Deploying a Windows OS via WADS

Deployment process

1. Using BIOS/UEFI:

• the host makes a DHCP request to obtain an IP and the PXE configuration (TFTP server IP & iPXE file name), or

• the host boots from a USB stick which embeds the PXE configuration

2. Using BIOS/UEFI:

• the host makes a TFTP request to get iPXE and her configuration, or

• the host runs the iPXE configuration from the USB stick.

3. Then, using iPXE, the host makes a HTTPS request to the WADS Server to obtain the BCD and the WinPE file.

4. Finally, using WinPE, the host contacts the WADS Server via HTTP to obtain the OS iso file and its associated configuration files.

Requirements before starting

1. To use WADS on your WAPT Console, you need to install a specific package on your management station.

Two packages are available, only one is needed. Choose according to your needs:

• This package integrates the minimal requirements for creating a WinPE file.

• This package installs Windows ADK, all the tools to create and modify WinPE.

2. As of 2024-01-09, the user account using the WADS Console MUST have Local Administrator rights in the WAPT Access Control Lists.

3. Signing WADS with your certificate:

• Go to the Tools ‣ Sign Deploy Exe.

• Click on the Sign button:

4. Go to the OS Deploy tab:

Main window of the WADS Console

Adding the WinPE files

WinPE is a minimal operating system used to install, deploy, and repair Windows.

On WADS, WinPE is used to bootstrap the deployment of Windows.

• If no WinPE file exists, then this pop-up will appear.

• Then click on Upload WinPE.

• Choose the keyboard layout. This step is important because you will type in the hostname in WinPE using the keyboard layout chosen with this step.

• Select the certificate with which to sign the USB stick files

• Wait while the WinPE file uploads onto the WAPT administration computer:

• Wait while the WinPE file uploads to the WADS Server:

If The WinPE file has been successfully uploaded to the WADS Server.

Adding the Operating System ISO

The next step is to add the Operating System .iso file to use for deploying Windows.

• Use the latest official Windows release from Microsoft as the .iso file.

ISO section of the WADS Console

• In the Install ISO section in the main WADS Console, click on the + button to upload the selected .iso file.

• Select the .iso file and give it a name.

Dialog box for selecting the ISO file to upload to the WADS Server

• When uploaded, the .iso file is signed with the selected certificate:

Dialog box informing of the signing progression of the ISO file in the WADS Console

• After the signing step has successfully completed, the .iso file is uploaded to the WADS Server:

Dialog box informing of the uploading progession of the ISO file in the WADS Console

• After the uploading step has successfully completed, the .iso file appears in the Install iso section in the main WADS Console:

Hint

It is possible to upload several .iso versions of Windows for different use cases.

Adding the Configuration answer file

The next step is to add the Configuration answer file that will be used to configure the deployment of the Windows Operating System.

Answer file section of the WADS Console

• In the Configuration section click on the + button to configure the answer file.

Window for creating the answer configuration file in the WADS Console

Options for the answer file in the WADS Console

Options	Description
Config Name	Defines the name of the XML answer file.
ISO Name	Defines the .iso file to associate to the XML answer file.
For Windows	Defines whether you install a Windows OS or Linux if unchecked.
Install Wapt	Defines whether to install the WAPT agent after the installation of the Operating System.
Configuration file	Defines the XML answer files template to use for Windows or the configuration file for Linux.
Post install Script	Defines a .bat post-install script to be run after the installation of the Operating System.

• Insert into the Config Name field the name of the answer file.

• Select with the Iso Name dropdown the ISO file to association to the deployment configuration.

• Check or uncheck the Install WAPT checkbox to install the WAPT Agent by default.

• Check or uncheck the For Windows checkbox to install a Windows OS.

• Select the answer file template to associate to the deployment configuration with the Configuration File field if it’s OS Windows else, select the configuration file for Linux.

• If necessary, set the post-install script in Post install Script, for example:

"C:\Program Files (x86)\wapt\wapt-get.exe" install tis-firefox-esr

• Click on the Save button to create the answer file.

• When done, the configuration appears in the Configuration section.

Answer file added to the WADS Server in the WADS Console

Hint

It is possible to create several answer file configurations for different versions of Windows / Linux and for different use cases.

Joining the host to an Active Directory domain

You can use your own answer file with WADS but by default, WADS integrate 2 types of answer files for Windows:

• Offline to join a computer with the DirectAccess Offline Domain Join (Djoin) method

• Online to join a computer on the AD

Online methodOffline method

Update this part with your join service account, you can give a specific OU if you want. If not, just delete the line MachineObjectOU.

<Identification>
  <Credentials>
    <Domain>mydomain.lan</Domain>
    <Password>password</Password>
    <Username>wadsjoin</Username>
  </Credentials>
  <JoinDomain>mydomain.lan</JoinDomain>
  <MachineObjectOU>OU=MyOu,OU=MyParentOu,DC=MyDomain,DC=lan</MachineObjectOU>
</Identification>

Adding drivers

The next step is to add driver bundles that will be used during the deployment of the Windows Operating System.

Drivers section of the WADS Console

• In the Drivers section click on the + button to add a driver pack to the WADS Server.

This window allows you to upload the driver bundles to associate to the Windows deployment.

Window for creating the driver bundles in the WADS Console

Options for the driver bundles in the WADS Console

Options	Description
Choose Dir	Defines the path to the folder containing the driver bundles.
Name	Defines the name of the driver bundle.

• Click on the Save button, the uploading of the driver bundles starts.

Dialog box informing the uploading progression of the driver bundles in the WAPT Console

• When uploaded, the drivers pack appears in the Drivers section of the WADS Console.

The drivers pack has been uploaded to the WADS Server

It is possible to create several driver packs for different versions of Windows and for different use cases.

It is possible to use the .cab files from OEM.

It is also possibe to export the drivers from an existing well functioning host using a Powershell command.

Export-WindowsDriver -Online -Destination D:\Drivers

Booting the host to re-image with WADS

WADS allows 2 methods boot the host to re-image:

• Locally with a USB key.

• Via LAN with a TFTP server

Booting the host with a USB stick

Note

The USB key used MUST be FAT32 formatted and empty.

• Insert the USB stick in the WAPT adminsitration workstation and click on the Create WinPE USB Key button to start the process.

• Choose the keyboard layout. This step is important because you will type in the hostname in WinPE using the keyboard layout chosen with this step.

• Select the certificate with which to sign the USB stick files

• Click on the Upload WinPE to format the USB stick and copy the WinPE file.

• Boot to the computer’s boot menu using the USB stick option and go to the run the deployment step.

Note

You can Export to zip when you create a WinPE USB Key if you can not use a USB key and then burn it onto a CD / DVD instead.

Booting the host with the network

Booting from the LAN requires:

• A properly working TFTP server;

• A properly working DHCP server;

• Having port 69 open on the WAPT Server for inbound traffic, and having tftp conntrack enabled on intermediate firewalls if you have firewalls between the server and the client computer.

• Boot to the computer’s boot menu using the LAN option and go to the run the deployment step.

Deploying the Windows image

There are 3 choices when booting with iPXE:

iPXE boot menu window

• Boot Local disk for starting normally from local storage;

• Register host (ipxe) to register the host with the WADS Server using the iPXE method;

• Register host (winpe) to register the host with the WADS Server using the WinPE method.

iPXE bootWinPE

• If choosing Register host (ipxe), define a hostname:

Text terminal window requesting a hostname when registering using the iPXE method

Warning

The keybord is qwerty

• Refresh the WADS Console with F5, the host appears in the OS Deploy tab.

Host waiting to be deployed

At this time, the Waiting to Deploy status of the host is False.

• Right click on the host to open the menu list.

• Go to Change Config and select a XML answer file.

• Click on Start Deploy, the Waiting to Deploy status of the host switches to True.

• Reboot the host to the same boot option as before (USB or LAN), Windows will start to install.

• When the installation has completed, the OS Deploy tab, the status switches to Done.

Format host disk

When your host is ready to be redeployed, if necessary, you can format its disk using the UEFI or the Legacy method.

To do so, right-click on host then Edit Format Disk Config.

Then you can choose either the UEFI or the Legacy script and customize the disk format configuration. Here is an example with the Legacy script: