Technical Resources

Automated Deployment Services Benefits

Published: September 3, 2003 | Updated: September 15, 2005

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Benefits

Windows Server 2003, Automated Deployment Services, combines the speed of traditional imaging with the flexibility of script-based installation to offer the following benefits:

Benefit	Feature
Reduction of Server Deployment Cost	An intelligent Preboot Execution Environment (PXE) server and dynamically built deployment agent enable remote server builds of PXE-compliant bare-metal boxes, reducing the cost to deploy servers.
Consistency in Server Provisioning, Less Human Error	Through powerful task sequence-driven automation, sample task sequences can be extended to automate hardware configuration, operating system deployment, and application installation, enabling you to encode your organization's operational practices and reduce the opportunity for human error.
Flexibility and Agility Through New Imaging Tools	Powerful new tools employ knowledge of the NTFS file system structure to create smaller images that can be updated and edited without first being deployed to a server.
Powerful Mass Server Administration	Through the reliable remote execution framework, Automated Deployment Services enhances existing scripting investments and extends your ability to administer hundreds of servers.
Simpler Hardware Configuration	Using virtual floppy, Automated Deployment Services incorporates standard server vendor MS-DOS tools into the deployment process to automate hardware configuration.
Easy Integration Through a Choice of User Interfaces	Automated Deployment Services offers a simple-to-use graphic user interface, a set of command-line tools, and a rich Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) program interface. Automated Deployment Services enables point-and-click operation or integration with other solutions in your deployment process.
Consistent Record of Administrative History	Automated Deployment Services offers a centralized data store to maintain a complete history of all administrative tasks carried out using the Automated Deployment Services infrastructure.