Understanding the MicrosoftDeploymentToolkit module

In this post I will explain you how works the MicrosoftDeploymentToolkit module from MDT.
This module could be very useful, you can manage easily your Deployment Share using PowerShell. In my case I used it in some tools, for instance a tool to add language pack in my master, without MDT & ADK installed on the computer.
To use this module on another computer that has not MDT or ADK installed, see this article.

How to use it ?

The module can be launched using the MicrosoftDeploymentToolkit .psd1 file. 
This file is located by default in the C:\Program Files\Microsoft Deployment Toolkit\Bin folder.
To import this module, you can use the command below.

The MDT module provides you a new provider called MDTProvider. 
By default the Providers below are used.

Lst existing providers

After importing the module, the MDT provider will be listed with the other providers using the Get-PSProvider cmdlet.

MDTProvider without drive

As you may noticed there is no drive mapped to the provider. 
We will need to create one to manage our Deployment Share.
See below how to create a PSDrive mapped to your Deployment Share to use the MDT provider.

Create new drive for the provider

Once it done, you will be able to work with the MDTProvider. See below the commandline used to list the content of the MDTProvider.

List MDT content

If you want to list, for instance copntent of the Operating systems part, use the below commandline.

List OS content

List OS content with recurse option

The module provides many great cmdlet that allows you to manage your Deployment Share.
To list the available cmdlets, use the below commandline

cmdlets available in the module

So far we have seen how to import the module, now let's us see how to use cmdlets provided in the module.


cdmlets in action

As mentioned below the cmdlets below are available in the module.

Note: To get more informations about a specific cmdlet use the help option from PowerShell as below.

Get-Help imoiort-MDTApplication results

Get-Help import-application more details

My favourites

Import-MDTApplication

This cmdlet allows you to import application in your Deployment Share.
See below how to use it.

Import application cmdlet

Import-MDTDriver

This cmdlet allows you to import drivers in your Deployment Share.
See below how to use it.
See below the cmdlet in action.

Import drivers cmdlet

Import-MDTOperatingSystem

This cmdlet allows you to import OS in your Deployment Share.
See below how to use it.
See below the cmdlet in action.

Import Operating System cmdlet

Import-MDTPackage

This cmdlet allows you to import package in your Deployment Share.
See below how to use it.
See below the cmdlet in action.

Import package cmdlet

Update-MDTDeploymentShare

This cmdlet allows you to update your Deployment Share.
See below how to use it.
See below the cmdlet in action.

Update DeploymentShare cmdlet 

Update-MDTMedia

This cmdlet allows you to import a media, as below:

See below how to use it.
Get-MDTMonitorData

This cmdlet allows you to use the moniroting part from MDT and list all installed, and running computer.
See below how to use it.

The others

Enable-MDTMonitorService

This cmdlet allows you to enable the MDT Monitor service.

Once you have enable it, the service will appear as below.

MDT service

See below how to use it.

Disable-MDTMonitorService

This cmdlet allows you to disbale the MDT service.

Get-MDTDeploymentStatistics

This cmdlet allows you to display some statistics about your Deployment Share like number of applications, drivers, packages ...
See below an overview of this cmdlet result.

Overview of the Get-MDTDeploymentStatistics cmdle

See below how to use it

Get-MDTPersistentDrive

This cmdlet allows you to display all Deployment Share mapped as persistent drive. For instance, all Deployment share opened in the Workbench console.
For instance the below persistent drive DS002 is this one opened in the workbench.

Remove-MDTPersistentDrive

This cmdlet allows you to remove an MDT persistent drive from MDT. It means it will remove also the Deployment Share from the Workbench console.
See below how to use it.

Restore-MDTPersistentDrive

This cmdlet allows you to restore a persistent drive, mapped to a Deployment Share, that has been removed.

See below how to use it.

Remove-MDTMonitorData

This cmdlet allows you to remove a entry from the monitoring catalog. 

See below how to use it.

Import-MDTTaskSequence

This cmdlet allows you to import a Task Sequence in a Deployment Share.

See below how to use it.

Update-MDTLinkedDS

This cmdlet allows you to replicate content on a Linked Deployment Share.

See below how to use it.

See below the cmdlet in action.