Alright, I got the server running WDS, unfortunately in Native mode. I wanted it running in Hybrid mode, which allows you to add RIS images along with WIM files, but from what I can tell, because I didn’t have any RIS images on the RIS server when I upgraded to WDS, it went into Native mode right off the bat. Oh well, this is just for testing anyway’s.
Adding images was easy. I started with the boot image first. Right click on boot images, click add image and add from the sources folder on the Vista DVD, boot.wim. Then right click install images, created a group, I called mine VistaInstall (not very original). Right clicked on the group and clicked added image. From the folder called sources, clicked on install.wim and it adds it in.
Right clicked on the server and went into the properties. Under PXE response I responded to all client computers. I changed Directory Services to the way I wanted it, on Advanced, I authorized the DHCP to respond. On DHCP tab, I needed to check both tabs as I am using the same server for DHCP as WDS. I didn’t change the options on any other tabs. I then brought up my workstation and booted it as a network boot, I pressed F12 when I needed too and off it went starting the Vista Install. I had to tell it the user I wanted, regional settings, but that was about it. A lot less questions to answer than Windows XP.
In case you are wondering, I am running all this on Virtual Server R2 SP1 Beta 2 (1.1.531.0 EE R2 SP1). Vista runs pretty decent with 512MB ram under Virtual Server. My next project will be to configure it, install what I want then put the image back up on the WDS server.
Todd