# Task-Sequence Series, User Prompts, and Cross-Site Replication This document explains the **5-TS lifecycle**, the **prompt UI** that appears at the right stage of each, and how to **replicate** the whole package across multiple SCCM sites. --- ## 1. The 5 Task Sequences | # | Task Sequence | When you use it | Wipes disk? | Keeps user data? | Typical caller | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | **TS-01** | `TS-01-RefImage-Build-And-Capture` | Once per quarter, in a lab VM, to produce a fresh patched, debloated reference WIM. | Yes (lab VM) | n/a | Build engineer | | **TS-02** | `TS-02-BareMetal-Deploy` | Brand-new HP, returned-from-stock device, or any unit you want fully wiped. | **Yes** | No | Deployment tech | | **TS-03** | `TS-03-InPlace-Upgrade` | Fleet-wide upgrade from Win10 / older Win11 to **Win11 24H2**, no re-image. | No | **Yes** | Patch operator | | **TS-04** | `TS-04-Wipe-And-Load-USMT` | Same machine, but you want a fresh OS while keeping the user's profile/data. | Yes | **Yes** (USMT) | Field engineer | | **TS-05** | `TS-05-Replace-USMT` | Hardware swap: capture from old PC, deploy new PC, restore user's state. | Yes (new PC) | **Yes** (USMT) | Hardware refresh tech | All five are built by **`scripts/New-AllTaskSequences.ps1`** in a single run. They share the same OS Image, Driver Packages, ConfigMgr Client Package, OSD-Scripts package, HPIA package, and DP Group — so distribution is done once. ### Recommended SCCM Collections | Collection | Deployed TSes | Purpose | |---|---|---| | `OSD - Lab VMs` (Direct membership) | TS-01 | One Hyper-V VM in the build lab. | | `OSD - Pilot HP Devices` (Direct) | TS-02 | Bench-test 1-3 units before broad release. | | `OSD - Unknown Computers` (built-in) | TS-02 | All bare-metal HPs that PXE in. | | `OSD - Refresh Candidates` (Query: AD OU) | TS-04 | Existing HPs slated for clean reimage with state. | | `OSD - Win11 Upgrade Wave 1/2/3` (Query) | TS-03 | Phased fleet upgrade. | | `OSD - Replacement Eligible` (Query) | TS-05 | Hardware refresh queue. | --- ## 2. User prompts at the right stage Every TS except TS-01 and TS-03 launches **`OSDPrompt.hta`** as the first visible step. The HTA is a small WinPE form that asks: ``` +-------------------------------------------------+ | Win11 HP Baseline Imaging | | Build type: BareMetal | | | | Computer Name [P01-ABC1234567______________] | | | | Department [Engineering v] | | App Bundle [Standard v] | | | | Asset Tag [_____________] | | Technician [____] | | | | [ Cancel ] [ Start » ] | +-------------------------------------------------+ ``` What it writes into the TS environment (consumable by every later step): | TS Variable | Type | Set by | Used downstream by | |---|---|---|---| | `OSDComputerName` | string (1-15) | HTA | *Apply Windows Settings* (built-in) | | `OSDDepartment` | string | HTA | Application Group filter (Standard vs. Engineering bundle) | | `OSDAssetTag` | string | HTA | `Set-Win11Baseline.ps1` writes to registry / asset DB | | `OSDAppBundle` | enum | HTA | App-install step uses different App Group per value | | `OSDBuildType` | enum | HTA arg | Audit + branching | | `OSDTechnician` | string | HTA | Audit only | | `OSDCancelled` | "true" | HTA | TS condition step exits cleanly | ### Why an HTA, not the built-in *Edit Task Sequence Variables* prompt? Because the built-in prompt only handles a single computer-name field. The HTA gives you department/role/asset tag/dropdowns and saves time for the tech (defaulted name from BIOS serial, validation, branding). ### Stage timing of prompts in each TS | TS | Prompt timing | What it asks | Why | |---|---|---|---| | TS-01 | none | n/a | Lab build, no per-machine input. | | TS-02 | first step | full HTA | New machine, all metadata required. | | TS-03 | early in OS phase | full HTA (some fields prefilled from existing PC) | In-place upgrade; tech still confirms identity + bundle. | | TS-04 | first step | full HTA | Wipe-and-load — ideal time to update asset tag. | | TS-05 (Old PC) | first step | abbreviated (Technician, optional comment) | State capture only. | | TS-05 (New PC) | first step | full HTA | Treats new PC like bare-metal. | ### How to wire OSDPrompt.hta into the boot image The HTA must live somewhere accessible from WinPE: 1. Create an SCCM **Standard Package** named `OSD-Prompt-HTA` whose source is `\Apps\OSDPromptHTA\` (drop `OSDPrompt.hta` there). 2. Distribute it to your DP Group. 3. In `New-AllTaskSequences.ps1`, pass that PackageID via `-PromptHtaPackageId`. 4. Each TS gets a step **`0a. Collect User Input (HTA)`** that runs: ``` cmd /c start /wait mshta.exe "%_SMSTSPackagesPath%\\OSDPrompt.hta" /BuildType:BareMetal ``` 5. Write a **TS condition** on every subsequent step: ``` Variable OSDCancelled not equals "true" ``` so a tech who clicks Cancel terminates cleanly without partial damage. --- ## 3. Cross-site replication Use **`scripts/Replicate-TaskSequences.ps1`** to copy the entire series (TSes + supporting source content) from a primary build site to one or more peer sites. ### Strategy ``` [ SOURCE primary site - master copy ] │ │ Export-CMTaskSequence (.zip per TS) │ Robocopy /MIR of OSD source share ▼ [ TRANSIT folder C:\OSDReplication\ ] │ │ for each target: │ 1. Robocopy share to target's UNC root │ 2. Import-CMTaskSequence (.zip) on target site │ 3. Distribute to target's DP Group ▼ [ TARGET site A ] [ TARGET site B ] [ TARGET site C ] ``` ### Example — lab → east + west primaries ```powershell $targets = @( @{ SiteCode = 'S01' SiteServer = 'sccm-east.contoso.local' Share = '\\sccm-east\Sources$\OSD' DPGroup = 'East DPs' }, @{ SiteCode = 'S02' SiteServer = 'sccm-west.contoso.local' Share = '\\sccm-west\Sources$\OSD' DPGroup = 'West DPs' } ) .\Replicate-TaskSequences.ps1 ` -SourceSiteCode P01 ` -SourceSiteServer sccm01.contoso.local ` -SourceShare '\\sccm01\Sources$\OSD' ` -Targets $targets ` -Verbose ``` ### What the script does 1. **Export** each TS in the series via `Export-CMTaskSequence` to `C:\OSDReplication\TS-XX-….zip`. SCCM bundles step XML + dependency metadata, but **not** the binary content of referenced packages. 2. **Robocopy** `\\sccm01\Sources$\OSD` → each target's `\\sccm-east\Sources$\OSD` etc. with `/MIR /XO` (mirrors only changed files; safe to re-run). 3. **Switch site** to each target via `New-PSDrive -PSProvider CMSite`. 4. For each TS: - Rename the existing copy on the target to `.bak.` (idempotent rollback path). - `Import-CMTaskSequence -ZipFilePath ... -ImportObjectChange Overwrite` resolves package references against the now-local PackageIDs. - `Start-CMContentDistribution -DistributionPointGroupName `. 5. **Re-runnable** weekly / on-demand. Subsequent runs only push deltas. ### Caveats | Caveat | Mitigation | |---|---| | Target site has **different** PackageIDs for OS Image, Client Pkg, etc. | Run `New-SCCMOsdPackages.ps1` on the target *first* (it writes a per-target `PackageIDs.json`). The TS importer auto-resolves by **name** when overwrite is set. | | WinPE driver injection is per-site (every target has its own boot image). | Run `New-HPBootImage.ps1` against each target site once. | | **Drift** — someone edits a TS on a target, you replicate, edits are lost. | Make the source the only writable copy; targets are deploy-only. The `.bak.` rename gives you a recovery path. | | Bandwidth on replication day. | Schedule overnight; Robocopy `/MT:8` keeps it efficient. | ### "True" SCCM DRS If you have a **CAS (Central Administration Site) + child primaries** hierarchy, you can rely on SCCM's built-in *DRS — Data Replication Service* to push global objects (TSes, applications, packages) automatically. In that case use this script only to ensure source share content is consistent (DRS does **not** replicate file content — only object metadata). --- ## 4. Lifecycle: end-to-end run order ``` +----------------------+ | 1. (Lab) build WIM | TS-01-RefImage-Build-And-Capture +----------+-----------+ │ Win11-24H2-Ref.wim ▼ +----------------------+ | 2. New-SCCMOsd | Pre-create OS Image, packages | Packages.ps1 | PackageIDs.json +----------+-----------+ │ ▼ +----------------------+ | 3. New-AllTask | Builds TS-01..TS-05 | Sequences.ps1 | +----------+-----------+ │ ▼ +----------------------+ | 4. Replicate-TS .ps1 | Optional: push to other sites +----------+-----------+ │ ▼ +-------------------------+-------------------------+ | | | | | ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ New HP Refresh PC Win10->11 Hardware Lab WIM (TS-02) (TS-04) (TS-03) swap (TS-05) refresh (TS-01) ``` --- ## 5. Quick reference | Need to… | Run this | |---|---| | Build all 5 TSes from scratch | `.\New-AllTaskSequences.ps1` | | Push series to a peer SCCM site | `.\Replicate-TaskSequences.ps1` | | Add a new HP model to the driver matrix | edit `Get-HPDriverPacks.ps1 -Models`, then re-run wizard | | Change the prompt UI fields | edit `applications/OSDPrompt.hta`; re-distribute the HTA package | | Add an extra App Bundle (e.g. CAD bundle) | publish a new SCCM Application Group, add an `OSDAppBundle = "CAD"` value to the HTA dropdown, edit TS-02/04/05 step 4 to branch on `OSDAppBundle` | | Verify a target site got the latest copy | on target: `Get-CMTaskSequence -Fast \| Where Name -Like 'TS-0*-*' \| ft Name,LastRefreshTime` |