Introduction to the Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit

Microsoft Corporation September 2011

Applies To:
Windows Developer Preview Windows Server Developer Preview

Summary
This paper describes the Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (Windows ADK) and how the tools included in the Windows ADK enable OEMs and IHVs to deliver outstanding hardware and software experiences on the Windows operating system.

Contents
Introduction to the Assessment and Deployment Kit....................................................................... 3 Benefits ........................................................................................................................................ 3 Consumers want quality ............................................................................................................... 3 Assessments help you improve quality ........................................................................................ 4 The Windows ADK helps you build what customers want ........................................................... 5 Get the Windows ADK ................................................................................................................. 5 Appendix A: Windows ADK contents ........................................................................................... 5 Appendix B: Related Windows kits .............................................................................................. 6 Copyright Information ...................................................................................................................... 6

Introduction to the Assessment and Deployment Kit

The Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (Windows ADK) contains the tools and documentation that you need to deploy Windows to new computers and to review and improve the quality of those computers. The Windows ADK enables two key scenarios: Windows deployment and system assessments. Windows deployment is intended for OEMs and IT professionals who want to customize and automate the installation of Windows in their factories or organizations. In addition to new tools, the Windows ADK includes the deployment tools that were previously released as part of the Windows OEM Preinstallation Kit (Windows OPK) and the Windows Automated Installation Kit (Windows AIK). Assessments are a new set of tools that measure the quality attributes of a computer, including overall performance, energy efficiency, and battery consumption. The results of these assessments are used to diagnose potential problems, ensuring that the hardware and software that you develop are responsive and have a minimal impact to battery life and startup and shutdown times. The same assessments are available to OEMs, ODMs, IHVs, software developers, IT Professionals, PC enthusiasts, and others who want to review and compare performance aspects of a computer. In addition to the Assessment Toolkit, the Windows Performance Toolkit lets you track detailed system information and resource usage. This tool displays real-time data and diagnostics quickly and easily, ensuring that you have a complete view of the system to help you tune performance.

Benefits
The Windows ADK maximizes consumer satisfaction by: Helping you to assess the overall experience of Windows, value-added software and drivers, and hardware configurations Providing detailed system data that can help identify the root causes of quality issues Reducing costs by revealing issues during development Developing, managing and deploying Windows images on test systems Comparing results from different computers or the same set of computers over time Generating feedback to improve the quality of products

Consumers want quality

Quality is the top concern for consumers when they shop for new computers. Consumers demand that computers be reliable, durable, and high-performing. Although there are different ways to measure "quality", many customers attribute the term to the overall user experience and 3

rapid responsiveness of the system. Computers have to be not only quick and durable, but also be a delight to use. Consumers expect that a computer works just like any other consumerelectronics device in their home. They are expected to be always on, always connected, and support a wide variety of uses. In-store usage experiences for customers are critical. Often, customers form opinions of the responsiveness of a system within seconds, based on their experience in the store. Any delay in performance has an immediate negative impact and strongly affects future purchase decisions. The combination of Windows, software, and hardware defines the consumers experience, and all aspects of the computer must be responsive and beautiful. Delighting customers with a consistently reliable and high-performing system improves brand awareness, loyalty, and future purchase intent. Consumers share their great experiences with friends and positive experiences can be widely viewed across the Internet on review sites and social media.

Assessments help you improve quality

Making the initial customer experience a delight is important, but it is equally important that the same level of quality is maintained over time. The Windows ADK contains the tools that you need to evaluate and compare overall system quality. By using these tools, you can measure different aspects of computer performance across a variety of scenarios, from boot time to battery-life performance to high-definition video streaming. Assessments can identify potential issues, inconsistent behavior, and highlight areas to investigate. The same assessments are available for OEM partners, ISV/IHV partners, enthusiasts, and other members of the community, to establish a common framework to measure, compare, and review aspects of quality. Assessments are used in different scenarios: Run assessments against a single computer or small collection of computers with the Windows Assessment Console (Windows AC). This scenario is intended for IT Professionals or PC enthusiasts who want to view performance characteristics on a handful of different computer configurations. For example, you can review video performance across different video cards on the same system. Run assessments against multiple computers in a lab environment with Windows Assessment Services (Windows AS). This scenario is primarily for OEMs who want to run a suite of qualitative assessments against a complete line of desktops, laptops, or slate computers in a pre-manufacturing environment.

Assessments are not intended to be used by Microsoft to define a specific quality bar or suggest a baseline performance. Instead, OEMs and IHVs make performance decisions according to their needs. While all computers that are certified by Microsoft must adhere to the quality standards defined by the Windows Hardware Certification Program, OEMs and IHVs can use assessments to evaluate quality and performance that exceeds this minimum bar. In previous Windows releases, multiple tools were available to measure quality, including Velocity Test Suite (VTS/VOS), Fundamental Quality Tools Suite (FQTS), and System Power and Performance Tools Suite (SPPTS). The Assessment toolkit combines the functionality from

previous performance-diagnostic tools into an integrated set of tools that is easier to use and provides broader, more meaningful results.

The Windows ADK helps you build what customers want

Quality influences purchase intent, and assessments promote a great customer experience for Windows Developer Preview software and hardware. By evaluating system performance before deployment, you can make sure that the overall system is responsive and that consumers will be delighted with the speed and capabilities of their computer. PC enthusiasts are also encouraged to use assessments to review and tune the performance of their computers. The Windows ADK provides a complete solution for you to evaluate system performance and automate the deployment of Windows to computers. After you evaluate the performance of your hardware and software, use the deployment and imaging tools in the Windows ADK to automate the manufacturing process, saving you time and money.

Get the Windows ADK

MSDN subscribers can download and install the Windows ADK from: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=221062.

Appendix A: Windows ADK contents

The Windows ADK includes the following suite of tools:
Tool Description

Deployment Tools

Tools to customize Windows images and to automate installation and image management. Includes Deployment Imaging Servicing and Management tool (DISM), Windows System Image Manager (Windows SIM), Windows Help & Support customization tools, and User State Migration Tool (USMT). Tools to measure and optimize aspects of quality and performance of a computer. Includes Assessments, Windows Assessment Console (Windows AC) and Windows Assessment Services (Windows AS). Tools to analyze system and application performance. Includes Windows Performance Analyzer and Windows Performance Recorder. 5

Assessment Toolkit

Windows Performance Toolkit

Tool

Description

Application Compatibility Toolkit

Enables IT professionals to evaluate and mitigate application compatibility issues before deploying a new version of Windows or a new version of Internet Explorer. IT Professional tool that automates and manages the activation of Windows, Windows Server, and Office 2010. For more information

Volume Activation Management Tool

Assessment Tools Windows Assessment Console Windows Assessment Services Windows Performance Tools

Windows Performance Toolkit Deployment tools Application Compatibility Toolkit Deployment & Imaging Tools User State Migration Tool Volume Activation Management Tool Windows Preinstallation Environment

Appendix B: Related Windows kits

In Windows Developer Preview, Microsoft is aligning related tools and technologies into a set of kits, reducing the number of independently released tools. In addition to the Assessment and Deployment kit, the related kits that support Windows Developer Preview are: Software Development Kit . This kit enables software vendors to build applications and software solutions for Windows. Windows Driver Kit. This kit enables hardware vendors and OEMs to develop quality hardware and software solutions that work together to create a responsive and reliable system. Windows Hardware Certification Kit. This kit enables hardware vendors and OEMs to certify their devices and PCs to ensure a minimum level of quality and functionality. Hardware certification improves customer perception of reliability and influences purchase intent.

Copyright Information
Information in this document, including URL and other Internet Web site references, is subject to change without notice. 6

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