Creating UDF Files
Answer files are only really useful for installing an OS on one computer at a time. If you're installing on hundreds of computers at the same time and you want each one to have a unique identity on the network, you will have to create hundreds of separate Answer Files.
An simpler way it to create a Uniqueness Database File (UDF). The UDF file is used in conjunction with the Answer File and can provide multiple answers for installations done from a single Answer File.
UDFs provide keys and values for each computer to replace the corresponding keys and values in an Answer File. When you start an unattended installation you provide an ID for the computer being installed so that Setup knows which section of the UDF to use.
The Setup Manager Wizard creates a UDF automatically whenever you enter more than one computer name. Here is an example of a UDF:
;SetupMgrTag [UniqueIds] CLIENT001=UserData CLIENT002=UserData CLIENT003=UserData CLIENT004=UserData CLIENT005=UserData [CLIENT001:UserData] ComputerName=CLIENT001 [CLIENT002:UserData] ComputerName=CLIENT002 [CLIENT003:UserData] ComputerName=CLIENT003 [CLIENT004:UserData] ComputerName=CLIENT004 [CLIENT005:UserData] ComputerName=CLIENT005
You must specify the ID of the system being installed as well as the location of the UDF file in the form of a switch when performing an unattended installation, eg:
winnt /s:\\SERVER5\I386 /u:\\SERVER5\ANSWR\unattend.txt /udf:CLIENT001,\\SERVER5\ANSWR\udf.udb
Next: Processing UDF Files
