• Windows Deployment Services (WDS) is an updated version of the Remote Installation Services (RIS) that automates the installation of Windows clients.
• The following WDS requirements are:
• Active Directory: The WDS server must be a member server or domain controller in an Active Directory domain.
• DHCP: DHCP is used by client computers to obtain an IP address and communicate with the WDS sever.
• DNS: DNS is used by client computer to resolve the hostname of the WDS server.
• An NTFS partition on the WDS server: The images must be stored on an NTFS-formatted volume on the WDS server.
• Windows Server 2003 SP1 with RIS installed: This is only required when deploying WDS on Windows Server 2003.
• Administrative credentials: To install WDS on a server, you must be a local administrator on the WDS server.
• The following WDS image types:
• Install image: These are WIM images that include the operating system and may include applications that are deployed to workstations.
• Boot image: These are WIM images that include Windows PE. They are used to run ImageX and deploy install images.
• Capture images: These images are used to automate the collection of a deployment image from a computer that has been configured as a reference image.
• Discover image: These images are used to deploy the deployment images on computers that do not support PXE. Discover images are ISO files that can be burned to CD or DVD.
• The following steps involved in the WDS deployment process are:





• Enable PXE in the client computer and configure it to boot from network first
• Reboot the workstation and press F12 to perform a PXE boot
• The workstation obtains an IP address from a DHCP server and contacts the WDS server
• Select a PXE boot image if required
• The boot image is downloaded to a RAM disk on the client computer and Windows PE is booted
• Select an install image to deploy from the menu
• ImageX runs to deploy the install image

Read more about Windows Deployment Services (WDS) at:
http://technet2.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/servermanager/windowsdeploymentservices.mspx.