Customizing CustomSettings.ini

The CustomSettings.ini file is the primary configuration file for MDT 2010. All configuration settings are specified either directly or indirectly:

• Directly, in the CustomSettings.ini file
• Indirectly, in the MDT 2010 database that is referenced in the CustomSettings.ini file

The CustomSettings.ini file syntax is very similar to many .ini files. The CustomSettings.ini file in the following listing illustrates a CustomSettings.ini file customized for a LTI-based deployment. For further explanation of the CustomSettings.ini file in the listing, see the MDT 2010 documentation.

CustomSettings.ini for LTI
[Settings]
Priority=Default, MACAddress
Properties=CustomProperty

[Default]
OSInstall=Y
ScanStateArgs=/v:5 /o /c
LoadStateArgs=/v:5 /c /lac
UserDataLocation=NONE
CustomProperty=TRUE

[00:0F:20:35:DE:AC]
ComputerName=HPD530-1

[00:03:FF:FE:FF:FF]
ComputerName=BVMXP

A CustomSettings.ini file includes:

• Sections Sections are identified by brackets that surround the section name (for example, [Settings]). In the previous listing, the sections include [Settings], [Default], [00:0F:20:35:DE:AC], and [00:03:FF:FE:FF:FF]. CustomSettings.ini has the following types of sections:
  • Required sections Only the [Settings] section is required. All other sections are optional. The MDT 2010 scripts require the [Settings] section in CustomSettings.ini to locate the reserved properties (Priority and Properties).
  • Optional sections The optional sections in the CustomSettings.ini file are used to assign a group of configuration settings to groups of computers or to individual computers. In the previous listing, the configuration settings in the [Default] section are applied to more than one computer, and the configuration settings in the [00:0F:20:35:DE:AC] and [00:03:FF:FE:FF:FF] sections are applied to the corresponding computers.
• Properties Properties are variables that need to have values assigned. Properties are followed by an equals sign (=). The scripts scan the CustomSettings.ini file to locate the properties.
• Values Values are the configuration settings assigned to the properties. Values are preceded by an equals sign. The scripts scan the CustomSettings.ini file to locate the values. In the previous listing, the value assigned to the LoadStateArgs property is /v:5 /c /lac.