This kit builds a complete ConfigMgr Current Branch infrastructure running on Windows Server 2019 and SQL Server 2017. This kit is tested on both Hyper-V and VMware virtual platforms, but should really work on any virtualization platform that can boot from an ISO.

This kit offers an automated setup of a primary site server running ConfigMgr Current Branch 2002.

Download Link: http://bit.ly/HydrationCMWS2019

Update: Fixed a bug in the script that extends the AD Schema for ConfigMgr. Previously it would not extend the schema it unless your Windows Server 2019 contained the necessary Visual C++ runtimes. These runtimes no longer need to be in the image.

Notes

Note #1 – Customizations: This hydration kit install all servers in the corp.viamonstra.com domain, on the 192.168.1.0/24 network. If you rather use your own domain, different IP addresses etc. check out the Next Step – Customizing the Hydration Kit section in the end of this post for instructions on how to customize this kit. Also, for a complete IP plan of the ViaMonstra network, check this link: https://viamonstra.com/ip-plan

Note #2 – Internal network and Internet Access: Since one of the virtual machines (DC01) is also a DHCP Server, its highly recommend to deploy all the virtual machines on an internal virtual network, and then use the NAT feature in either Hyper-V or VMware to give the virtual machines internet access. For super-easy Internet access on Hyper-V, while still having the VMs on an isolated network, read this shiny post from Ami Arwidmark (@AArwidmark):

Setting Up New Networking Features in Server 2016 (also works in Windows 10 and Windows Server 2019)

https://deploymentresearch.com/558/Setting-Up-New-Networking-Features-in-Server-2016.

Note #3 – Advanced networking: For more complex networks (multiple sites, bandwidth throttling etc.), you may want to use a virtual router. More info here:

Using a virtual router for your lab and test environment

https://deploymentresearch.com/285/Using-a-virtual-router-for-your-lab-and-test-environment

Note #4 – Hydration Kit Archive: Are you looking for the previous hydration kit for Windows Server 2016? Look no further, it is right here:

Hydration Kit For Windows Server 2016 and ConfigMgr Current / Technical Preview Branch

https://deploymentresearch.com/hydration-kit-for-windows-server-2016-and-configmgr-current-technical-preview-branch/

Hydration Kit For Windows Server 2019 and ConfigMgr Current Branch

So, again, this Kit builds a complete ConfigMgr Current Branch 2002, with Windows Server 2019 and SQL Server 2017 infrastructure, and some supporting servers. Once the build is complete, I recommend that you use the native ConfigMgr servicing option to update to latest release or Hotfix.

Servers

This kit allows you to automatically deploy the below list of servers. The server you really need to build first is DC01, since that's the domain controller, and the CM01 server will join the domain. Turns out joining a domain is tricky without a domain controller 🙂

Main servers

DC01 . Windows Server 2019, DC, DHCP and DNS

. Windows Server 2019, DC, DHCP and DNS CM01. Windows Server 2019, SQL Server 2017, ConfigMgr Current Branch and MDT 8456

Optional supporting servers

MDT01. Windows Server 2017, SQL Server 2017 Express

Setup Overview

Shorthand, to build the virtual machines there are three steps you need to do:

Download the necessary software Prepare the Hydration Kit environment Deploy the virtual machines

Note: Detailed instructions are further down this page… See the Step-by-Step Guides section.

The Deployment Wizard displaying the available task sequences.

The CM01 task sequence, building a complete ConfigMgr site server with SQL Server.

Step-by-Step Guides

Step 1 – Download the software

On the machine (client or server) that you use to manage Hyper-V or VMware, create a folder for all the software needed, for example C:\Setup.

Then, for the main servers (DC01 and CM01), you need to download the following software:

The Hydration Kit: https://bit.ly/HydrationCMWS2019

BGInfo: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bginfo

MDT 8456: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=54259

A reference image (WIM file) of Windows Server 2019 Standard, fully updated. If you don't have one, follow this guide to create one: https://deploymentresearch.com/building-the-perfect-windows-server-2019-reference-image/

SQL Server 2017 Standard x64: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/ or from VLSC, or MSDN if you have access to those.

SQL Server 2017 Cumulative Update (CU) 17 (or later): https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=56128

Note: ConfigMgr only requires CU 2 for SQL Server 2017, but I recommend using a later one.

ConfigMgr only requires CU 2 for SQL Server 2017, but I recommend using a later one. SQL Server Management Studio (separate download, not included in SQL Server 2017): https://aka.ms/ssmsfullsetup

ConfigMgr 2002 + PreReqs: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/ or from VLSC or MSDN if you have access to those.

Note: Normally, to download the ConfigMgr pre-requisites, you run the \SMSSETUP\BIN\X64\setupdl.exe application from the ConfigMgr installation files, but due to a bug in the ConfigMgr 2002 media, you have to run the usual setup.exe from domain joined machine, and have it download the pre-requisites.

Running setupdl.exe to download ConfigMgr pre-requisites.

Windows ADK 10 2004 and WinPE Addon for Windows ADK 10 2004: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/get-started/adk-install



Note: To download the complete standalone Windows ADK 10 setup, run adksetup.exe /layout "C:\Setup\Windows ADK 10 2004" for the core ADK, and then adkwinpesetup.exe /layout "C:\Setup\Windows ADK 10 2004 WinPE Addon" for the WinPE Addon.

Windows ADK 10 2004 setup files.

The Windows ADK 10 2004 WinPE Addon setup files.

For the optional MDT01 server, you also need to download the following software:

SQL Server 2017 Express: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=55994



Note: Use the SQLServer2017-SSEI-Expr.exe web installer to download the Express Core media (SQLEXPR_x64_ENU.exe)

Using the SQLServer2017-SSEI-Expr.exe web installer to download media.

Step 2 – Prepare the Hydration Environment

1. On the Windows machine that you use to manage Hyper-V or VMware, install Windows ADK 10 2004 (adksetup.exe) selecting only the following components:

Deployment Tools

Imaging and Configuration Designer (ICD)

Configuration Designer

User State Migration Tool (USMT)

Running the Windows ADK 10 2004 Setup.

Note: The last three are not used by the hydration kit, but are still quite useful to have, so I usually install them too.

2. Install Windows ADK 10 2004 WinPE Addon (adkwinpesetup.exe) with the default settings.

Running the Windows ADK 10 2004 WinPE Addon Setup.

3. Install MDT 8456 (MicrosoftDeploymentToolkit_x64.msi) with the default settings.

Running the MDT 8456 Setup.

4. Install the MDT 8456 Hotfix.

Note: Due to a code change in Windows ADK 10 v2004, and Windows 10 v2004 you need to download some updated files for MDT 8456. You can download these files here: https://bit.ly/MDT8456HF

4a. Download the MDT 8456 hotfix (MDT_KB4564442.exe), and extract it to a folder. I extracted it to C:\Setup\MDT 8456 Update.

4b. Copy the x86 version of the new Microsoft.BDD.Utility.dll from C:\Setup\MDT 8456 Update\x86 to C:\Program Files\Microsoft Deployment Toolkit\Templates\Distribution\Tools\x86. Replace the existing file.

4c. Copy the x64 version of the new Microsoft.BDD.Utility.dll from C:\Setup\MDT 8456 Update\x to C:\Program Files\Microsoft Deployment Toolkit\Templates\Distribution\Tools\x64. Replace the existing file.

5. Extract the HydrationCMWS2019.zip sample file to C:.

Note: Please use 7-zip to extract the files so that time stamps on the files are kept correct, which helps troubleshooting (when using File Explorer to extract, it resets the time stamps to current date).

You should now have the following folder containing a few sub-folders and a PowerShell script: C:\HydrationCMWS2019\Source

The extracted hydration kit files.

6. In an elevated PowerShell command prompt, create the hydration deployment share by running the following command: C:\HydrationCMWS2019\Source\CreateHydrationDeploymentShare.ps1

7. Open the Deployment Workbench, and look around. You should see applications, operating systems, and task sequences etc.

Opening the Hydration Kit deployment share in Deployment Workbench.

Populate the hydration deployment share with the main server setup files

Next step is to start copying the various installation files to the correct folder.

1. Copy your Windows Server 2019 reference image (have to be named REFWS2019-001.wim, case sensitive), to the following folder: C:\HydrationCMWS2019\DS\Operating Systems\WS2019



Note: The WIM image should only have on index, Windows Server 2019 with Desktop Experience. Again, if you don't have an updated image of Windows Server 2019 Standard. Please follow this guide to create one: https://deploymentresearch.com/building-the-perfect-windows-server-2019-reference-image/

The Windows Server 2019 Standard image copied.

2. Copy the BGInfo file (bginfo.exe) to the following folder: C:\HydrationCMWS2019\DS\Applications\Install – BGInfo\Source

BGInfo copied.

3. Copy the Windows ADK 10 2004 setup files (1.13 GB) to the following folder:

C:\HydrationCMWS2019\DS\Applications\Install – Windows ADK 10\Source

The Windows ADK 10 2004 setup files copied.

4. Copy the Windows ADK 10 2004 WinPE Addon setup files (2.81 GB) to the following folder:

C:\HydrationCMWS2019\DS\Applications\Install – WinPE Addon for Windows ADK 10\Source

Windows ADK 10 2004 WinPE Addon setup files copied.

5. Copy the SQL Server 2017 Standard x64 setup files (the content of the ISO, not the actual ISO) to the following folder:

C:\HydrationCMWS2019\DS\Applications\Install – SQL Server 2017\Source

SQL Server 2017 Standard x64 setup files copied.

6. Copy the latest SQL Server 2017 CU setup file (CU 20 when I updated this guide) to the following folder:

C:\HydrationCMWS2019\DS\Applications\Install – SQL Server 2017\Source\Updates



Note: You need to create the Updates folder.

The SQL Server 2017 CU copied.

7. Copy the SQL Server Management Studio setup file to the following folder:

C:\HydrationCMWS2019\DS\Applications\Install – SQL Server Management Studio

The SQL Server Management Studio setup file copied.

8. Copy the ConfigMgr 2002 setup files (extract the download) to the following folder:

C:\HydrationCMWS2019\DS\Applications\Install – ConfigMgr\Source

ConfigMgr 2002 setup files copied.

9. Copy the ConfigMgr 2002 PreReqs setup files to the following folder:

C:\HydrationCMWS2019\DS\Applications\Install – ConfigMgr\PreReqs

ConfigMgr 2002 Pre-requisite files copied.

10. Copy the MDT 8456 setup file (MicrosoftDeploymentToolkit_x64.msi) to the following folder:

C:\HydrationCMWS2019\DS\Applications\Install – MDT

MDT 8456 copied.

Optional – Populate the hydration deployment share with files for MDT01

Note: These steps are only needed if you want to deploy the optional MDT01 virtual machine. If you don't want this, simply skip to the next section: "Create the Hydration Kit ISO (MDT offline media item)"

1. Copy the SQL Server 2017 Express setup file (SQLEXPR_x64_ENU.exe) to the following folder:

C:\HydrationCMWS2019\DS\Applications\Install – SQL Server 2017 Express\Source

SQL Server 2017 Express setup file copied.

Create the Hydration Kit ISO (MDT offline media item)

1. Using Deployment Workbench (available on the Start screen), expand Deployment Shares, and expand Hydration ConfigMgr.

2. Expand the Advanced Configuration node, and then select the Media node.

3. In the right pane, right-click the MEDIA001 item, and select Update Media Content.

Note: The media update will take a while to run, a perfect time for a coffee break.

After the media update you will have a big ISO (HydrationCMWS2019.iso ) in the C:\HydrationCMWS2019\ISO folder. The HydrationCMWS2019.iso should be about 13-14 GB in size (size will vary a bit depending on your Windows Server 2019 reference image).

The Hydration Kit ISO file.

Step 3 – Deploy the virtual machines

All accounts, including Administrator, have a password of P@ssw0rd. If you want a PowerShell script that creates these VMs for Hyper-V, check the C:\HydrationCMWS2019\Source\Extra folder for a sample script.

Note: If using Hyper-V, do Not configure the virtual machines for dynamic memory. If you do, the installation will take forever. Dynamic memory can be enabled when installation (hydration) is completed.

Deploying DC01

Using Hyper-V Manager or VMware Workstation/Sphere, create a virtual machine with the following settings:

Name: DC01

CPU: 2 vCPU

Hard drive: 100 GB (dynamic disk)

(dynamic disk) Memory: 2 GB (static memory)

(static memory) Network: Your lab network

Image file (ISO): C:\HydrationCMWS2019\ISO\HydrationCMWS2019.iso

Start the DC01 virtual machine. After booting from HydrationCMWS2019.iso , and after WinPE has loaded, select the DC01 task sequence. Wait until the setup is complete and you see the Hydration Complete message in the final summary. Leave DC01 running while deploying the CM01 virtual machine.

Deploying CM01

Once the domain controller (DC01) is up and running, you can deploy the CM01 virtual machine. Don't forget to leave DC01 running while deploying CM01 since it is joining the domain during deployment. Use the following settings for the CM01 virtual machine:

Name: CM01

CPU: 4 vCPU

Hard drive: 300 GB (dynamic disk)

(dynamic disk) Memory: 16 GB (static memory)

(static memory) Network: Your lab network

Image file (ISO): C:\HydrationCMWS2019\ISO\HydrationCMWS2019.iso

Post configuration of CM01

After deploying CM01, make sure the machine has access to Internet. Again either via Configure NAT in Hyper-V or VMware, or by setting up a virtual router.

Then, in the Administration workspace, in the Updates and Servicing node. Click Check for Updates, and then install the latest updates available. Don't forget to do a final reboot after applying the updates, there is usually a pending reboot caused by the upgrade process.

Deploying MDT01 (Optional)

Once the domain controller (DC01) is up and running, you can deploy the optional MDT01 virtual machine. Don't forget to leave DC01 running while deploying MDT01 since it is joining the domain during deployment. Use the following settings for the MDT01 virtual machine:

Name: MDT01

CPU: 2 vCPU

Hard drive: 300 GB (dynamic disk)

(dynamic disk) Memory: 4 GB (static memory)

(static memory) Network: Your lab network

Image file (ISO): C:\HydrationCMWS2019\ISO\HydrationCMWS2019.iso

Next Steps – Customizing the Hydration Kit:

Below is a quick walk through of items to change if you need to customize the kit. For a broader scope, please see the post Customizing the ViaMonstra Hydration Kit.

If you need to change server names, IP addresses, domain names, installation, passwords, etc. in the environment, the main configuration is stored in the four .ini files in the C:\HydrationCMWS2019\ISO\Content\Deploy\Control folder.

Note: Again, by default, all accounts, including Administrator, have a password of P@ssw0rd.

The configuration files for the Hydration Kit.

For ConfigMgr (CM01) you need to update the following files::

C:\HydrationCMWS2019\DS\Applications\Install – ConfigMgr\ConfigMgrUnattend.ini

C:\HydrationCMWS2019\DS\Applications\Install – SQL Server 2017\ConfigurationFile.ini

If you need to change the various service accounts, you need to to modify the Configure-CreateADStructure.wsf script in the C:\HydrationCMWS2019\DS\Applications\Configure – Create AD Structure

folder.

If you change the Administrator password, and/or domain name, you also need to update the Authorize DHCP credentials in the DC01 task sequence.

The Authorize DHCP action in the DC01 task sequence.

Written by Johan Arwidmark