Save time (and avoid pain) – Create a MDT simulation environment

This is an update to an old post, but this time using PowerShell instead of VB Script. Anyway, by adding a few files to a folder you can simulate the gather process of MDT, and figure out why settings fails in seconds rather than hours… Create a MDT simulation environment – here is how:

Update July 30, 2014: You also might want to look into this post about creating a MDT simulation environment for your PowerShell scripts: http://www.osd-couture.com/2014/07/mdt-2013-create-simulation-environment.html

Prerequisites

This guide assumes you have an existing MDT Lite Touch Deployment Share (meaning MDT and ADK installed)

Step-by-step instructions

1. On a machine in the domain, install the ConfigMgr 2012 R2+ Toolkit to the default location, navigate to C:\Program Files (x86)\ConfigMgr 2012 Toolkit R2\ClientTools, then start CMTrace and click Yes to associate .log files with it.

    
   The CMTrace dialog box when started the first time.

2. Create a folder named C:\MDT and copy the following files from your deployment share, Scripts folder to C:\MDT.

   ZTIDataAccess.vbs
   ZTIGather.wsf
   ZTIGather.xml
   ZTIUtility.vbs Note: If you are using any userexit scripts, like the modelaliasexit.vbs script, copy that script to the C:\MDT folder as well (Thanks Gebray1s for pointing that out).  

3. Copy/Create the CustomSettings.ini file you want to test to C:\MDT.
4. In the C:\MDT folder, create a subfolder named x64.
5. From your deployment share, Tools\x64 folder, Copy Microsoft.BDD.Utility.dll to C:\MDT\x64.
6. Create a PowerShell script named Gather.ps1 with the following information:   

# Check for elevation
If (-NOT ([Security.Principal.WindowsPrincipal] [Security.Principal.WindowsIdentity]::GetCurrent()).IsInRole(`
    [Security.Principal.WindowsBuiltInRole] "Administrator"))
{
    Write-Warning "Oupps, you need to run this script from an elevated PowerShell prompt!`nPlease start the PowerShell prompt as an Administrator and re-run the script."
    Write-Warning "Aborting script..."
    Break
}

cls
if (Test-Path -Path "C:\MININT") {Write-Host "C:\MININT exists, deleting...";Remove-Item C:\MININT -Recurse}
cscript.exe ZTIGather.wsf /debug:true

# Optional, comment out if you want the script to open the log in CMTrace
& "C:\MDT\CMTrace" C:\MININT\SMSOSD\OSDLOGS\ZTIGather.log

The C:\MDT Folder

By now your C:\MDT folder should look like this:

The C:\MDT folder after adding all needed files (again, if using any userexit scripts, add them as well)

Sample CustomSettings.ini file

In the below sample I have the following customsettings.ini file

[Settings]
Priority=Model, Default

[Default]
OSInstall=YES

[HP EliteBook 8570w]
MandatoryApplications001={980fc0ac-68eb-4227-bc57-49ac352e18d5}

Running the simulation

1. Open an elevated PowerShell prompt, and navigate to C:\MDT,

2 Run the Gather.ps1 script (the console will look like this):

The ZTIGather.log will look like this:

From the above log file we can see that if I would have deployed a HP Elitebook 8570w, it would actually install an application with the guid of {980fc0ac-68eb-4227-bc57-49ac352e18d5}. If I check the Deployment Workbench, I can see which application that has that guid.

/ Johan