Greg & David,

   Thanks greatly for the insightful and informative take on cloning & 
multicasting.  I honestly didn't know that WDS has a multicast mode.  Is 
this how the computer depot preps new machines?  They always seem to 
arrive UVMized.

I haven't yet found anything in writing that says either Fog or WDS can 
handle Win7/Ubunutu dual boot *client* machines.  The FOG site has a lot 
of info about many opsystem options for the server side.
Has anyone had experience with WDS in dual boot systems?   Perhaps these 
details are in your 2007 blog?

The only real problem with spending $120 is that it is nice to test 
these things out beforehand.  -V
**
On 10/18/10 9:48 AM, J. Greg Mackinnon wrote:
>   MCA does not cover Windows Server.  It covers Windows workstation
> /upgrades/ (you must still purchase an OS with each new computer, but
> you can upgrade to an volume license edition of Windows after that).
>
> You can purchase a Windows Server (standard edition) license for about
> $110 under MS Select Agreement though the Computer Depot. For most
> people, that should not be cost prohibitive.
>
> I expect you already know that in ETS we host two separate but
> complimentary Windows deployment technologies... Windows Deployment
> Services (Windows DS, or WDS), and "LiteTouch" (a component of the
> Microsoft Deployment Toolkit). WDS is a systems for simple Windows
> system image distribution. LiteTouch is a tool for running one-off
> customized and automated deployments of Windows. Both are freely
> available to the UVM community. I wrote about these services for the now
> defunct "IT-News" letter in 2007. An old (but still accurate) blog entry
> on the subject can be found here:
> http://blog.uvm.edu/jgm/2007/08/09/changes-in-windows-deployment-technology/
>
> If you really need frequent rapid multi-system cloning, then I could see
> you wanting your own distribution server located on your local subnet.
> But you still could use a WDS server in multicast mode to accomplich
> this end. Total cost to you in software? About $110. Cheap!
>
> I agree with David that Altiris likely would be too complicated and
> cumbersome for small scale deployments. However, I cannot say that I
> share is enthusiasm for open-source projects such as "Dolly" and "Fog".
> I get the feeling that open source developers really have to struggle to
> keep on top of new developments in the Windows OS world. Since Microsoft
> provides reliable, affordable, and well documented tools for mass system
> distribution, I see no reason to stray off the reservation... but that's
> just my take on the situation.
>
> --
> J. Greg Mackinnon | ETS Systems Architecture and Administration | x68251
>
> On 10/15/2010 3:01 PM, Victor Rossi wrote:
>> does our mca agreement does not include windows server editions?
>>
>> i want to test altiris for imaging, but apparently it only works on
>> windows server
>