A technician needs to install an operating system on a large number of workstations. Which of the following is the fastest method?

Image deployment is the fastest method for installing an operating system on a large number of workstations. This process involves creating a master image of a fully configured OS, including applications and settings, and then deploying this single image file to multiple computers simultaneously over a network. This method, often using tools like Windows Deployment Services (WDS) or Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager, significantly reduces the manual effort and time required compared to installing on each machine individually. It ensures consistency across all workstations.

A. Physical media (e.g., USB, DVD) requires a technician to manually install the OS on each machine one by one, which is extremely time-consuming for a large number of computers.

B. A mountable ISO is functionally similar to physical media but accessed from a network share; it still typically involves a manual, one-at-a-time installation process.

C. Manual installation is the process itself, not a method of deployment. It is inherently the slowest approach when dealing with multiple systems.

1. Microsoft Corporation. (2021). Windows Deployment Services. Microsoft Learn. Retrieved from docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/deployment/wds/windows-deployment-services-overview. (This document describes the role of WDS in deploying Windows operating systems to multiple computers over a network).

2. Microsoft Corporation. (2023). Introduction to operating system deployment in Configuration Manager. Microsoft Learn. Retrieved from learn.microsoft.com/en-us/mem/configmgr/osd/understand/introduction-to-operating-system-deployment. (Section: "Introduction to operating system deployment").

3. Purdue University. (n.d.). ITaP Shopping Guide - Imaging. Retrieved from www.purdue.edu/itap/shopping/guide/imaging.html. (This university IT guide explains imaging as the standard method for deploying a consistent OS configuration to many computers).