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recommends for Headless windows install and configuration? (hackertalks.com)

submitted 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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I keep a machine around just for gaming, and I run windows on that. Periodically it needs to be refreshed from a clean install. And it's laborious work.

What are people's recommendations, for installing Windows Enterprise headless, triggering some sort of system configuration to install steam, drivers, games, networking config?

Ideally I'd like to use some declarative configuration language, but I'm open to options. My least favorite approach is to simply image and known good drive, and then have to apply updates to the known good drive. Periodically, creates more maintenance overhead.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

I have a Windows AD domain and have my preferences and some apps as GPOs.

In the server world we use Ansible, or in some cases maybe PowerShell DSC.

Ansible is much more focused on Linux and orchestration, but does have some support for Windows, and DSC is for Windows Servers.

Both use YAML or similar structured config to impart a state, e.g.

- name: Install Firefox
  Ansible.builtin.package:
    name: firefox
    state: present

Meaning that ansible does the legwork to make sure FF is installed.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

So when a new computer boots on your network, it talks to the active directory cluster, then downloads and runs Ansible to do the configuration?

Sounds amazing

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago

Not quite, I have to go through out of box, and then join it to the domain, but then yes!

Applies security policy, install apps, disables bloat, login in with central username and pass, get mapped drives etc

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago

You can use MDT