Q: Can I deploy Linux with Windows Deployment Services and other Microsoft technologies?

A: Linux isn't natively supported by Microsoft deployment technologies, for several reasons. One reason is that most of the deployment technologies use the Windows Imaging format (WIM), which needs NTFS, which Linux typically doesn't use.

Additionally, customizations are made to the OSs using SYSPREP, which also doesn't work on Linux. There are ways to deploy Linux using custom commands, and at Johan Arwidmark's old blog, deployvista.com, I found this nice blog post that talks through some key points, titled "Deploying Ubuntu 8.04.1 Using WDS (Windows Deployment Services)."

On another note, if you're interested in deploying Linux OSs on Hyper-V, see my recent FAQ "What's new in Linux Integration Services 3.4?"