OSD Interview Questions and Answers

1.  What is WinPE?

Ans: WinPE is a lightweight operating system with limited features used to boot a computer that does not have an operating system. Mostly, it is used to install, deploy, repair Windows operating system and recover data.

2.  What is PXE?

Ans:  PXE (Preboot Execution Environment (PXE) is an industry standard created by Intel that enables administrators to boot devices into the Windows Preinstallation Environment (WinPE) over network. To use PXE to deploy an OS, you must have both x86 and x64 PXE-enabled boot images distributed to one or more PXE-enabled distribution points.

3.  Explain PXE boot process?

Ans:

1. When client computer boots from the network by using the PXE protocol, it send broadcasts packet (discover message) to find out the address of the DHCP and PXE servers information.
2. The DHCP server responds with offer message. This packet is broadcast and contains a potential IP address for the client.
3. The PXE server responds to the client and reports that it's a boot server.
4. In response to the DHCP offer, the client replies with a DHCPREQUEST message, broadcast to the server, requesting the offered address
5. The DHCP server sends the IP address to the client.
6. The client sends a request to the PXE server to ask for the path to the Network Boot Program (NBP).
7. The PXE server responds, sending the NBP path.
8. The client downloads and runs the NBP.

4.  What is IP Helper and when its required for PXE boot?

Ans: IP helper is a network configuration that need to configure on a router to broadcast packet. It is required to broadcast package outside the local subnet or VLAN, if any of the DHCP server, the client computer, or PXE server are on separate subnets or VLANs.

5. What are the configuration required for IP Helper to successfully work PXE boot when they are on different subnets/VLANs?

Ans: PXE server and DHCP server IP address must be configured for IP Helper to successfully work PXE boot on different subnets.

6.  What is bare metal deployment?

Ans: This scenario occurs when you have a blank machine you need to deploy, or an existing machine you want to wipe and redeploy without needing to preserve any existing data. The setup starts from a boot media, using CD, USB, ISO, or Pre-Boot Execution Environment (PXE).

7.  What is Refresh deployment? 

Ans: A refresh deployment occurs when a new image/OS is being installed on an existing workstation. User data and settings are backed up and restored later as a part of the deployment process. This can include installing the same OS version or an upgraded to higher one, such as a Windows 7 to Windows 7 deployment, or a Windows 7 to Windows 10 deployment. The process is normally initiated in the running operating system.

8.  What is Replace deployment?

Ans: This scenario installs an OS on a new computer. An existing computer on the network is being replaced with a new computer. User data and settings are backed up from old computer and restored on new computer after OS deployment.

9.  What is USMT?

Ans: User State Migration Tool (USMT) is a backup and restore tool that allows you to migrate user state, data, and settings from one installation to another.

10.  Which log files will you check, if build migration task sequence failed during build capture steps?

Ans: Smsts.log and scanstate.log files.

11.  Which log files will you check, if build migration task sequence failed during restore steps?

Ans: Smsts.log and loadstate.log files.

12.  What is LTI, ZTI and UDI deployments?

Ans:

• LTI deployments require limited user interaction which can be required through MDT.
• ZTI is a fully automated deployment scheme in which installation requires no user interaction whatsoever.
• UDI deployments require full manual intervention to respond to every installation prompt, such as machine name, password or language setting. User Driven Installation would provide your organization with a highly customizable deployment method that allows deployment choices to be done by the user and also provides greater flexibility in the deployment process.

ZTI and UDI deployments both require a Microsoft System Center infrastructure.

13.  Which logs will you check if Windows 10 in-place upgrade task sequence failed during operating system installation?

Ans: Verify Setupact.log and Setuperr.log files

•         Setupact.log – primary log file created during the OS installation process
•          Setuperr.log – contains only error entries from the main Setupact.log

14.  What are the types of Task Sequence Media available in SCCM?

Ans:    

• Capture media- Capture media allows you to capture an OS image from a reference computer. Capture media contains the boot image that starts the reference computer and the task sequence that captures the OS image.
• Bootable media- Bootable media contains boot image which is used to deploy OS over the network. It retrieves the task sequence, OS image, and any other required content from the network. Because the task sequence isn't on the media, you can change the task sequence or content without having to recreate the media.
• Prestaged media- Pre-staged media deployments let you deploy an operating system to a computer that is not fully provisioned. The pre-staged media is a Windows Imaging Format (WIM) file that can be installed on a bare-metal computer by the manufacturer or at an enterprise staging center that is not connected to the Configuration Manager environment.
• Stand-alone media- Stand-alone media deployments used to deploy operating systems without network connection. It contains everything that's required to deploy the OS. This content includes the task sequence and any other required content. Because everything that's required to deploy the OS is stored on the stand-alone media, the disk space required for stand-alone media is larger than for other types of media

15.  What is Windows Autopilot?

Ans: Windows Autopilot is a new cloud base deployment service introduced by Microsoft that provides a zero touch experience for deploying Windows 10 devices. Windows 10 version 1703 or higher is required to use Windows Autopilot. It can be also used to reset, repurpose and recover devices. Leveraging cloud-based services, it can reduce the overall costs for deploying, managing, and retiring devices by reducing the amount of time that IT needs to spend on these processes and the amount of infrastructure that they need to maintain, while ensuring ease of use for all types of end users.

16.  Is it possible to upgrade from x86 Operating System to x64 Operating System using in-place upgrade task sequence?

Ans: No, we cannot upgrade from x86 Operating System to x64 Operating System using in-place upgrade task sequence

17.  Which log files will you check if drivers are failed during import in SCCM?

Ans: Smsprov.log and drivercatalog.log files 

18.  Which log files will you check if drivers are failed during operating system deployment?

Ans: Smsts.log, Dism.log and Setupapi.dev.log files 19.  

19. What is DISM? 

Ans: DISM is a command-line tool that is used to mount and service windows images (capture, modify .wim file etc). It can be also used to install, uninstall, configure and updates windows features, packages, drivers and international settings in a .wim file.

20. What is UEFI? 

Ans: UEFI stands for Unified Extensible Firmware Interface which is a replacement for BIOS.

21. What are the advantage of UEFI over BIOS?

Ans:

• Support for large disks. 
• Faster boot time. 
• Windows 8 and later can use the UEFI firmware validation process, called secure boot. Using this process, you can ensure that UEFI launches only a verified operating system loader and that malware cannot switch the boot loader.
• CPU-independent architecture. Even if BIOS can run both 32- and 64-bit versions of firmware, all firmware device drivers on BIOS systems must also be 16-bit, and this affects performance. One of the reasons is the limitation in addressable memory, which is only 64 KB with BIOS.
• CPU-independent drivers. On BIOS systems, PCI add-on cards must include a ROM that contains a separate driver for all supported CPU architectures. That is not needed for UEFI because UEFI has the ability to use EFI Byte Code (EBC) images, which allow for a processor-independent device driver environment.
• Multicast deployment. UEFI firmware can use multicast directly when it boots up. In WDS, MDT, and Configuration Manager scenarios, you need to first boot up a normal Windows PE in unicast and then switch into multicast. With UEFI, you can run multicast from the start.
• Flexible pre-operating system environment. UEFI can perform many functions for you. You just need an UEFI application, and you can perform diagnostics and automatic repairs, and call home to report errors.