Create and deploy server images of Service Manager

  • Article

Important

This version of Service Manager has reached the end of support. We recommend you to upgrade to Service Manager 2022.

You can use the information in this article to create a system image that contains Windows server, SQL Server, and Service Manager for use as a template that you can apply to new servers. Follow the basic steps below to prepare the image. You can modify them, as needed, for your environment. For more information about the Windows System Preparation Tool, see What is Sysprep?.

Note

Details about installing SQL Server using a configuration file aren't covered in this article. For more information about using a configuration file to install SQL Server, see Install SQL Server Using a Configuration File.

Afterward, modify and save the sample CMD file below to create your own customized version and then run the file.

Prepare the server for imaging

  1. Install Windows Server on the new server.

  2. Install SQL Server in Prepare for imaging mode. This installs the binary files, but doesn't configure SQL server.

    Note

    SQL server is unusable at this point.

  3. Copy the SQL Server installation files to a temporary location on the server. For example, c:\Runonce\ SQLFULL_ENU.

  4. Copy the System Center <version> Service Manager installation files to a temporary location on the server. For example, c:\Runonce\SCSM.

  5. Save the example CMD file shown below and customize it for your environment, where necessary. This file will run SQL Server setup to complete the SQL Server installation and then run an unattended installation of Service Manager. Save this file to a temporary location such as C:\Runonce\FirstRun.cmd.

  6. Run the System Preparation Tool (Sysprep) with the /generalize command to generalize the server.

  7. Capture the Windows installation with ImageX by creating a reference image with which to install servers with the same hardware configuration.

  8. Create a Windows Unattend.xml file to customize Windows when the image is booted and have it run FirstRun.cmd.

Create a CMD file that completes image installation

  • Copy the following sample and modify it, as needed.

    @echo off  

set ServiceAccountDomain=contoso  
set ServiceAccountName=Administrator  
set ServiceAccountPassword=P@$$word  

echo Finalizing SQL installation...  
start /wait c:\RunOnce\SQLFULL_ENU\setup.exe /ConfigurationFile=c:\RunOnce\SQL2012Complete.ini  

echo Installing additional SQL features...  
start /wait c:\RunOnce\SQLFULL_ENU\setup.exe /ConfigurationFile=c:\RunOnce\SQL2012Shared.ini  

echo Installing System Center Service Manager...  
start /wait C:\RunOnce\SCSM\setup.exe /Install:Server /AcceptEula /RegisteredOwner:SCSM /RegisteredOrganization:Microsoft /CreateNewDatabase /SqlServerInstance:%computername% /ManagementGroupName:%computername% /AdminRoleGroup:%ServiceAccountDomain%\%ServiceAccountName% /ServiceRunUnderAccount:%ServiceAccountDomain%\%ServiceAccountName%\%ServiceAccountPassword% /WorkflowAccount:%ServiceAccountDomain%\%ServiceAccountName%\%ServiceAccountPassword% /CustomerExperienceImprovementProgram:Yes /EnableErrorReporting:Yes /silent

Next steps