BDD 2007 Time saving tips - How to manually use a BDD Task Sequence to test application installation

How often when creating a your perfect image do you find that you run through image build process only to find that one of your applications fails to install?

I find this to be a very commmon occurence. After a cursing about how I have just wasted another hour I ring the wife and tell her I am going to be late home and then start the process over again only to find that I have made another mistake, DAMM!!!

It doesn't have to be this way!

You can create a custom task sequence which includes only the applications you want to test. This can then be launched from within the OS allowing you to quickly test if the application installs correctly.

Here's how its done:

First you need to create a custom task sequence, the following steps detail the creation the task sequence:

1. Create a new build using the BDD workbench (i.e.) ApplicationsOnly

2. Copy TS. XML from your current build under the distribution share on your BDD server - \distribution\control\<Build ID\TS.xml

3. Copy it to the newly created build directory (i.e.) \distribution\control\ApplicationsOnly

4. Delete every task except for the custom tasks that you want to test -

Note: If you leave any folders behind then remember to make sure that you remove any unwanted conditions from the options tab

5. From the client computer launch cscript \\<yourserver>\<distribution share>\scripts\LiteTouch.vbs

6. Watch the task sequencer execute your tasks

7. Make adjustments as necessary

8. Update your build with the tested Tasks.

This process will literally save hours when troubleshooting application installation.  

UPDATE - 14/05/07 

Please see the following blog for further tips on this process.

UPDATE - 26/09/07

To make this process work with Deployment 4 please refer to this post.

UPDATE - 01/09/08

MDT 2008 now includes built in support for custom task sequences and you do not need to use this process.

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