Systems Deployment

Background is we want to change the BIOS from Legacy to UEFI and also do a BIOS update prior to OS deployment.

I created a custom KBE where I basically used the existing KBE and Infused with DISM the CCTK-Tool.  then I created a script (Ps1) to update my clients BIOS with a Custom Deployment.

While the switch from Legacy to UEFI works like a charm -I've encountered a really nasty roadblock.

Then I created an Application called "BIOS-Update" to "distribute" my BIOS update. Basically I zipped the BIOS Update Folders and my Powershell-Script and my  CallBios-Updates.bat into a single Zip-File.

The PowerShell-Script gets called by execute.bat

"powershell.exe -nologo -executionpolicy bypass -file DellBiosUpgradePackage-6.0.ps1"

The Powershell-Script works like this

#Get Create Target folder

    #"C:\ProgramData\Quest\KACE\kbots_cache\packages\kbots\228" is the folder if i use the SMA-Script and "y:\applications\244\" is the SDA Path

new-item -Path C:\ProgramData\Quest\KACE\kbots_cache\packages\kbots\228 -ItemType directory

Expand-Archive -Path y:\applications\244\NZZ_BIOS_Update.Zip -DestinationPath C:\ProgramData\Quest\KACE\kbots_cache\packages\kbots\228

#Get Bios Password from File

$BiosPassword = Get-Content C:\ProgramData\Quest\KACE\kbots_cache\packages\kbots\228\Bios.txt

write-host $BiosPassword

#Create Model Variable

$ComputerModel = Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_computersystem | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Model

write-host $ComputerModel

#Get Bios File Name (Uses the Bios EXE file in the same folder)

$BiosFileName = Get-ChildItem C:\ProgramData\Quest\KACE\kbots_cache\packages\kbots\228\$ComputerModel\*.exe -Verbose | Select -ExpandProperty Name

write-host $BiosFileName

#Copy Bios Installer and flashtool to x:\ - the Flash64W didn't like when I left it in the Computer Model folder 

New-Item -Path C:\ProgramData\NZZ\BIOS-Update\$ComputerModel -ItemType Directory

Copy-Item C:\ProgramData\Quest\KACE\kbots_cache\packages\kbots\228\$ComputerModel\$BiosFileName -Destination C:\ProgramData\NZZ\BIOS-Update\$ComputerModel

Copy-Item C:\ProgramData\Quest\KACE\kbots_cache\packages\kbots\228\Flash64W.exe -Destination C:\ProgramData\NZZ\BIOS-Update\$ComputerModel

#Set Command Arguments for Bios Update

$cmds = "/b=$BiosFileName /s /p=$BiosPassword"

write-host $cmds

#Update Bios

Push-location C:\ProgramData\NZZ\BIOS-Update\$ComputerModel

$Process = start-process Flash64W.exe  -ArgumentList $cmds -PassThru -wait 2>$Null

After Checking the petemp-share everything was in place and syncronised accros the SDA and RSA's properly . I could start my PS1 from Kace-Recovery console without any problems and the BIOS update(s) ran smooth.

Next Step was checking the Tasks.xml and here I "discovered" the "error" the Path is "%systemdrive%\Kace\applications\..." this is for a "normal Post-Install Task perfectly OK as it would be copied to a local drive -normally c:\- before beeing executed.  For a Custom Deployment where the folders on the Local Systemdrive will not be created this doesn't work -right.

So the obvious workaround of course is to integrate the  Application in the OS-Deployment. That's what i decided to do. I created a k-script and used the sources above (minus the "#Get Create Target folder" -part)

I called the K-Script with a vbs -script like the one provided by Timo Weberskirch https://www.itninja.com/blog/view/k2000-install-default-software-from-k1000-during-deployment-1 (Kudos here) and it works perfect -but is not what I'm really after. 

There has to be a way to use post-Install Tasks in a Custom deployments but I can't figure out how...-any advice will be highly appreciated.