MDT 2010 Beta 2 available on Connect

MDT 2010 Beta 2 (Build 5.0.1210.0) is now available on Connect…

Make sure to read the release notes before installing  🙂

Notes:
For Lite Touch, use WAIK 2.0 RC (build 7100)
For Zero Touch with SCCM SP1, use WAIK 1.1
For Zero Touch with SCCM SP2, use WAIK 2.0 RC (build 7100)
– And yes, you need powershell 1.0 or 2.0 CTP 3 or higher installed

New features are:

• Support for new deployment shares. MDT 2010 Beta 2 combines deployment points and distribution shares into deployment shares. A deployment share can be stored on a local drive, on a network shared folder, or on a stand-alone Distributed File System (DFS) and does not have to be located on a specific computer. Just as with deployment points, deployment shares contain operating systems, applications, operating system packages, and device drivers. 
   
• Improved management model. Deployment shares can be managed from any computer that has Deployment Workbench installed and has the appropriate NTFS file permissions and network share permissions on the deployment share. Multiple deployment shares can be opened simultaneously in Deployment Workbench.
   
• Support for selecting groups of items within Deployment Workbench. Selection profiles in Deployment Workbench allow you to select items in the deployment share that can be managed or applied as a unit. For example, a selection profile can be created that specifies the device drivers included for a specific make and model of target computers.
   
• Support for hierarchical management of items in deployment shares. You can create hierarchical folder structures in Deployment Workbench to help organize and manage items such as operating systems, device drivers, and task sequences in deployment shares. This hierarchical structure allows groupings of items to be included in selection profiles. 
   
• Support for linked deployment shares. Linked deployment shares are specialized deployments shares that are created using a selection profile in an existing standard deployment share. The content of the standard deployment share is replicated to the Universal Naming Convention (UNC) path specified for the deployment share. The content in the linked deployment shares can be replicated any time that the content in the source deployment share changes.
   
• Improved database support. Deployment Workbench supports the ability to dynamically display columns that are added to the MDT database (MDT DB). If a new column is added to the tables or views in the MDT DB, Deployment Workbench automatically displays the new column.
   
• Support for drag-and-drop, copy-and-paste, and cut-and-paste in Deployment Workbench. Items in Deployment Workbench can be copied or moved within the hierarchical folder structure in a deployment share or between deployment shares.
   
• Improved support for media-based deployments. Media for performing media-based deployments can be created from existing deployment shares based on the criteria specified in a selection profile. Deployment Workbench can create bootable .wim and .iso files that can be used in deployments to virtual and physical target computers.
   
• Support for automation of management tasks using Windows PowerShell™. Most of the processing logic that was previously included in Deployment Workbench has now been implemented in Windows PowerShell. The PowerShell support allows for the automation of common management tasks and for using other user interfaces to perform management functions. Most management actions exposed in Deployment Workbench can be performed in Windows PowerShell scripts.
   
• Enhancements in task sequence steps and scripts. Task sequence steps and scripts now include improvements in diagnostics output, logging, network recovery logic, code formatting and structure, security, and Deployment Workbench wizard usability.
   
• Improved security support. MDT 2010 Beta 2 supports the ability to refresh machines that use Windows BitLocker™ Drive Encryption without decrypting the target hard disks when deploying the Windows 7 operating system and protecting confidential information, such as passwords, stored in MDT 2010 Beta 2 configuration files.
   
• Support for upgrading from previous versions of MDT and BDD. MDT 2010 Beta 2 supports upgrading from the following versions of MDT and Business Desktop Deployment (BDD):

  MDT 2010 Beta 2 Preview
  MDT 2010 Beta 1
  MDT 2008 Update 1
  BDD 2007 Update 2

  Note   Create a backup of existing MDT or BDD infrastructure before attempting an upgrade. Upgrades to production computers are not supported.
   

• Support for Windows 7 Release Candidate. Deploy Windows 7 Release Candidate by using MDT 2010 Beta 2.
   
• Support for Windows Server 2008 R2 Release Candidate. Deploy Windows Server 2008 R2 Release Candidate by using MDT 2010 Beta 2.
   
• Support for System Center Configuration Manager 2007 SP2 Beta 2. This version of System Center Configuration Manager is required to deploy Windows 7 Release Candidate and Windows Server 2008 R2 Release Candidate.
   
• Support for Windows Automated Installation Kit (Windows AIK) version 2.0. Deployment of Windows 7 Release Candidate and Windows Server 2008 R2 Release Candidate by using MDT 2010 Beta 2 requires the use of Windows AIK version 2.0.
   
• Support for Windows User State Migration Toolkit (USMT) version 4.0. USMT 4.0 is required to support Windows 7 Release Candidate deployments. Specifically, the following new features of USMT 4.0 are supported in LTI-based deployments:
   
• Support for USMT 4.0 hard-link migration. USMT 4.0 includes a new method of saving user state called hard-link migration. Hard-link migration creates a snapshot of current user data files before reinstallation, which keeps data in the same location on the disk while upgrading the system and rebuilds the links after Windows 7 Release Candidate is installed. Hard-link migration dramatically reduces the time required to migrate user state, because the data is never moved, which is faster than copying user data to another disk.
   
• Support for USMT 4.0 shadow copy. USMT 4.0 supports the ability to archive files that are in use by using the shadow copy feature in Windows 7 Release Candidate and Windows Server 2008 R2 Release Candidate.
   
• Support for the Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) tool. The new DISM tool (Dism.exe) allows for servicing offline images, mounting and unmounting Windows Imaging Format (WIM) files, and customizing Windows Preinstallation Environment (Windows PE) boot images. The DISM tool replaces many of the tools in previous versions of the Windows AIK, including Package Manager (Pkgmgr.exe), the International Settings Configuration Tool (Intlcfg.exe), and the Windows PE command-line tool (PEimg.exe).
   
• Support for Windows PE version 3.0. Windows PE 3.0 is included as a part of the Windows AIK version 2.0 and is required to deploy Windows 7 Release Candidate and Windows Server 2008 R2 Release Candidate by using MDT 2010 Beta 2. 
   
• Support for the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) management tool. MDT 2010 Beta 2 uses the new BCDEdit command-line tool to manage BCD files. MDT 2008 Update 1 used the BitLocker Drive Preparation Tool (BdeHdCfg.exe) to manage boot configuration.
   
• Support for Windows 7 Release Candidate default disk partition configuration. In MDT 2010 Beta 2, the disk partition configuration for Windows 7 Release Candidate is similar to the BitLocker Drive Encryption disk configuration, where the operating system is installed on Disk 0, Partition 2, and the system partition is on Disk 0, Partition 1.