Cloning a Windows image

Its common for a Windows system with the Lens Workstation agent installed to be cloned and used to provision multiple other workstations with a standardised base configuration. Here are some recommended steps that should be followed to enable a smooth experience with Lens.

Reset the API key

Each workstation registers itself with the Lens Portal. During this registration process an API key is created that is unique to the workstation, and authorises the Lens Portal components to communicate with the Lens Workstation Agent. Before imaging a workstation, this should be cleared to enable the new workstation to register itself seemlessly.

See this article on how to reset the API key.

Disable the Lens Workstation Agent service

The Lens Workstation agent will re-register itself on startup if there is no API key set. During this registation process the workstation’s hostname is passed to the Lens Portal. To ensure that the correct hostname is used when registering the workstation, it’s recommended to disable the Lens Workstation service, and to set it to start only once you are happy the new workstation. has the correct hostname.

On the machine that will be imaged

1. Start Powershell as an administrator

2. Run the follwoing command:

   CODE

   Set-Service -Name LensWsAgent -StartupType Disabled

On the new machine

1. Start Powershell as an administrator

2. Run the follwoing command:

   CODE

   Set-Service -Name LensWsAgent -StartupType Automatic