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KACE Systems Deployment Appliance 9.2 Common Documents - Administrator Guide

Table of Contents

About the KACE Systems Deployment Appliance Getting started

Tasks for getting started using the appliance About the appliance components Log in to the Administrator Console Filter lists and search for information Access product documentation Configure the language settings Change a default theme for the appliance

Using the Dashboard

Customize the Dashboard

Configuring the appliance

Configure the initial network settings Modify the initial network settings Changing the default passwords

Use the Command Line Console to reset the Administrator's password Change the Samba share password Set the VNC® password Enable Boot Manager authentication

Add custom background image to iPXE console Configuring the appliance date and time settings

Configure the date and time

Manage files on the appliance Configure email notifications Configure User Interface notifications Enabling link aggregation

Create an aggregate link

Configuring the data sharing preferences

Share basic appliance data usage Share detailed usage data

Participate in KACE Beta program Linking Quest KACE appliances

Enable appliance linking Generate KACE Linking Hash Add Names and Keys to appliances Disable linked appliances

Migrating appliances

Migrate appliance data

Setting up user accounts and user authentication

Add or edit local administrator accounts Configure an LDAP server for user authentication Test the LDAP server Delete user accounts Reviewing user sessions

Install and configure the location database View a list of user sessions

Configuring security settings

Enable SSH Root Login (KACE Support) Enable SNMP monitoring Set session timeout Enable database access Prevent brute-force login attacks Enable SSL using an existing certificate Generate private key for new SSL certificate Disable SSL Enable Two-Factor Authentication

Preparing for deployment

Set up the deployment environment Enable the on-board DHCP server Configure the offboard DHCP server Download and install the KACE Media Manager

About the Media Manager

Download and install Windows ADK Upload files using the KACE Media Manager Upload files from shared directory View source media details Fingerprint source media OS View or update source media metadata Choosing the type of deployment Supported images types

Managing device inventory

Configure and run a network scan Add network inventory to the appliance Scan active and non-active devices on the network Add devices manually Join devices to a domain Issue a Wake-on-LAN request Deploy to devices in the KACE Systems Management Appliance inventory View device details from a network scan Apply a KUID to the KACE Agent Delete devices from Device Inventory Delete devices from Network Inventory Unregister devices About the device action icons Run device actions Access remote devices using a VNC session

Create and apply labels Remove components from a label Delete a label from the appliance View the components assigned to a label

Creating a Windows or Linux Boot Environment

Create a Windows boot environment Create a Linux boot Environment Update Windows drivers Set new KBE as default for the appliance Hide boot environments from the PXE boot menu Best practices: Create a KACE Boot Environment (KBE) for Windows

Managing drivers

Add drivers to system images Adding drivers to scripted installation deployments

Enable Driver Feed to automate driver updates Install driver packages to the appliance Disable Driver Feed Create folders to add device-specific drivers Generate appliance package to import large driver files Import driver packages to the appliance Understanding KACE Boot Environment drivers Add network and storage drivers manually Re-cache the network and storage driver directory Add drivers as a post-installation task View list of missing drivers

Managing network drivers

Download network and storage drivers Import driver packages Display device compatibility View driver compatibility details Export drivers Re-cache drivers

Managing operating system drivers

Enable Driver Feed for scripted installations Enable Driver Feed for system images Disable Driver Feed Download operating system driver packages Add drivers to OS as a post-installation task

Capturing images

Preparing for capture Capture system images Create a single partition Format C drive as NTFS Create a UEFI partition Apply a UEFI partition Capture System-provided WIM images Edit a system image Import WIM images Managing answer files for Sysprepped images

Create answer files for Sysprepped images View and edit answer file configurations

Best practices for creating Windows system images

Capturing user states

Upload USMT software from the appliance Upload USMT software from Media Manager Create USMT Scan Template Scan user states Scan user states offline Deploy user states to target devices automatically Deploy user states to target devices manually

Creating scripted installations

Create a scripted installation Edit a scripted installation Create a configuration file Registration Data settings Administrator Account settings General settings Network settings Windows Components setting Modify a scripted installation to change the source media Specify deployment options Modify scripted installation setup configuration file Install Vista MBR Install XP 2003 MBR

Creating a task sequence

Add Application Add BAT Script Add Custom HAL Replacement Add DiskPart Script

Common DiskPart command-line options

Adding Managed Installation tasks

Link appliances View and import Managed Installations Edit Managed Installation task

Add Naming Rule Add PowerShell Script Add Provisioning Package Add Service Pack Add Shell Script Add KACE Agent Installer Add Windows Script

Working with task groups

About uploading files About runtime environments Set task error handling option Assign tasks to system deployment Assign tasks to scripted installation deployment Assign tasks to custom deployment Edit deployment tasks

Automating deployments

Create a boot action Run deployment on next network boot Modify a boot action Set default boot action Configure new WIM images to stream directly from or to the server Specify deployment options Schedule a deployment Delete a boot action Create a multicast WIM image deployment Edit the default multicast settings View automated deployments in progress View completed automated deployments Edit failed tasks View the automated deployment image details

Performing manual deployments

Download the boot environment as bootable ISO Network boot a target device Deploy the image manually View the manual deployments in progress View the completed manual deployments

Managing custom deployments

Create or modify a custom deployment

Managing offline deployments

Create an offline deployment

About the Remote Site Appliance

Remote Site Appliance setup requirements Install the RSA on a host device Configure the RSA network settings Link the KACE Systems Deployment Appliance to an RSA Set default KBE for the RSA Review RSA settings Next steps

Importing and exporting appliance components

Schedule the export of components Use Off-Board Package Transfer Upload packages for import Import appliance components Package components to export Package file names

Managing disk space

Verify available disk space Delete images not associated with devices Delete images associated with devices Delete unassigned scripted installations Delete unassigned boot environments Delete source media Delete unassigned pre-installation tasks Delete unassigned post-installation tasks Enabling offboard storage Add a virtual disk for offboard storage Revert offboard data to onboard storage Configure an off-board storage device Best practices for using external storage

Troubleshooting appliance issues

Test device connections on the network Enable a tether to Quest KACE Technical Support Open a support ticket Troubleshooting the Boot Manager

Test whether a target device can network boot Set the Boot Manager timeout Select the local hard disk boot method

Recovering devices

Recover corrupted devices Downloading the appliance log files

Download all appliance log files View the appliance log files Appliance log types and descriptions

Shutting down and rebooting the appliance

Power off the appliance Reboot the appliance

Best practices for backing up appliance data

Updating appliance software

View the appliance version Check for and apply automatic updates Update the appliance manually

A B C D H I G K L M O P R S T U V W

Technical support resources

About the KACE Systems Deployment Appliance

The Quest KACE Systems Deployment Appliance provides a network-centric solution for capturing and deploying images. The appliance a seamless cross-platform imaging solution from a single Administrator Console enabling you to provision Microsoft® Windows® and Apple® Mac® platforms. You can deploy the configuration files, user states, and applications as an image to a single device or to multiple devices simultaneously.

The appliance provides the tools necessary to automate deployments in both homogeneous and heterogeneous hardware environments, and provides reliability of large-scale image deployments with multicast and task engine capabilities. The built-in driver feed automatically downloads Quest driver models, and the Package Management feature enables uploading third-party driver packages. You can also integrate the appliance with the KACE Systems Management Appliance to image the KACE Systems Management Appliance inventory. The KACE Systems Deployment Appliance is available as a virtual appliance.

To view information on this appliance, such as its serial number, associated Agent versions, and third-party licenses and open source copyrights, click the version number at the bottom left of the appliance Dashboard page.

Getting started

Tasks for getting started using the appliance

About the appliance components

Log in to the Administrator Console

Filter lists and search for information

Access product documentation

Configure the language settings

Change a default theme for the appliance

You can set up the appliance by connecting it to your network to configure the network settings from the initial configuration console. After you connect the appliance to your network, you can download the tools required to build a boot environment, change the default passwords, add drivers, and configure other deployment tasks.

Tasks for getting started using the appliance

Tasks for getting started using the appliance

You can install the appliance and configure the environment to prepare for operating system deployments.

Table 1. Tasks for getting started using the appliance
Task	How to
Install and set up the appliance	Connect the appliance to your network using a monitor and keyboard, and configure the network settings.
Log in to the Administrator Console	Open a web browser and enter the appliance URL: http://appliance_hostname. This enables you to enter the license key and register the appliance.
Secure your passwords	Change the default passwords. Although not a required task, Quest KACE recommends changing the default passwords during the initial appliance setup.
Dedicate a device as the administrator device	Ensure that you have administrator rights on the device where the appliance is installed.
Download the tools the appliance requires to build a KACE Boot Environment (KBE) or NetBoot environment	Download the Microsoft Windows ADK, the KACE Media Manager, and Microsoft .NET 4.
Create a KACE Boot Environment	Use the Media Manager to create the boot environment. The boot environment provides the drivers and tools to deploy the operating system.
Set a KBE as the default	Select a default boot environment to enable target devices to boot from the appliance.
Update drivers	Add the drivers that the KBE requires, and enable the Driver Feed for automatic updates of drivers.
Configure DHCP server	Set up the DHCP server to network boot target devices from the appliance.
Test the boot environment	Verify that the target devices can boot from the appliance.
Migrate user files and settings	Capture user profiles from a device using the Windows User State Migration Tool (USMT), version 5.0.
Upload operating system source files	Upload the OS source files to the appliance using the Media Manager.
Deploy the OS	Deploy the OS using a scripted installation or a system image deployment.

About the appliance components

About the appliance components

The appliance components that support image deployments include a virtual appliance, a utility to build boot environments, a Support Portal, and a virtual Remote Site Appliance (RSA) to network remote boot devices.

The appliance has the following components:

Option	Description
Virtual appliance	The KACE Systems Deployment Appliance is available as a virtual appliance. It uses a VMware or Microsoft Hyper-V infrastructure. For technical specifications, visit https://support.quest.com/kace-systems-deployment-appliance/technical-documents.
Command-Line Console	The Command-Line Console is a terminal window interface to the appliance. The interface is designed primarily to configure the appliance network settings.
Administrator Console	The Administrator Console is the web-based interface used to navigate the appliance. To access the Administrator Console, go to http://<appliance_hostname>/admin where <appliance_hostname> is the host name of your appliance.
Support Portal	The Support Portal is the web-based interface that enables you to submit tickets to request help or to report issues. You can also to test network connectivity, and enable Quest KACE Technical Support to temporarily access your appliance to troubleshoot issues.
KACE Media Manager	A utility that builds boot environments, uploads the operating system source files, and provides access to the Windows User State Migration Tool (USMT) to upload user profiles the appliance.
Remote Site Appliance (RSA)	Uses the KACE Systems Deployment Appliance license to link a virtual Remote Site Appliances (RSA) that enables you to network remote boot devices. Remote Site Appliances are read only.

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