PDT (PowerShell Deployment Tools) is the most awesome and efficient tool to replace all separate product installers or even the Unified Installer for System Center 2012 R2. Whole process takes 20 mins to create the VMs and maybe 100 mins on a SSD drive if all goes well. Requirements? 250GB disk space free and 32GB RAM on your Hyper-V host.
http://gallery.technet.microsoft.com/PowerShell-Deployment-f20bb605#content
Crash course:
- Download Convert-WindowsImage.ps1, and create Windows Server 2012 R2 and Windows 2008 R2 sysprep images.
- For all other instructions, this post is very helpful. http://johansenreidar.blogspot.ie/2013/08/system-center-deployment-with-pdt-25.html
Caveats:
- Downloader.ps1 will download all files you need ... well almost all and things you may not want. e.g. SC2012 SP1 installers for all SC products
- Edit Download location to match
- Variable.xml assumes you have a domain to join
- VariableAD.xml will setup AD as well. Rename to variable.xml to use.
- For a successful installation of System Center Configuration Manager, your VM must have internet access or it cannot download the pre-reqs that are part of the installer. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg682042.aspx
- alternative is to download those pre-reqs and drop them into this download folder: <download path>\SystemCenter2012R2\ConfigurationManager.DL
- Change "Differencing" to "Copy" if you want to use standalone disks for each VM instead of differencing disks.
- Give 4GB RAM to your DC (default is 2GB) to speed installation a little.