2.2. Server Deployments

A server-based deployment of systems is different from a stand-alone installation. In an installation, media is used to create a usable system one system at a time. Deployments create model systems, sometimes called master systems, where the compatibility of the configuration is tested and known prior to the installation on multiple systems. Deployments automate the process of installation, and thus require what is essentially a script that controls the deployment. For unattended installations, these scripts are called answer files. In Windows Server 2008 (and Vista) deployment uses an UNATTEND.XML file for a similar purpose.

Think of a deployment as akin to creating a recipe that can be rolled out to multiple systems ...

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