I am currently using sccm 2007 for our software deployment and PXE. During this summer I have been tasked with upgrading 2000+ machines from Windows XP to Windows 7. My plan is to use sccm to advertise the Windows 7 task sequence to the machines. However my question is, what is the best way to automate the deployment?
Can I make SCCM turn a machine on and make it run an advertised task sequence without having to be in the same room as the machines?
Short answer - Yes. You can use MDT, create a mandatory ZTI install and away you go. There are a whole lot of prerequisites(pxe order set in the bios, no passords on pxe boot) and considerations to doing it that way but it is possible.
As far as the best way to deploy you need to really evaluate your environment's needs. There is no one best answer for that. In the MDT documentation section under the information section there is a chapter on planning deployments that has all the checklists and considerations you need to look at when planning a deployment.
