Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) 2012 is the newest version of Microsoft Deployment Toolkit, a Solution Accelerator for operating system and application deployment. MDT 2012 supports deployment of Windows 7, Office 2010 and 365, and Windows Server 2008 R2, in addition to deployment of Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2003, and Windows XP.
Deploy Windows 7, Office 2010 and 365, and Windows Server 2008 R2 with the newly released Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2012. MDT is the recommended process and toolset for automating desktop and server deployment. MDT provides you with the following benefits:
- Unified tools and processes, including a set of guidance, for deploying desktops and servers in a common deployment console.
- Reduced deployment time and standardized desktop and server images, along with improved security and ongoing configuration management.
Some of the key changes in MDT 2012 are:
- Comprehensive tools and guidance to efficiently manage large-scale deployments of Windows 7 and Microsoft Office 365.
- An enhanced user-Driven Installation (UDI) deployment method that utilizes System Center Configuration Manager 2012. UDI lets end users initiate and customize an OS deployment on their PCs—via an easy-to-use wizard.
- Ease Lite Touch installation through integration with Microsoft Diagnostics and Recovery Toolkit (DaRT).
- This release provides support for deploying Windows 8 Consumer Preview in a lab environment.
Choosing the Right Version
MDT is available for x86 and x64 platforms. Select the version that corresponds with your host hardware type. Both versions of MDT 2012 support deployment of x86 and x64 Windows operating systems.
The New in MDT 2012 guide and Release Notes are available as separate downloads on this page for those who want to quickly evaluate MDT 2012. The full package of guidance is available in .chm format as part of the toolkit. For those who want it in Word format, a separate download is available in the Files in this Download list.
Send questions or feedback about MDT 2012 directly to us via www.Connect.microsoft.com.
System requirements
Supported operating systems: Windows 7, Windows Server 2003 R2 Enterprise Edition (32-Bit x86), Windows Server 2003 R2 Standard Edition (32-bit x86), Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2, Windows Vista Service Pack 2, Windows XP Service Pack 3
- Supported operating systems the MDT can deploy:Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Vista Service Pack 2, Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows XP Service Pack 3.
* MDT 2012 can be installed on Windows 8 Consumer Preview or Windows Server “8” Beta, used with the Windows 8 Assessment and Deployment (ADK) Beta. MDT 2012 can deploy Windows 8 Consumer Preview and Windows Server “8” Beta. - MMC 3.0 is required to run the Workbench and view the documentation on Windows XP.
Note MMC 3.0 is included in Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows 7, and Windows Vista. - Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2012 relies on several Windows deployment tools. After installation of the .msi package and startup of the Deployment Workbench, the user can choose to automatically download and install the following major tools from the Components:
- Windows Automated Installation Kit
- Application Compatibility Toolkit
- MSXML 6.0
- Microsoft Office Word or Word Viewer (available as a free download) can be used to view Word documents
- Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint File Formats (available as a free download) can be used to open, edit, and save documents, workbooks, and presentations in the file formats new to Microsoft Office.
Download it here