WinPE in the depot server scenario
The use of Matrix42 OS Deployment with WinPE in the Empirum Depot Server scenario is possible. For this, the following points must be taken into account:
- Using the correct agent template in the boot configuration.
- The use of an additional Empirum Sync template on the Empirum Depot.
Agent template in Empirum Depot Server scenario
The Matrix42 Universal Agent Framework in the WinPE based PXE image takes the information from the agent template how it should connect to the Empirum server.
If a computer is to be set up via an Empirum depot, then an agent template must be selected in the boot configuration used, where this Empirum depot is specified as the Fallback server.
DHCP Options
Another variant is the use of DHCP options in the depot scenario. The following values from the agent template can be overridden via the DHCP options:
- Empirum Server (EmpirumServer option).
- User with which the connection to the Empirum server should be established (EmpUser option).
- Password for the user with which the connection to the Empirum server is to be established (EmpPW option).
The password can be specified Sync, AES256 encrypted, or unencrypted.
If not all three DHCP options (EmpirumServer, EmpUser, EmpPW) are configured on the DHCP server, then only the configured values are used and override the corresponding Agent Template values. Thus, for example, it is possible to override only the EmpirumServer value of the Agent Template if the username and password remain the same.
The advantage of this variant is that one boot configuration can be used for several depots.
To use the DHCP options during deployment with WinPE, the following steps are required:
- Configure DHCP options in Matrix42 DBUtil.
The online help The DHCP Options Setup describes how to set up the DHCP options with Matrix42 DBUtil. The PE agent considers the following options for establishing a connection to the depot server:
- EmpirumServer
- EmpUser
- EmpPW
- Set up the DHCP options on the DHCP server.
If the DHCP option EmpPW is to be used, then this value can be specified on the DHCP server Sync, AES256 encrypted or unencrypted.
- In the agent template used by the boot configuration, the general setting Use DHCP options must be checked.
- The boot configurations that use the agent template must be resaved afterwards so that the agent template changes end up in the image.
Additional Empirum Sync template
The Matrix42 Universal Agent Framework in the WinPE-based PXE image uses a DeviceMapping.xml configuration file that connects to the Empirum share to determine the name of the computer to map to based on its MAC address. This file is written from a backend task queue extension on the Empirum share of the master server.
If Empirum depots are used in the WinPE based OS deployment, the sync template ESubdepot_DeviceMapping must be assigned to the used depot and the change must be communicated by activating the depot.