KACE Systems Deployment Appliance 8.2 Common Documents - Administrator Guide

W

A

action icons

Remote connection programs built in to the KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (appliance).

Administrator Console

The web-based interface to control the appliance.

answer file

A file that defines the settings to install the operating system. The answer file is used for unattended scripted installations.

B

Boot Manager

The boot menu that displays on target devices immediately after a target device boots in to the appliance and enables the selection of the KACE Boot Environment (KBE).

Boot Manager timeout period

The length of time that the Boot Manager remains active on a target device.

BSCP

Mac computer's built-in BSCP (Base Station Control Protocol) and bootstrap file that displays the option to boot from the local hard drive or from the server.

BSDP (Boot Server Discovery Protocol)

A standards-conforming extension of DHCP developed by Apple that allows Mac computers to boot from bootable images on a network instead of a local storage media.

C

clean installation

An installation of an operating system on a hard drive that has been erased.

D

DHCP scope

The range of possible IP addresses that the DHCP server can lease to devices on the same subnet as the appliance.

disk imaging

Provides an exact sector-by-sector or file-by-file copy of all the contents of a device's hard disk to an image file.

DISKPART

A Windows utility built into the appliance that uses scripts to manage objects such as disks or partitions.

Driver Feed

A built-in tool that adds the latest Dell drivers to the drivers_postinstall share directory that you can download and install to the appliance.

driver re-cache

Updates drivers manually added to the drivers share directory for boot environments and scripted installations.

driver share directory

A local appliance directory that manages the network and mass storage drivers required to build the KACE Boot Environment from the drivers share folder and the drivers that the operating system requires from the drivers_postinstall folder.

driver slipstreaming

Automates OS installations with the correct drivers. It also integrates patches or service packs in to the installation, and enables direct software updates.

H

Hardware Abstraction Layer

Enables customizing the target device's HAL (Hardware Abstraction Layer) after a K-Image deployment.

Hardware-independent deployment

Enables using a single scripted installation to provision multiple hardware configurations. The appliance automatically adds the appropriate drivers with the scripted installation.

I

ImageX

Provides the ability to capture, modify, and apply file based disk images for rapid deployment of Windows image (.wim) files for copying to a network. ImageX also works with other technologies that use .wim images, such as Windows Setup, Windows Deployment Services (Windows DS), and the System Management Server (SMS) Operating System Feature Deployment Pack.

initial configuration console

The command-line interface that displays after connecting a monitor to the appliance to configure the network settings.

ITNinja

Sponsored by Quest KACE, ITNinja.com (formerly AppDeploy.com) is a product agnostic IT-focused community website where IT professionals share information and ask questions about system-deployment related topics.

G

Gold Master

A reference machine used as the basis for image capture. The appliance automates the Gold Master creation process through scripted installations.

K

KACE Boot Environment (KBE)

A boot environment that is a scaled-down version of an operating system for performing various Windows-based tasks on target devices. KBE allows for disk imaging, scripted installations, recovery, file browsing, and inventory collection.

KBE Main Menu

The user interface for the KACE Boot Environment that enables image captures, scripted installation and system image deployments, and device recovery.

K-Image

A file-based format that enables easy editing of computer and server images, eliminating the need to rebuild images.

Knowledge Base

Quest KACE Knowledge Base articles with updated solutions to real-world KACE Systems Deployment Appliance problems that administrators encounter. Visit https://support.quest.com/resources/kb.

L

linking

The process of connecting multiple K-Series appliances and having the ability to access linked appliances from one Administrator Console if the administrator user account for each appliance has the same password.

Load State utility

A Microsoft User State Migration Tool utility that enables migrating data and settings manually from the .mig file on to target devices.

login hook

Instructs the Mac OS X to run a certain script immediately after the user logs on, but before other login processes are performed.

M

mid-level task

A mid-level task is a post-installation task that runs in the KACE Boot Environment runtime environment.

Media Manager

An appliance utility that builds the KACE Boot Environment, and uploads the operating system source files and the Windows User State Migration Tool (USMT) to the appliance for Windows. The Media Manager for Mac OS X builds the NetBoot Environments.

O

OEM key

A single computer license used to install Windows 7 and higher at the factory. Typically, mid-sized organizations use this license to leverage the initial software license that is included with the device.

offboard database access

An appliance setting that enables external reporting programs to connect to and query the appliance database.

offboard storage

Uses an external NAS device to expand the appliance internal storage capacity. It also expands Remote Site Appliance (RSA) and Virtual appliance storage capacity by using an additional virtual disk. When external storage is enabled, internal storage is no longer available.

offline user migration scan

The appliance captures the user states using the Scan User States Offline pre-installation task.

online user migration scan

The appliances migrates the captured user states using the Deploy User State post-installation task.

P

Package Management

An appliance feature that enables importing, exporting, and transferring appliance components to a different location.

post-installation tasks

Tasks run after deploying an operating system, for example configuring the computer name, joining domains, and installing drivers.

PXE boots

Boots from the network without the target environment where the operating system is installed. PXE boots do not require an external storage device such as a USB or a CD or DVD drive.

R

Remote Site Appliance (RSA)

The RSA is a virtual instance of the KACE Systems Deployment Appliance that downloads directly from the KACE Systems Deployment Appliance and uses the same license key. The RSA network boots devices for deployments to remote sites. The linking featured displays the RSA on the Administrator Console.

Remote site management

Enables deployments to remote sites without the need for dedicated hardware or personnel at remote facilities.

retail key

A single key for a computer. Typically small organizations that do not have a high volume of installations use this key.

S

scripted installation

Automates the installation of an operating system and provides hardware-independent provisioning of desktops, laptops, and servers.

Scan State utility

A Microsoft Windows User State Migration Tool (USMT) utility that enables scanning and capturing user profiles and configurations to include or exclude data.

Sysprep

The Microsoft Sysprep tool removes all system-specific information and resets the device.

System-provided imaging

OS-specific formats such as Microsoft WIM and Apple DMG images that are compatible with the appliance.

T

tether

A Quest KACE Technical Support team connection to your device for troubleshooting.

U

user states

User-specific files and settings on a device that can be scanned, captured, and uploaded to the appliance using the Microsoft Windows User State Migration Tool (USMT).

User State Migration

Transfers user-specific files and settings along with the operating system and applications on to target devices.

USMT Scan Template

A template that defines user-specific files and settings to exclude from scans.

V

VNC password

A Java VNC client included with the appliance to enable connections to the target devices while it is booting from the appliance.

Volume KMS

A multi-seat license the KMS server manages and hosts. Typically enterprise customers use this key.

Volume MAK

A multi-seat license that Microsoft enables and manages; it requires internet access to complete the activation. Typically, mid-sized enterprise organizations use this key.

W

WIM (Windows Imaging Format)

An appliance supported file-based disk image format used as part of the Windows operating system standard installation procedure.

Windows PE

Prepares a computer for Windows installation, copies disk images from a network file server, and initiates Windows setup.

WSName.exe

An appliance supported utility that uses a text file to rename Windows target devices.

Windows ADK

The Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (Windows ADK) is a collection of tools required to build the KACE Boot Environment (KBE) for Windows 7 and higher and Windows Server 2012 computers.

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Technical support resources

Technical support resources

Technical support is available to Quest customers with a valid maintenance contract and customers who have trial versions. You can access the Quest Support Portal at https://support.quest.com.

The Support Portal provides self-help tools you can use to solve problems quickly and independently, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The Support Portal enables you to:

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