To be fixed, the ConfigMgr 2012 SP1 feature – Access content directly from DP

In ConfigMgr 2012 SP1, one of the many new OSD features is that you can now configure the task sequence to download and apply the operating system image directly from the distribution point.

This was possible in ConfigMgr 2007, removed in ConfigMgr 2012, and sort-of, added back in ConfigMgr 2012 SP1.

The new feature would have been welcome, since it would have decreased the deployment time on fast networks, but unfortunately because of a bug, it actually make things worse. Let me explain:

Change in behavior

The normal flow for a deployment is that the task sequence does the following:

1. Formats the local drive
2. Downloads the operating system image from the DP to the local drive
3. Applies the operating system image from the local drive
4. The WinPE Pass of deploying a 3 GB Windows 7 image was 16 minutes.

After enabling the new feature the flow changes to:

1. Formats the local drive
2. Applies the operating system image from the DP (without downloading first)
3. Now the odd part – because of a bug, the task sequence actually downloads the wim one more time (but don't use it).
4. With the new SP1 option enabled, the WinPE Pass of deploying a 3 GB Windows 7 image was 19 minutes (which is 3 minutes longer, and twice the network traffic).

Summary

Wait to use this feature until the bug has been fixed (it's still broken in ConfigMgr 2012 SP1 CU1).

Anyway - Enable the feature is straightforward:

1. Configure your operating system image package to be store in a normal share in addition to the ConfigMgr 2012 content library
2. Enable the feature in the task sequence

Configure your operating system image package

Configure the task sequence

Task manager displaying the network traffic during Apply Operating System Image

Note:

If you get the below error, it just the old "hash value is not correct bug" that has been haunting ConfigMgr for years. The fix is easy, you simply need to update the distribution point(s) for operating system image package.

Failed to run the action: Apply Operating System Image
Overlapped I/O operation is in progress. (Error: 800703E5; Source: Windows)

/ Johan