Learning Curve

Starting with something new is often quite interesting, challenging.  Now, trying to start doing this newfangled blog thing, running Windows 7 and trying to pick up scripting/programming is going to bring this to a whole.  Notha.  Level.

The goal will be to tell the story and share the lessons here.  And maybe even let a little of the home and work life spill over.  Its a blog, right?  This is supposed to be a journal of sorts, right?

So, with that, here we go!

1. At work I deal primarily with desktop support, though there is one project in particular that is particularly thrilling to work on.  The MDT 2008 deployment environment!  For the uninitiated, that’s the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2008.  What does it do?  Pure awesome!  We are able to deploy Windows XP SP3 systems in about 30 minutes from start to finish.  Ready to be joined to the domain and handed to the user.  Impressive, no?  Yes!  Well, there are some fun new features in Vista, Windows 7, Server 2008 and the upcoming MDT2010 that would be great to learn outside a production environment, so that leads to…
   
1. Creating a virtual computer lab to play with this environment.  Complete with Domain Controller, DNS server, MDT server, etc.  Well, really anything.
2. Build out a new environment.  Ultimately creating a DVD deployment would be awesome, so refreshing the home PCs is easier.  Nice side benefit of this particular little project.
   
2. Again, doing desk side support has given me a burning desire to script the repetitive, mundane and cumbersome tasks the technicians encounter on a daily, or at least weekly basis.  It would also be nice to include some new scripting knowledge and experience into the MDT environment at the office.   What kind of scripting?  Glad you asked!
   
1. WSH and VBScript would probably be good starters.  Since this language is already part of Windows XP and Server 2003.
2. Powershell, as it becomes more integrated into the Windows releases.
   
3. Start a blog, and see where it goes from there.

These are the goals being set right now.  The environment is being built up in VPC2007 now.  The adventure and learning begins!