Introducing MDT 2010

The following sections introduce key concepts for using MDT 2010 to deploy Windows 7. Specifically, the section titled "Deployment Scenarios" describes the scenarios that MDT 2010 supports. For LTI, MDT 2010 relies entirely on MDT 2010, the Windows AIK, and potentially Windows Deployment Services.

Deployment Scenarios

The following list describes the scenarios supported by MDT 2010:

• New Computer A new installation of Windows is deployed to a new computer. This scenario assumes that there is no user data or profile to preserve.
• Upgrade Computer The current Windows operating system on the target computer is upgraded to the target operating system. The existing user state data and applications are retained (as supported by the target operating system).
• Refresh Computer A computer currently running a supported Windows operating system is refreshed. This scenario includes computers that must be reimaged for image standardization or to address a problem. This scenario assumes that you're preserving the existing user state data on the computer. Applications are not preserved in this scenario.
• Replace Computer A computer currently running a supported Windows operating system is replaced with another computer. The existing user state migration data is saved from the original computer. Then, a new installation of Windows is deployed to a new computer. Finally, the user state data is restored to the new computer.

Based on your existing environment, you can select any combination of these scenarios in the deployment. For example, if you are upgrading only existing computers, only the Refresh Computer scenario or the Upgrade Computer scenario is necessary. If you're deploying new computers for some users and upgrading the remaining computers, use the Upgrade Computer, Replace Computer, and Refresh Computer scenarios as appropriate.