, such as:

  1. Creating a hardware independent backup of any workstation.

    1. You will be able to restore this backup to any replacement laptop, workstation, or server without regard to hardware.

  2. Upgrading a server or workstation with minimal down-time.

    1. Order a more robust server, take a hardware independent image of your old server, and deploy it to your new server.

    2. Often, when a manager orders a new computer, the old one is sent down the chain. With these methods, you can take an image of the  old computer (it’s just the way they like it) and deploy it to the new and do the same for the person who inherits the old computer.