Objective 2.3: Create and manage answer filesAnswer files are a crucial part of implementing an LTI deployment method with the MDT. Answer files are XML files that contain settings and responses to virtually all aspects of the Windows setup process. Answer files can be used with any type of deployment image and can include settings about items such as: Show
Many other settings can also be configured with an answer file. Identifying the appropriate location for answer filesBefore implementing an unattended installation using answer files, you should be familiar with how Windows Setup interprets the files. First, to ensure that an answer file is read and interpreted during the Windows Setup process, it must be stored in the appropriate working directory. In some cases, answer files must also have specific names. The files can be located in a number of locations, and each location has a different precedence. The answer file that has the highest precedence is used for the customization of that installation. Second, the Windows Setup process starts by taking an inventory of all valid answer files based on the order of precedence. The files are validated and cached to the local computer. During the WindowsPE and offlineServicing passes, valid answer files are cached to $Windows.~BT\Sources\Panther. After the image has been extracted to the local disk, answer files are cached to %WINDIR%\panther. The following table lists the valid locations for an answer file. Identifying the required number of answer filesTheoretically, you could place an answer file in all seven of the locations specified in Table 2-1. However, the installation process will only use answer files that have valid configuration data for the configuration pass it is currently working in. As a good practice, you should use the minimum number of answer files that are needed for your deployment. From an exam perspective, the best way to identify the required number of answer files is to understand the answer files and what they do, where they are stored, and how they are processed. You might be presented with an exam scenario to meet a specified set of deployment requirements and then be asked to figure out which answer file(s) are required. The following sections in this chapter discuss the details of answer files and their role in automated deployments. TABLE 2-1 Answer file precedence table
Identifying the appropriate setup phase for answer filesAn answer file is composed of seven configuration passes, each representing a different phase within the Windows Setup procedure. Within each configuration pass, you are given a series of components that can be added to your answer file and manipulated to meet the needs of your image deployment. It is important to note that these components are not always unique to a specific configuration pass. In some cases, the same component can be referenced across multiple passes. You should be familiar with the Windows Setup procedure and how each configuration pass is used. The following are the seven configuration passes:
Although there are seven configuration passes, only the windowsPE, specialize, and oobeSystem passes are used for every deployment. The other configuration passes are used only as needed. The windowsPE configuration pass, as shown in Figure 2-30, configures settings that are specific to the preinstallation environment as well as to installation settings. The Windows Setup settings that can be configured include:
You can use the offlineServicing pass of the configuration to apply Windows Setup settings to an offline Windows image. During this pass, packages can be added to the offline Windows image. The offlineServicing pass uses Package Manager (Pkgmgr.exe) to apply packages. The generalize pass of the configuration, shown in Figure 2-31, is used to create a custom image of a Windows installation that can then be deployed to multiple computers. Settings defined in the generalize pass can be used to automate aspects of a deployment of the image. During the generalize pass, specific details of the Windows installation are removed from the image, such as the security identifier (SID) and other hardware-specific settings. The generalize pass is only used when the /generalize switch is provided with the Sysprep command. Other answer file settings are applied to the Windows image before the Sysprep generalization occurs. The specialize pass of the installation, shown in Figure 2-32, allows settings to be configured for an individual machine. These settings can include:
The specialize pass can be used to enhance or customize settings further that were made in the generalize pass. The auditSystem pass of the installation is only used if the system has been booted into audit mode. When a computer has been started by using the audit mode, the auditSystem and auditUser passes are processed. The auditSystem pass can be used to add additional drivers to a Windows image. The auditUser pass of the installation is typically used for RunSynchronous and RunAsynchronous commands that might include scripts, applications, or other executables. The oobeSystem pass of the installation, as shown in Figure 2-33, configures the settings that are typically used during the first power on for end users, known as Windows Welcome. The oobeSystem settings are applied before the first user logs on to Windows. The out-of-box experience (OOBE) runs the first time an end user powers on a new computer. OOBE runs before the user logs on or runs additional software, and it performs the tasks that are necessary to configure Windows for first use. Configuring answer file settingsEach of the components you add to your answer file will include a series of settings that can be adjusted. Changing the value of these settings is straightforward. You can edit an answer file by using a text editor or by using Windows System Image Manager (SIM). One example of a quick edit using a text editor is to include changing the input language from en-US to fr-FR. To do so, open the existing answer file, search for the <InputLocale> tag, and replace en-US with fr-FR. You should also confirm that the <settings pass=””> tag is set to the appropriate pass because <InputLocale> can be modified during pass 4: specialize and pass 7: oobeSystem. Settings can also be edited in Windows SIM. SIM includes a detailed description of each setting and several examples to work from. The following example demonstrates how to use Windows SIM to make setting changes to your answer file. Refer to Figure 2-34.
FIGURE 2-34 Windows System Image Manager, setting values
Creating Autounattend.xml answer filesYou can create answer files manually or by using the Windows SIM, as shown in Figure 2-35.
FIGURE 2-35 Windows System Image Manager with a validated answer file As part of creating an answer file in Windows SIM, you must specify the Windows image file and a catalog file. A catalog file is a binary file that is associated to a specific Windows image file and contains the packages and settings in that WIM file. Often, the WIM file and the catalog file (.clg) are stored in the same folder. Windows SIM prompts you if it cannot locate a catalog file for a specified WIM file. In such a scenario, Windows SIM can create a catalog file. Alternatively, you can create an answer file in advance in Windows SIM. By using Windows SIM, you can verify that the configuration settings within an answer file are valid for the installation. Figure 2-36 shows an answer file that has a validation error.
FIGURE 2-36 Windows System Image Manager with a validation error Answer files can also be created or modified manually. As mentioned earlier, the answer file is an XML file that can be edited by using a text editor. Here is a sample answer file: <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> <unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend"> <settings pass="oobeSystem"> <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www .w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"> <OOBE> <HideEULAPage>true</HideEULAPage> <HideOEMRegistrationScreen>true</HideOEMRegistrationScreen> </OOBE> <UserAccounts> <AdministratorPassword> <Value>UABAACQAJAB3ADAAcgBkAAUAMAcwB3AG8AcgBkAA==</Value> <PlainText>false</PlainText> </AdministratorPassword> </UserAccounts> </component> </settings> <cpi:offlineImage cpi:source="wim://client01/deploymentshare$/operating%20 systems/windows%208%20enterprise%20x64/sources/install.wim#Windows 8 Enterprise" xmlns:cpi="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:cpi" /> </unattend> When you create answer files, avoid adding settings that you don’t need. Windows SIM will not create empty settings in an answer file, but you can manually introduce empty strings in an answer file. Your goal should be to reduce answer file bloat such as empty strings, which can increase deployment times. Answer files often contain sensitive data such as the password of the local Administrator account. Windows SIM enables you to obfuscate local computer passwords in answer files. To obfuscate a password in an answer file with Windows SIM, perform the following steps:
Note that you cannot obfuscate domain-based passwords or other sensitive data such as product keys. By default in Windows SIM 6.3, Hide Sensitive Data is enabled by default when you create new answer files. When you are finished creating an answer file, use Windows SIM to validate the answer file. Validating an answer file is an important step to ensure that everything is in order. If you have a validation error, such as the one displayed in Figure 2-36, you can double-click the validation error to find the exact setting causing the validation error. Objective summary
Objective reviewAnswer the following questions to test your knowledge of the information in this objective. You can find the answers to these questions and explanations of why each answer choice is correct or incorrect in the “Answers” section at the end of this chapter.
What tool would you use to create or edit answer files used for unattended installations of Windows 10?Anyone can write an answer file manually. Microsoft offers the Windows System Image Manager (SIM) console available through the Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (ADK) to make it easier to create the file to install Windows 10 unattended.
How do I create an answer file for software installation?Create and modify an answer file. Start Windows System Image Manager.. Click File > Select Windows Image.. In Select a Windows Image, browse to and select the image file (D:\install. wim). Next, select an edition of Windows, for example, Windows 10 Pro, and click OK. Click Yes to create the catalog file.. What program can be used to create unattended answer files via a GUI interface?Windows® System Image Manager (Windows SIM) creates and manages unattended Windows Setup answer files in a GUI. Answer files are . xml files that are used during Windows Setup to configure and customize the default Windows installation.
Which of the following tools can be used to create an unattended answer file quizlet?Windows System Image Manager (SIM) is used to create unattended answer files in Windows Server 2016.
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