Hephaestus Deployment Toolkit
The Microsoft Deployment Toolkit has been in maintenance mode since 2019. HDT keeps its operational model — deployment share, task sequences, driver store, application catalog — and rebuilds the engine on PowerShell instead of VBScript. It depends on no MDT component; only the Windows ADK and WDS are used.
What it does#
Task sequences
Readable YAML sequences with groups, conditions, retry, and reboots that resume where they left off.
Rules with provenance
rules.yaml replaces CustomSettings.ini — and shows why every variable got its value.
Imaging & boot media
Build the WinPE boot image and ISO, apply Windows, and protect disks that must not be wiped.
Drivers
Driver groups by model, a driver catalog, and a Plug and Play fallback for hardware nobody grouped.
Applications & roles
Install applications with dependencies, Windows roles, certificates and BitLocker as sequence steps.
Capture, media & refresh
Capture reference images, build standalone media, and refresh BitLocker-protected machines in place.
The console
A Deployment Workbench-style window where every action shows the exact cmdlet it runs.
Monitoring
Watch each deployment live, step by step, from the console.
Install#
HDT is a PowerShell module on the PowerShell Gallery. On the deployment server:
Install-Module Hephaestus
Start-HDTConsole
You also need the Windows ADK with its WinPE add-on (and WDS if you boot over the network).
For an air-gapped server, run Save-Module Hephaestus -Path .\hdt on a connected
machine and copy the folder into a PSModulePath directory on the target.
PXE boot from WDS is planned for version 2. Design, roadmap and the full command reference are in the GitHub repository.
Pairs with Athena#
HDT puts Windows on the machine; Athena Endpoint Platform manages it from there — software deployment, inventory, remote control and monitoring, all on-premises.