
                                                                Readme.txt

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                                                    Automated Deployment Toolkit
                                                         (c) Microsoft 2005
                                                         Released May 2005

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The Readme file for the Automated Deployment Toolkit (ADT) adheres to the following structure:

1. Location for downloading ADT.

2. Brief description of ADT.

3. Folder contents and descriptions of ADT.msi.

4. Prerequisites and installation notes.

5. TERMS OF USE. 

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1. Location for downloading ADT.

     Download Center: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=48005 

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2. Brief description of ADT.

You can use the Microsoft Automated Deployment Toolkit (ADT) to deploy anything that can be automated. ADT comes with a script library, a task sequencer, and many valuable samples. Taken together, you can automate provisioning tasks, such as building Windows platform computers, to control a detailed and complicated sequence of tasks.

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3. Folder contents and descriptions of ADT.msi.

3.1 BLD
Contains the ADT task sequencer (Sequence-Tasks.wsf) and the BLD folder that contains a file structure which the task sequencer will use when it is processing tasks. You will copy the BLD folder and its contents from the default installation directory to a project-specific directory.

3.1.1 Configs
ADT task sequencer working folder. 

3.1.2 Scripts
Contains the ADT script library.

3.1.3 Status
ADT task sequencer working folder.

3.1.4 Temp
ADT task sequencer working folder.

3.1.5 Utils
Contains a text file (00UtilsSources.txt) that discusses utilities that you may find useful in working with ADT. The folder also contains the BackInfo utility. BackInfo collects data about your system and renders it to a bitmap which becomes the desktop wallpaper.


3.2 Docs
Contains the Automated Deployment Toolkit END-USER LICENSE AGREEMENT (ADT_EULA.rtf) file and the following folders.

3.2.1 Design
Contains files for the state store and task sequencer W3C XML Schema (also called XSD). 

3.2.2 Guides
Contains the ADT Administrator Guide (ADT Administrator Guide.doc) that introduces ADT and provides information to help you create a deployment solution that you can use to build your environment.

3.2.3 HOWTOs
Contains the How to Create a WinPE Boot ISO File guide (How to Create a WinPE Boot ISO File.doc) that provides procedures for how to make a WinPE boot ISO image that you can use with the ADT task sequencer.


3.3 Samples
ADT provides three groups of sample manifest files to provide you with guidance and examples for building manifest files.

3.3.1 HelloWorld
Contains a sample that displays a command shell that echoes a text string to the console 

3.3.2 Synchronize
Contains a sample that provides an example of a method to wait for a computer to be in a required state before continuing.

3.3.3 VirtualEnterprise
Contains the manifest files used to create a detailed and complicated environment. These manifest files are the files we used to build a virtual environment for development and test.


3.4 WinPESupport
Contains files and scripts to support running the ADT task sequencer from a preinstallation boot environment such as WinPE.

3.4.1 MSXML
Contains the Microsoft XML Parser (MSXML) referred to in the How to Create a WinPE Boot ISO File guide (How to Create a WinPE Boot ISO File.doc). Although the task sequencer relies on version 3, we provide several other versions to support any tools or scripts that you are using that may require a different version.

3.4.2 RAMDrv
Contains the RAM Drive files referred to in the How to Create a WinPE Boot ISO File guide (How to Create a WinPE Boot ISO File.doc). This is used to create a RAM disk drive. A Ramdisk is used like any other disk, but the contents of the disk are lost when you shut down the computer. 

3.4.3 Scripts
Contains a working sample of using the ADT task sequencer with command files to start a sequence of tasks. These command files are the ones we used with the VirtualEnterprise manifest files to launch the virtual enterprise environment build using a WinPE boot CD-ROM.

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4. Prerequisites and installation notes.

PREREQUISITES:

The ADT installation relies on Microsoft Windows Installer 2.0 or higher. 

INSTALLATION:

You can install this toolkit on any Windows-based operating system. By default, ADT installs to the C:\Program Files\ADT directory.

The ADT task sequencer, scripts, and manifest files can be used on any Windows-based operating system, even a minimal preinstallation environment such as WinPE.

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5. TERMS OF USE. 
   We at Microsoft Corporation hope that the information in this download is valuable to you.
   This download and all files contained within are subject to Microsoft's standard TERMS OF USE for microsoft.com.
   The TERMS OF USE for this download are located at http://www.microsoft.com/info/cpyright.htm

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