Understanding Windows SIM and Answer Files
Windows
System Image Manager (SIM) is the tool you use to create and manage
answer files, which are used to perform unattended installs of Windows.
Windows SIM provides a graphical user interface for creating new answer
files and customizing the settings to be used for installing Windows (Figure 2).
The five panes of the Windows SIM shown in the figure are:
Distribution Share
Shows the currently open distribution share folder and its subfolders.
This pane enables you to select, create, explore, and close distribution
share folders as well as add items from the open distribution share
folder to your answer file. Distribution shares are discussed further
later on in this section.
Windows Image Shows
the currently open Windows Image (.wim) file and the components and
packages it makes available for installation. You usually open a .wim
file before you create an answer file to perform an unattended
installation of Windows. More information about .wim files is available
later in this section.
Answer File
Shows the different configuration passes used by Windows Setup and any
answer file settings you have added for processing during each pass.
Properties Shows the properties you can configure for the answer file setting currently selected in the Answer File pane.
Messages
Displays informational messages about the correctness of XML syntax for
an answer file, the validity of its settings for the version of Windows
you want to install, and other types of messages.
Using Windows SIM, you can do the following:
Create a new
answer file and configure settings for components and packages so that
these settings are processed during a particular configuration pass.
Edit the settings in an existing answer file.
Add third-party drivers, applications, and other packages to an answer file.
Validate
an answer file to ensure that it is syntactically correct and its
settings are applicable for the version of Windows being deployed.
Create a distribution share for performing an unattended install of Windows over the network.
Create a configuration set for performing an unattended install of Windows when a network is not available.
In Windows SIM terminology, a component
is a part of the Windows operating system that specifies the files,
resources, and settings for a specific feature of Windows or some part
of a feature. Many components include unattended installation settings
that can be used for customizing the way they are configured during a
Windows installation. In contrast, a package
is a group of files that can be used to modify some feature of Windows.
The types of packages available can include service packs, security
updates, language packs, and hotfixes. Packages can also include
unattended installation settings that can be used for customizing the
way they are configured during a Windows installation.
When you configure an
unattended installation setting for a component or package, you also
choose the configuration pass during which this setting will be
processed. A configuration pass
is a phase of Windows installation, and Windows Server 2008 Setup
includes seven configuration passes that can be used during an
installation. Different portions of Windows are installed during
different configuration passes, and you can even specify that an
unattended installation setting be processed in more than one
configuration pass if needed.
A distribution share
is a set of folders for storing third-party drivers, applications, and
packages issued by Microsoft such as software updates and service packs.
Distribution shares are optional and can be created and managed on the
technician’s computer by using Windows SIM, although you can also create
distribution shares manually if you prefer. In contrast, a configuration set
is a self-contained file and folder structure that contains only the
files that are needed to control the installation process. Basically, a
configuration set is a smaller version of a distribution share, and it
can either be stored on a network share or copied to removable media for
installation of Windows without a network. The files in a configuration
set contain the same information as the distribution share but have
been converted to binary form.
Distribution shares
or configuration sets, together with answer files, can be used to
perform unattended installs of Windows over the network onto bare-metal
systems. Figure 3 shows the folder structure created when you use Windows SIM to create a new distribution share.
The subfolders of a distribution share have the following purposes:
$OEM$ folders
Contain files used to brand custom applications, add them, or both to
your installation of Windows. This is an earlier deployment technology
that is still supported in Windows Server 2008, but the preferred
approach to add new files and resources to Windows installations is to
use data images. A data image
is an additional .wim file that contains applications, files, or other
resources to supplement the main .wim file used to install Windows
itself. For more information about .wim files, see later in this
section.
Out-of-Box Drivers folder Contains additional device drivers you want to install during Windows Setup.
Packages folder
Contains software updates for Windows such as service packs, language
packs, security updates, and other types of updates. Packages must be
imported into this folder by using Windows SIM, and once you’ve imported
the package, you can add it to your installation by using Windows SIM
and configure any settings available for the package.
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Sometimes,
to install Windows successfully, you will need additional device
drivers, and it’s important to understand the difference between the
types of device drivers and how they can be added to a Windows
installation:
In-box drivers
These are generally .inf-based drivers that are included with Windows
itself. Another type of in-box driver, however, is one that is installed
by using a Windows Installer (.msi) file, and this type of driver is
added using the same method by which applications are added to an
installation. Out-of-box drivers
These are additional .inf-based drivers you add to Windows Setup by
using the Windows SIM. Out-of-box drivers must be located in the
Out-of-Box Drivers folder of your distribution share, and they are
typically processed during the auditSystem configuration pass of Setup.
If your out-of-box drivers are boot-critical drivers, however—drivers
needed to boot the system itself successfully—then these drivers must be
added to the windowsPE configuration pass instead by configuring the
Windows-PnpCustomizationsWinPE component, using Windows SIM.
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The answer files you
create by using Windows SIM are XML files that contain definitions and
values for the different settings you configure for your unattended
installation of Windows. Answer files are usually named one of the
following:
Unattend.xml
An answer file used for most types of unattended installs of Windows
Server 2008. Unattend.xml is a single XML answer file that controls
almost all phases of the unattended install process. By way of
comparison, previous versions of Windows such as Windows Server 2003 and
Windows XP Professional used multiple types of answer files to control
different phases of the installation process.
Autounattend.xml
An answer file used for unattended installs of Windows using the
DVD-boot method. To boot from the Windows Server 2008 product DVD and
perform an unattended install, you copy your Autounattend.xml answer
file to the root of a floppy disk or USB flash device. This is similar
(but not identical to) how you used a Winnt.sif file to perform
boot-from-CD installations of previous versions of Windows.
To see what an XML answer file looks like, examine the different sections of the autounattend_sample.xml file found in the %ProgramFiles%\Windows AIK\Samples folder:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend">
<settings pass="Windows PE">
<component name="Microsoft-Windows-Setup" processorArchitecture="x86"
publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS"
xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
<DiskConfiguration>
<Disk>
<CreatePartitions>
<CreatePartition wcm:action="add">
<Order>1</Order>
<Size>20000</Size>
<Type>Primary</Type>
</CreatePartition>
</CreatePartitions>
<ModifyPartitions>
<ModifyPartition wcm:action="add">
<Active>true</Active>
<Extend>false</Extend>
<Format>NTFS</Format>
<Label>OS_Install</Label>
<Letter>C</Letter>
<Order>1</Order>
<PartitionID>1</PartitionID>
</ModifyPartition>
</ModifyPartitions>
<DiskID>0</DiskID>
<WillWipeDisk>true</WillWipeDisk>
</Disk>
<WillShowUI>OnError</WillShowUI>
</DiskConfiguration>
The next section specifies the product key to be used for the install and accepts the End-User Licensing Agreement (EULA).
<UserData>
<ProductKey>
<Key><productkey></Key>
<WillShowUI>OnError</WillShowUI>
</ProductKey>
<AcceptEula>true</AcceptEula>
</UserData>
The section that follows tells Setup to install Windows on the partition created earlier:
<ImageInstall>
<OSImage>
<InstallTo>
<DiskID>0</DiskID>
<PartitionID>1</PartitionID>
</InstallTo>
<WillShowUI>OnError</WillShowUI>
</OSImage>
</ImageInstall>
</component>
Settings for another
component are now specified. These settings indicate that the language
to be used during Setup is U.S. English.
<component name="Microsoft-Windows-International-Core-WinPE"
processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35"
language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS"
xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
<SetupUILanguage>
<UILanguage>en-us</UILanguage>
</SetupUILanguage>
<InputLocale>0409:00000409</InputLocale>
<SystemLocale>en-us</SystemLocale>
<UILanguage>en-us</UILanguage>
<UserLocale>en-US</UserLocale>
</component>
</settings>
The next section
contains settings that are to be processed during the oobeSystem
configuration pass, which are applied during the first-boot experience
for end users. These settings indicate that Sysprep is to be run in
audit mode to reseal the system before delivery to the customer:
<settings pass="oobeSystem">
<component name="Microsoft-Windows-Deployment"
processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35"
language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS"
xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
<Reseal>
<Mode>Audit</Mode>
</Reseal>
</component>
</settings>
The
final section, which follows, contains settings to be processed during
the specialize configuration pass, in which machine-specific information
for the image is applied. An original equipment manufacturer (OEM)
might use this section to indicate the make and model of the system and
provide telephone support information for end users. Corporate users
might use this section to specify contact information for department
heads or URLs for support of Web sites on the company intranet.
<settings pass="specialize">
<component name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup"
processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35"
language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS"
xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
<OEMInformation>
<Manufacturer><manufacturer></Manufacturer>
<Model><model></Model>
<SupportHours><support hours></SupportHours>
<SupportPhone><support phone></SupportPhone>
</OEMInformation>
</component>
</settings>
<cpi:offlineImage cpi:source="catalog:c:/dan/install_windows vista
ultimate.clg" xmlns:cpi="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:cpi" />
</unattend>
More Info: Windows SIM and Answer Files
Additional information
about the Windows SIM can be found in the Deployment Tools Technical
Reference section of the WAIK.chm Help File in the Windows AIK. Detailed
information about individual answer file settings can be found in the
Unattended Windows Setup Reference in the Windows AIK.
