SOE PORTAL Release Notes

Windows 10 1903

Version 1903 (OS build 18362) has now been made available for the Windows 10 editions in the SOE Portal.  The list below shows the newly added editions:

• Windows 10 Enterprise Version 1903
• Windows 10 Professional Version 1903
• Windows 10 Education Version 1903

All Windows editions are Semi-Annual Channel.

Earlier editions are still available. Remember the handy Copy Image Config feature, which allows you to copy an entire image configuration from one version of Windows to another (ensure you do double-check your Hardware and App associations after copying).

For the build to ISO option, the latest WinPE drivers are now included to support deployment to devices from major hardware manufacturers.

Updated Image Versioning

Up until now, the image version has included the Windows 10 release version as a single digit, which would correspond an appropriate version. For example, ZNTH.10E64.6.01.REV15 would correspond to Windows 10 Enterprise x64 Version 1809 (the 6 indicated 1809). This has now been changed. From Windows 10 Version 1903 (and future releases), the version number will be included instead of a single digit. So, for example, the image version for Windows 10 Pro x64 Version 1903 would be ZNTH.10P64.1903.01.REV15.

Read more about the image versioning standard in the follow KB article: Image Version Information

Common Applications

You will now see a number of places in the SOE Portal that display newly added or updated common applications. For example, on the login page and on the Dashboard.

In addition, icons will now display next to common applications when they are listed in the Image Configuration Wizard. This helps to assist with quick identification of applications.

Windows 10 1809

Version 1809 (OS build 17763) has now been made available for the Windows 10 editions in the SOE Portal.  The list below shows the newly added editions:

• Windows 10 Enterprise Version 1809
• Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2019
• Windows 10 Professional Version 1809
• Windows 10 Education Version 1809

All Windows editions are Semi-Annual Channel unless they include LTSC in the edition name.

Earlier editions are still available. Remember the handy Copy Image Config feature, which allows you to copy an entire image configuration from one version of Windows to another (ensure you do double-check your Hardware and App associations after copying).

For the build to ISO option, the latest WinPE drivers are now included to support deployment to devices from major hardware manufacturers.

Long-Term Servicing Channel

The Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) edition of Windows 10 has now been updated to the latest version (2019). Note that the term LTSB (Long-Term Servicing Branch) has now been replaced with LTSC. If you have been using LTSB/LTSC 2015 or 2016, the OS description will have been automatically changed to LTSC. However, this is a cosmetic change and your Windows edition or version hasn’t changed.

Read here for additional information about the Windows 10 servicing channels: Windows as a Service Servicing Channels

Updated Device Information Application

The Device Information application which is optionally included in your SOE images has now been updated to version 1.11.  It will be automatically updated the next time you rebuild your SOE image.  Changes include:

• A new button called Diag Logs has been added to the navigation pane. This does the same as the Tools > Collect Diagnostic Logs button which you have likely used in the past when contacting SOE Portal Customer Support.
• Information on the General tab will periodically update to reflect current free disk space and Security Center status.
• Information on the Network tab will update if an IP address change is detected.
• A new Settings button is now displayed on the Tools tab to open the Windows 10 settings window.
• A number of other reliability enhancements have been made as well as improvements to the diagnostics logs.

Windows 10 1803

Version 1803 (April Update) editions have now been made available to Windows 10 editions in the SOE Portal.  The list below shows the newly added editions:

• Windows 10 Enterprise Version 1803
• Windows 10 Professional Version 1803
• Windows 10 Education Version 1803

Earlier editions are still available, but we recommend migrating to 1803 when you next rebuild your Windows 10 image.  Remember the handy Copy Image Config feature, which allows you to copy an entire image configuration from one version of Windows to another (ensure you do double-check your Hardware and App associations after copying).

Windows 10 1709

Version 1709 (Fall Creators Update) editions have now been made available to Windows 10 editions in the SOE Portal.  The list below shows the newly added editions:

• Windows 10 Enterprise Version 1709
• Windows 10 Professional Version 1709
• Windows 10 Education Version 1709

The Version 1703 and earlier editions are still available, but we recommend migrating to 1709 when you next rebuild your Windows 10 image.  Remember the handy Copy Image Config feature, which allows you to copy an entire image configuration from one version of Windows to another (ensure you do double-check your Hardware and App associations after copying).

Management Toolset Agents

Updated management toolset agents are now available.  If selected for inclusion, these versions will be automatically installed during the staging (image deployment) process using the parameters you defined in the SOE Portal image configuration wizard.

• Microsoft Intune – Updated to latest version
• Quest KACE – Updated to version 7.2.10

Other Updates

As part of ongoing bug fixes and enhancements, the following items have been changed or added:

• Added the ability to remove the Print 3D built-in Windows 10 app.
• Windows 10 Professional has now been renamed to Windows 10 Pro. This is to keep in line with the terminology currently in use by Microsoft.
• In some instances after staging completes, the staging service consumes high CPU and does not terminate. This has now been resolved.
• A number of behind the scenes reliability enhancements have been implemented.

Windows 10 1703

Version 1703 (Creators Update) editions have now been made available to Windows 10 editions in the SOE Portal. The list below shows the newly added editions. Also added is the ability to remove the Paint 3D, Messaging, Sticky Notes and View 3D built-in Windows apps.

• Windows 10 Enterprise Version 1703
• Windows 10 Professional Version 1703
• Windows 10 Education Version 1703

The Version 1607 editions are still available, but we recommend migrating to 1703 when you next rebuild your Windows 10 image. Remember the handy Copy Image Config feature, which allows you to copy an entire image configuration from one version of Windows to another (ensure you do double-check your Hardware and App associations after copying).

C: Drive Volume Name

Prior to this release, the C: disk volume would be automatically set to the image version if deploying the image from the ISO (e.g. USB media). We have introduced a new field on the Image Details pane in the image configuration wizard called Disk Volume Label. A value entered here will be applied as the C: disk volume label. If this field is left blank, then the image version will be automatically used (this applies to all Image File Types, not just ISO).

Capture Ghost Images

On the Image Details pane in the image configuration wizard, a new Image File Type of GHO has been added. This enables the image to be captured in Symantec Ghost format (.gho). This format can be easily integrated and deployed using Symantec Ghost tools, such as Ghost Solution Suite (GSS).

Read the below notes relating to the GHO image file type.

• Images will be captured in Symantec Ghost format (.GHO) instead of Microsoft WIM format.
• The image will be split across ~2GB files: a .GHO file and several .GHS files.
• All files will be compressed into a .ZIP file. This .ZIP file can be downloaded from the SOE Portal using the SOE Portal File Manager (SPFM), which launches when using the image Download option.

Uncertified Hardware Behaviour

During image deployment, the hardware model is detected and correlated to the hardware models selected in the image configuration wizard. This is called a certified hardware model. If the detected model does not have the drivers provisioned within the image, it is called an uncertified hardware model. There are now two options available which govern the behaviour of what occurs when an uncertified hardware model is detected. This field is located on the Hardware pane of the image configuration wizard and is titled Uncertified Hardware Action.

• Use drivers from all selected models – When an uncertified model is detected, the deployment engine try all drivers from other models selected for inclusion the SOE image. This is the action which has been occurring to date.
• Use generic hardware certification – SOE Portal engineers maintain a “generic” set of drivers for each Windows version, which includes drivers for the most commonly used hardware components. If an uncertified hardware model is detected, this generic driver set will be applied. This is the default option for new images.

Core Application Installation Timeout

When core applications are installed during image build or deployment, the application install will timeout after a specified time. This is to ensure an incorrect command line or faulty application package does not halt the build or deployment process indefinitely. The timeout default is 15 minutes and can now be configured using the new Timeout field on Options pane of the application configuration wizard. An example of when this field may be used is in an Office core application. As Office typically takes longer than 15 minutes to install, changing this setting to 25 minutes will allow enough time.

Other Updates

As part of ongoing bug fixes and enhancements, the following items have been changed:

• When a Home Page is specified in the image configuration wizard, this will now apply to the following browsers:
  • Internet Explorer
  • Microsoft Edge (Only applied once the device joins a domain)
  • Mozilla Firefox
  • Google Chrome
• Adjustments to the domain join and activate Windows jobs have been made to cater for network cards (e.g. USB dongles) which can take a longer time to initialise.

Computer Name Prefix and Suffix Options

New Naming Convention options are now available to allow a prefix and/or suffix to be used when the computer name is generated. Different prefixes and suffixes may be specified for notebooks, desktops and virtual machines.

These new options are available if using either the Serial Number or Asset Tag naming conventions. If prefixes or suffixes are not required, they may be left blank.

Local Administrator Group Members

A new option called Local Administrator Group is now available in the Domain section of the Image Configuration Wizard. This allows Active Directory groups to be specified which will be automatically made a member of the local Administrators group during staging. This is optional and may be left blank if desired.

Multiple Active Directory groups may be specified using the Add and Remove options. Note that Domain Name and User Account options must be specified (at the top of the Domain section) before using this option.

Computer Membership of AD Groups

A new option called AD Group Membership is now available in the Domain section of the Image Configuration Wizard. This allows the computer object to be automatically added to specified Active Directory groups during staging. Desktop devices (including virtual machines) will be added to the domain group(s) defined in Domain group to join (Desktops) and notebook devices (including tablets) will be added to the group(s) defined in Domain group to join (Notebooks). These are optional and may be left blank if desired.

Multiple Active Directory groups may be specified using the Add and Remove options. Note that Domain Name and User Account options must be specified (at the top of the Domain section) before using these options. The specified User Account will be used to modify the group membership, so it must have appropriate permissions in Active Directory to modify membership for the specified groups.

Office 365 now available as Common Applications

Office 365 versions of Microsoft Office Professional Plus are now available in the SOE Portal as common applications. When selected for install, the corresponding click-to-run Office version will be installed into your image. The following Office versions are available:

• Office Professional Plus 2013 32-bit (Office 365)
• Office Professional Plus 2013 64-bit (Office 365)
• Office Professional Plus 2016 32-bit (Office 365)
• Office Professional Plus 2016 64-bit (Office 365)

Other Items

Last November, Microsoft released Windows 10 Version 1511. This was added to the SOE Portal shortly afterwards, and replaced the RTM version of Windows 10. All Windows 10 images built in the SOE Portal since December 2015 have included this newer version. Our experience so far shows that it is more stable than the original Windows 10 release. If you have a Windows 10 image which was built earlier than December 2015, we recommend you rebuild with this version.

All common applications have now been updated with the latest releases. These will be automatically included in your next image build.

When deploying an image from a UFD (USB Flash Device) created from an ISO downloaded from the SOE Portal, there was a small chance that applying the image would fail in specific circumstances. This has now been rectified and ISO images will successfully deploy. Most users would not have been affected by this, but if you had noticed this problem, it will be rectified the next time your ISO is rebuilt.

Windows 10 1607 Driver Signing

In Windows 10 Version 1607, Microsoft has made some changes to the driver model. Any kernel-mode drivers must be digitally signed by Microsoft. Whilst many drivers created by hardware component manufacturers are already following this official process of having their drivers signed by Microsoft, the SOE Portal hardware certification team have been coming across instances of drivers which are not correctly signed. If a driver is signed with a valid certificate issued to a manufacturer such as Intel or Realtek, the driver is still not considered trusted by Windows 10 Version 1607.

When deploying images built in the SOE Portal (or any other mechanism) and the drivers have not been digitally signed by Microsoft, a warning prompt will be displayed. This will occur during Windows mini-setup, which is after the image has been applied but before Stage 1 commences. If any of these driver prompts are presented, the only option is to click Yes, otherwise the driver will not install for that component. Feel free to log a support request with the SOE Portal support team, who will investigate whether an updated driver is available from the relevant component manufacturer.

Please refer to our KB Article for more information on this subject: Driver Prompts in Windows 10 Version 1607

Release to Production (RTP) Feature

We continually work to make features more reliable and provide a better deployment experience. This release includes some enhancements to the user roles available within the SOE Portal.

• Download Only user role: By default, a user assigned the Download Only role will not see any images on the Images page.
• New RTP Button: If you have a role of Full Administrator, Build Administrator or Image Administrator assigned to your user account, on the Images page you will find a new button called RTP. This becomes available when you click on a completed build.
• Mark as RTP: The RTP button marks an image as RTP (Release to Production). This makes the image configuration visible to Download Only users.
• Unmark as RTP: You can also unmark an image as RTP (and this can be done under various statuses, not just when the build is complete), which will hide the image configuration from Download Only users.

Windows 10 1607 (and LTSB 2016)

Version 1607 editions have now been made available to all Windows 10 editions in the SOE Portal. The 2016 LTSB edition has also been added and the Windows 10 Education edition is now available. The list below shows the newly added editions which are all available in both 64- and 32-bit. Also added is the ability to remove the Feedback Hub and Paid WiFi and Mobile built-in Windows apps.

• Windows 10 Enterprise Version 1607
• Windows 10 Professional Version 1607
• Windows 10 Education Version 1607
• Windows 10 Enterprise LTSB 2016

The Version 1511 editions are still available, but we recommend migrating to 1607 when you next rebuild your Windows 10 image. Remember the handy Copy Image Config feature, which allows you to copy an entire image configuration from one version of Windows to another (ensure you do double-check your Hardware and App associations after copying).

An important note about Microsoft Intune: The Microsoft Intune client currently cannot be installed on Windows 10 Version 1607 under specific circumstances. When an updated version is publicly released by Microsoft, we will update it in the SOE Portal. Refer to this link for more information.

Domain Join Enhancements

This release includes some enhancements to the domain join functionality.

• Computer objects in a different OU – If a computer object already exists in AD but in a different OU, an attempt will be made to move the computer object into the OU specified in the image configuration. This will preserve any computer group memberships, permissions etc. To perform this object move, it uses the credentials of the join domain service account specified in the SOE Portal, so appropriate AD permissions need to be assigned to this account. If the move cannot be performed (usually due to service account permissions), a standard Abort/Retry/Ignore prompt will be displayed with an appropriate message.
• Join domain failed settings – When the automated join domain process fails, the Abort/Retry/Ignore prompt will be displayed as it has in the past. However, it now has a Settings link on it. The most common join domain failures are due to an incorrect domain name or invalid credentials for the join domain service account. Clicking this link will display a domain information window which will allow these settings to be changed for the current deployment.

Other Updates

As part of ongoing bug fixes and enhancements, the following items have been changed:

• Added support to display the on-screen keyboard during the staging process. Tap the keyboard icon in the bottom right of the screen.
• Added touchscreen support for Microsoft Surface devices when booted into WinPE from USB media (The Erase data and continue? prompt).
• During staging, informational windows will now scale correctly on high-resolution displays for devices such as the Microsoft Surface, Dell XPS, HP Spectre 360, Lenovo Yoga etc.
• Some new hardware models with recent mass storage controllers have blue screening on Windows boot, after the image has been applied. This has only been affecting Windows 7. This problem has now been resolved. An image rebuild will be required.

Updated Common Applications

Over half of the existing common applications in the library have now been updated to their latest version. These updated versions will be automatically included the next time you rebuild your image.

Decommissioned Common Applications

A few common applications have now been decommissioned and are listed below. Take note of the information provided if you are currently using any of these common applications.

• Lenovo Solution Center Version 2 (x86 and x64) – Version 2 of the Lenovo Solution Center has been decommissioned by Lenovo. Version 3 is now available and supports all versions of Windows. If you were using version 2, you will need to select the Lenovo Solution Center V3 common application so it will be included in the next image build. Remember that when selecting a Lenovo (or Dell etc) common application, it will only be installed on appropriate hardware during staging.
• Apple QuickTime – This application is no longer supported by Apple and no updates are being provided. This common application has been decommissioned due to recent reports that it contains some security vulnerabilities. This application will no longer install as a common application. If you require this application, it will now need to be uploaded as one of your core applications.

New Common Applications

Following is a list of recently added common applications:

• Adobe Flash Player PPAPI plugin (for Chrome and Opera)
• Autodesk DWG TrueView 2017
• Dell Open Print Driver
• Lenovo Solution Center Version 3 (only installs on Lenovo devices)
• Microsoft Surface Dock Updater (only installs on Surface devices)
• Microsoft Yammer Notifier