6 Appendix A: Product Behavior
The information in this specification is applicable to the following Microsoft products or supplemental software. References to product versions include updates to those products.
The terms "earlier" and "later", when used with a product version, refer to either all preceding versions or all subsequent versions, respectively. The term "through" refers to the inclusive range of versions. Applicable Microsoft products are listed chronologically in this section.
Windows Server 2003 operating system with Service Pack 1 (SP1)
Windows Server 2003 operating system with Service Pack 2 (SP2)
Windows Server 2008 operating system
Windows Server 2008 R2 operating system
Windows Server 2012 operating system
Windows Server 2012 R2 operating system
Windows Server 2016 operating system
Windows Server operating system
Windows Server 2019 operating system
Windows Server 2022 operating system
Exceptions, if any, are noted in this section. If an update version, service pack or Knowledge Base (KB) number appears with a product name, the behavior changed in that update. The new behavior also applies to subsequent updates unless otherwise specified. If a product edition appears with the product version, behavior is different in that product edition.
Unless otherwise specified, any statement of optional behavior in this specification that is prescribed using the terms "SHOULD" or "SHOULD NOT" implies product behavior in accordance with the SHOULD or SHOULD NOT prescription. Unless otherwise specified, the term "MAY" implies that the product does not follow the prescription.
<1> Section 2.2: Windows Server 2003 operating system and Windows Server 2008 do not support the dynamic driver provisioning Endpoint GUID.
<2> Section 2.2: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Server 2008 R2 WDS Servers do not support the deployment agent metadata Endpoint GUID.
<3> Section 2.2.2.10: Applicable Windows Server releases use the Server Message Block (SMB) protocol to copy the files for the OS image container for the selected OS image.
<4> Section 2.2.2.14: Windows Server 2003 does not support this status message.
<5> Section 2.2.2.15: Windows Server 2003 does not support this status message.
<6> Section 2.2.2.17: Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008 do not support this status message.
<7> Section 2.2.2.18: Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008 do not support this status message.
<8> Section 2.2.2.19: Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008 do not support this status message.
<9> Section 2.2.2.20: Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008 do not support this status message.
<10> Section 2.2.2.21: Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008 do not support this status message.
<11> Section 2.2.2.22: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2 do not support this status message. This status message is sent by Windows Server 2012 and later WDS clients.
<12> Section 2.2.3: The Windows Server 2012 and later WDS server is capable of storing OS images in the VHDX format, and enumerating these for clients that specify CLIENT_CAP_SUPPORT_VHDX.
<13> Section 2.2.3: The Windows Server 2012 and later WDS clients specify an appropriate value for the FIRMWARE variable.
<14> Section 2.2.6: Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008 do not set the CC variable.
<15> Section 2.2.6: The Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Server 2008 R2 WDS servers and clients do not support OS images in the VHDX format.
<16> Section 2.2.6: The Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Server 2008 R2 WDS clients do not echo back deployment agent metadata in the WDS_OP_IMG_ENUMERATE request packet.
<17> Section 2.2.6: The Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Server 2008 R2 WDS servers and clients do not support OS images in the VHDX format.
<18> Section 2.2.6: Applicable Windows Server releases return WIM images only if the SC variable is absent from the reply packet, or the value for the SC variable does not have the SERVER_CAP_SUPPORT_V2 flag set.
<19> Section 2.2.6: Applicable Windows Server releases set the PATH_index variable to a path relative to the REMINST share on the server for the WIM Image file.
<20> Section 2.2.6: Windows Server 2003 does not return a NAMESPACE_index variable. If this variable is missing, the client must assume that server does not support multicast transmission.
<21> Section 2.2.6: Windows Server 2003 do not set the RESOURCEFILEPATH_index variable. If this variable is missing from the reply packet, the client MUST assume the name of the WIM image resource file to be Res.RWM and must assume that it resides in the same folder as the WIM image file.
<22> Section 2.2.6: Windows Server 2008 R2 and later set the RESOURCEFILEPATH_index to a path relative to the REMINST share on server for WIM image resource file.
<23> Section 2.2.6: Windows Server 2003 does not set the NAMESPACE_SIZE_index variable.
<24> Section 2.2.6: Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008 do not support v2.0 format for returning available OS images.
<25> Section 2.2.6: The Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Server 2008 R2 WDS servers and clients do not support OS images in the VHDX format.
<26> Section 2.2.6: Windows Server 2008 R2 and later set the IL.PATH[index] variable to a path relative to the REMINST share on the server for the WIM Image file or VHD Image file depending on the type of OS image.
<27> Section 2.2.6: Windows Server 2008 R2 and later set the IL.ResPath[index] variable to an empty string for VHD images. For WIM images, this variable is set to the path relative to the REMINST share on server for WIM image Resource file (if present) or WIM image file (if the WIM image Resource file is not present).
<28> Section 2.2.6: Windows Server 2008 R2 and later set the IL.DepFiles[index].VL[file_index] variable list to the list of paths relative to the REMINST share on server.
<29> Section 2.2.6: The Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Server 2008 R2 WDS servers do not specify the IL.MdGuid[index] variable.
<30> Section 2.2.7: The Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Server 2008 R2 WDS servers and clients do not support the Mi.SMBI.MO variable.
<31> Section 2.2.7: The Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Server 2008 R2 WDS clients will not echo back deployment agent metadata in the DDP_OP_GET_MACHINE_DRIVER_PACKAGES request packet.
<32> Section 2.2.8: The IA64 processor architecture is only supported by Windows Server v1709 operating system and earlier.
<33> Section 2.2.8: The ARM64 processor architecture is not supported by Windows Server v1709 and earlier.
<34> Section 2.2.8: The ARM processor architecture is not supported by Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Server 2008 R2.
<35> Section 3.1.1: The server uses the Images folder under a network share named REMINST to share the image store.
<36> Section 3.1.1: The server uses the Drivers folder under a network share named REMINST to share the driver package store.
<37> Section 3.1.3: Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008 WDS servers do not support the dynamic driver provisioning metadata Endpoint GUID.
<38> Section 3.1.3: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Server 2008 R2 WDS servers do not support the deployment agent metadata Endpoint GUID.
<39> Section 3.1.5.2: The Log Level for a status message being logged is not validated against ClientLoggingLevel as specified in section 3.1.1.1.
<40> Section 3.1.5.3: The Windows Server 2012 and later WDS server selects unattended instructions specific to the client firmware type when the FIRMWARE variable is specified by the client.
<41> Section 3.1.5.6.1: Applicable Windows Server releases return only WIM images when using the version 1.0 format.
<42> Section 3.1.5.6.2: Applicable Windows Server releases return WIM images and VHD images using the version 2.0 format.
<43> Section 3.1.5.6.4: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Server 2008 R2 are not capable of storing OS images in the VHDX format, or enumerating these for clients that specify CLIENT_CAP_SUPPORT_VHDX.
<44> Section 3.2.3.2: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Server 2008 R2 WDS clients will not check for the presence of the deployment agent metadata Endpoint GUID.
<45> Section 3.2.5.1: WDS_LOG_TYPE_CLIENT_UNATTEND_MODE is only logged when unattended instructions are provided to the client.
<46> Section 3.2.5.4: Uses SMB to download the OS image container files.