New imaging process available

July 29, 2019

Managed Workstation has a new process available for imaging a workstation called Operation System Deployment (OSD). The old process, called Litetouch or MDT, will remain available until October 31, 2019.

Why should I use this new process?

There are a number of enhancements immediately available via OSD including:

  • Computer is automatically joined to the domain as part of the process
  • You can choose to enable Bitlocker1 as part of the process
  • The computer name by default is the serial number (you can override)
  • You can choose a custom image, if you’ve previously requested creation of a custom image that meets your needs

1 Bitlocker encrypts the hard disk so that if the computer is stolen, the data is protected

How do I use this new process?

To use the new OSD imaging process: https://itconnect.uw.edu/wares/mws/hardware/osd-image-installation/.

Can you tell me more about the custom image option?

Use this form to request a new computer image from the Managed Workstation service.

One of the enhancements possible with our new imaging process is the ability to easily create a custom image that builds on top of the standard MWS image. You may have a set of computers that need a specific set of applications installed. We can create a custom image that installs those applications as part of the imaging process, so that you don’t have to manually install them after imaging. Because your custom image is built on top of our standard image, it will be kept up to date with the latest Windows version.

How do I get local administrator privileges using this new image option?

When you ask for a computer account to be created via the Enable a computer for Managed Workstation services form, you can specify which users should be added to the local administrator group. In most cases, this should happen nearly immediately after the image completes, but in some cases, it may take up to 30 minutes.

What if I have more questions?

Please send email to help@uw.edu with a subject of “MWS OSD imaging process” with any additional questions.

Brian Arkills
Managed Workstation service manager & owner
UW-IT