Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager Cookbook - Second Edition

Leveraging the build and capture process

The build and capture process is often described as the process to create a reference image. You will create a build and capture task sequence that will deploy the operating system, install any additional standard applications, OS customization, and software updates and then perform an OS capture to create a WIM file (the reference image). The goal is for this process to be 100 percent automated, so that you can recreate the reference build at any time with little effort.

The build and capture process is not a requirement for using OS Deployment in CM. You could manually create your own reference build, Sysprep, and capture it to a .wim file. But as you will see next, using the build and capture process ...