HP Insight Deployment (RDP) and Sysprep not using the Correct servername when deploying Windows 2008 R2

If you are using HP Insight control 6.3/7 to deploy server via the Deployment console (Symantec Altiris) and deploying a windows 2008 R2 sysprep image with a image you have already capture. Once the job has completed it has not deployed any of the information from the sysprep xml file.The main thing you will notice is that the server has keep the server name of the original server which was imaged and the computer object in  Deployment console will change from the name you have chose to name of the original imaged server.Also you will get prompted to set the password for the Administrator.

There seem to be a bug in Version 6.9 SP5 MR1. The standard sysprep image job does not copy the sysprep.xml to the correct locations. The Job renames the sysprep.xml to a unattend.xml file and places it in %WINDIR%\System32\Sysprep directory. The problem is that when the sysprep job get to stage where it looks for the answer file for the windows setup, it looks for the unattend.xml file in the %WINDIR%\Panther directory.

When you run a capture image job to be use with a sysprep job. The system which is to be imaged is put in a sysprep mode so that it is ready to be imaged and then can deployed using sysprep. Before it is imaged the job inject a system built  unattend.xml in %WINDIR%\Panther director. So once the system has been imaged and has been rebooted it can turn the machine back to it pre sysprep state. The one thing it can’t do it guess the password and that why you are required to change the password for the administrator account.

To Fix this you first need to add a task and to the job after the system has deployed imaged so that it copy the file to the right location.

1)Using a Image explorer tool to browse the system iamge file to delete the unattend.xml file in the follow location:

%WINDIR%\Panther

%WINDIR%\System32\Sysprep

2)Create a batch file in C:\Program Files\HP\RDP\Deployment Server called copyunattend.bat. Enter the following information assuming you c:\ drive is you system drive.

copy C:\windows\system32\sysprep\unattend.xml C:\windows\panther

3)Edit the sysprep job and add a new “run script” task

4)Select “Run the script from a file” and select the copyunattend.bat and make sure “windows” selected in the bottom box and click next

5)Select “Automation pre-book environment” and chose “WinPE Managed (64 Bit)” and click next.

6) Click next and click finish on the last windows.

7)The Task will be placed at the bottom of list you will need to move the task so it run after the “Distribute Disk Image”

This is also you should have to do.

There is seem to be no fix from HP or Symantec yet.

I found out about this issue form here:

 http://www.symantec.com/connect/forums/ds69-sp5-sysprep-deploy-jobs-not-taking-altiris-agent-names

 

 

 

 

 

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