TechEd 2008 is rapidly approaching
In the US this year, they are trying something different: a two-week TechEd conference with the first week (June 3-6) focusing on developer topics and the second week (June 10-13) focusing on IT Professional topics. (Don't worry, you will register for each week separately.) This is very similar to the organization used for the European version of the conference, not surprisingly (although this year for the European event in November the IT Professional week will be held first).
For more information on the events, see the official websites at https://www.microsoft.com/events/teched2008/itpro/default.mspx and https://www.microsoft.com/events/teched2008/developer/default.mspx. Full session catalogs are available.
The sessions I am presenting are pretty much the same as those given at MMS 2008 in Las Vegas last month, with a couple of additional ones added to make our lives a little more interesting:
Advanced Operating System Deployment with Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager: Extending OS Deployment with the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (Part 3 of 4)
Microsoft Deployment is the next version of Business Desktop Deployment (BDD) 2007. New features in Microsoft Deployment integrate with and extend the native OS deployment functionality of Configuration Manager 2007 while providing thorough project management guidance. Examine how the Microsoft Deployment toolkit uses and extends the OS deployment capabilities presented in parts 1 and 2, providing new wizards, task sequence templates, additional server deployment automation, and other features.
Advanced Operating System Deployment with Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager: Provisioning Your Windows Deployment with Microsoft Deployment (BDD) (Part 4 of 4)
Now that you have a good understanding of the OS deployment features and functionality provided by Configuration Manager and Microsoft Deployment, explore ways to create dynamic, data-driven deployment processes. We discuss performing rules-based, data-driven deployments; using external data sources; adding your own scripts and customizing those provided with Microsoft Deployment; overriding task sequence properties; and other advanced topics.
What's New in Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) 2008? Updates for Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista SP1
Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista SP1 introduce new changes in the underlying service stack and Windows Automated Installation Kit. These changes are addressed in the second release of the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) 2008 (formerly BDD). This session introduces MDT 2008 changes. MDT 2008 focuses on Windows Vista SP1 support and Windows Server enhancements; it provides broader support for automated role installation using Server Manager in Windows Server 2008. This session is presented first-hand by solution developers and provides a current roadmap and release schedule for future MDT releases.
Unleash the Power of the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) 2008 (formerly BDD) with Customization
This session is for those who fully understand the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) 2008, Microsoft Business Desktop Deployment (BDD) 2007, Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007, and Systems Management Server 2003 with OS Deployment FP toolsets, but are looking to do more. We pool the key deployment customization themes and provide concrete examples to improve your deployments. In this session, we do not cover overview themes or 300-level content, but we discuss topics such as: understanding and using rules, deep dive into the deployment wizards, how to utilize the scripting framework to create your own scripts, using naming conventions, custom database lookups, and Web service lookups. We encourage open dialog for additional advanced customization themes and requests.
Automated Windows Server 2008 Imaging and Deployment Using the Microsoft Deployment Accelerator
Deployment tools for Windows Server 2008 have changed and most legacy tools will not support automated installation of Windows Server 2008. Microsoft Deployment is the next version of Business Desktop Deployment (BDD) 2007. The fourth generation deployment accelerator supports Windows Server 2008 imaging and deployment. This session is delivered by solution developers and explains how you can use Microsoft Deployment to plan deployments, create disk images, customize installation task sequences, automate disk and NIC configuration, and automate server role defintion. We discuss the current released tools (System Center Configuration Manager 2007 and Windows Deployment Services [WDS] with multicast support), features and limitations, and the Microsoft Deployment release roadmap.