Remember BDD? Well.. forget BDD. Remember MD.

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Solution Accelerators 

"Huh?"

For a couple years now I've been singing the praise of "these three little letters that, if you remember nothing else from my presentation, I want you to remember: BDD!"  Business Desktop Deployment.

BDD is one of many "Solution Accelerators" Microsoft makes available.  As the name implies, these are product or area focused tools that help accelerate you towards a solution - providing both guidance and the tools required to bring you up-and-running quickly with some solution.  Business Desktop Deployment (BDD) is/was a very powerful set of such knowledge and tools all around making it easy to create LTI or ZTI (Light and Zero Touch Installation) deployments of Windows Desktops and applications.

"You said, 'was', Kevin. Is the BDD gone?"

No.  It's not gone.  Not yet.  But it is being replaced by  "Microsoft Deployment".  So.. do a search-and-replace of everything I've ever said about BDD and replace it with MD.

Microsoft Deployment (Release Candidate 1 just went live TODAY on the Microsoft Connect site - details on how to get it below) is the next version. 

"Why the change? What's new?"

Well, in a nutshell, this new tool (and new name) refers not just to deploying desktops.  It's about deployment.  Period.  We also had a Solution Accelerator called Windows Server Deployment (WSD) which, as the name implies, was all about deploying servers.  (duh!)  That, too, is becoming a part of the new Microsoft Deployment Solution Accelerator.

Here are a list of "What's new" that I received in an e-mail about it just under an hour ago:

New Features in Microsoft DeploymentBDD

Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 support, with the following features:

  • Full support for Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 deployments with Microsoft Deployment and Configuration Manager 2007.
  • Complete integration into the Configuration Manager 2007 admin console and task sequencing capabilities.
    • Quick start Configuration Manager 2007 operating system deployments using one wizard to create needed task sequences and packages.
    • Extension of the Configuration Manager 2007 task sequencing capabilities with new actions.
  • Feature parity with BDD 2007 and SMS 2003, including dynamic package installation, automatic determination of state store location, computer backup, and database settings.
  • Installation support for computers unknown to the Configuration Manager 2007 database
  • Added support for offline patching
  • Support for offline and online language pack installation
  • Deployment monitoring:
    • Updated Management Pack for System Center Operations Manager 2007

Lite Touch Installation (LTI) support for Windows Server 2008:

  • Support for deploying Windows Server 2008 Beta 3 and potentially RC1 (to be verified after RC1 release), including support for Server Core installation options.
  • Automated server role definition using Server Manager

Lite Touch Installation (LTI) enhancements:

  • Enhanced disk and network interface cards (NICs) configuration options, including support for static TCP/IP configuration.
  • Design changes to ease the migration from LTI to Configuration Manager 2007.
  • Support for multiple task sequence templates. New sample templates include:
    • Client template: Windows Vista, Windows XP
    • Server template: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008
    • Replace scenario template
  • Ability to invoke web service calls
    • Support for web service calls from rules
    • Web services can be invoked as part of the rules processing performed by Microsoft Deployment, using new rules that can be defined in CustomSettings.ini.
  • Support for BDD 2007 upgrade or side-by-side installation with Microsoft Deployment.

Lite Touch Installation (LTI) multicast support:

  • Deployment Workbench supports multicast transmission of operating system images when performing LTI deployments from Windows Server 2008 servers that are running Windows Deployment Services.

 

"Cool! How do I get it, Kevin?"

It's an open beta download right now.  You get it by signing up for the Microsoft Connection Deployment program in Microsoft Connect.

If you're already a member, you can go straight to the download here.

Now I'm off to edit my slides.  I've got BDD all over the place...