Remote Installation

Microsoft has created a new installation process called the Remote Installation Service (RIS). RIS enables network administrators to push a Windows 2003 installation out to network systems. Although this process simplifies multiple installations overall, it's not a simple activity. It requires the installation and configuration of several key services, namely Domain Name Service (DNS), DHCP, and Active Directory, in addition to RIS.

The clients that will have the Windows 2003 installation pushed to them must have a Pre-boot Extension Environment (PXE)-compliant NIC or be booted with a special network client boot disk.

If you want to explore the remote OS installation procedure further, we highly recommend that you check out the RIS documentation in the operating system, TechNet, and the Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit.