Managing drivers

Driver management is often considered one of the more challenging configurations in OS Deployment. CM does a great job of simplifying the process. In this recipe, we will discuss the process to import drivers as well as different strategies for applying them during a task sequence.

Note

Using the driver management function in CM, it is very important to understand exactly what the implications are of any choice done during drivers' import into CM. It is also critical to organize drivers correctly.

First, a few terms to ensure everyone is speaking the same language.

• Driver: This is also known as raw driver, which usually is a .inf file accompanied with .dll, .cat, and other files referenced in the .inf file for the driver.
• Driver package: This is a CM package that contains drivers. This is different from a standard package. Driver packages are located under the Operating Systems node.
• Driver category: Categories can be assigned during or after import of one or more...