Technologies used by Remote Installation Services to identify network computers

Remote Installation Services (RIS) requires several supporting technologies that identify computers on the network. The following three technologies are included as components in the Windows Server 2003 family:

• Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)
• Domain Name System (DNS)
• Active Directory

DHCP and DNS need not be Microsoft versions to work with RIS. You must use the Microsoft version of Active Directory when using RIS, however. DHCP, DNS, and Active Directory can be installed (along with RIS) on one server or on several servers. (You are installing Active Directory when you make a server a domain controller.) Before adding RIS to a server that provides DHCP, DNS, or Active Directory, it is recommended that you consider server load and server performance.

RIS also depends on a unique identifier that computer manufacturers assign to each computer. This identifier, which is called the globally unique identifier (GUID), is also known as the universally unique identifier (UUID). As its name suggests, it gives each computer a unique identity. Each RIS client computer connects to the RIS server through the network and identifies itself by its GUID/UUID. To find a computer's unique identifier, see To locate the GUID for client computers.

When RIS detects a client computer's request for service, it responds in one of the following two ways, depending on how you have set up your network:

• A RIS server that you have designated for that client computer recognizes the client computer from its unique identifier and responds with the available installation choices.
• Any RIS server answers all network service requests from client computers.

For information on specifying how RIS responds to requests, see Remote Installation Services administration overview.