Zero Touch Installation (ZTI) is the pinnacle of OS deployment! Once a machine is imaged, ZTI means never visiting the machine again for re-imaging. Think for a second how much time is wasted by having to physically visit each machine when re-imaing! Most organizations believe it is only possible to reach ZTI with solutions like System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM). In fact, Microsoft clearly states that SCCM is a requirement to get to ZTI. I am here to tell you that ZTI is possible without SCCM! Start by importing computers into the MDT Database with PowerShell:
What is the MDT Database?
This guide will assume you already have MDT configured and that you have the MDT database setup (though not populated). If you aren’t at the step yet, you can keep reading but you might want to check out these two resources:
When MDT is completely configured, you should have a full CustomSettings.ini that pre-populates most of your deployment settings. You will be left with a few options that have to be manually filled out though. The big two that have to be selected is the computer name and the Task Sequence. This is where the MDT database comes in.