IT:Network:Applications

Installation by CD/DVD?◦ OK for 1 or 2 machines, not 100’s◦ Consistency

Share distribution point and let user install it◦ Little control◦ Files are available and must be secured

Group Policy◦ Create software packages◦ Custom installations

What is difference?◦ Difference applies to how the application is

installed Publish—application is not installed until you install it

through the Add Programs application Assign—application is installed during GPO

application and completed the first time the application is run

What’s best?◦ Depends on the environment, application etc.

What is best?◦ Does this application have to be here regardless

of who is logging on?◦ Is the application needed regardless of where the

user is working? Rotating jobs

When does it happen?◦ Machine—Applying computer settings…

When the machine authenticates to the network◦ User—Applying user settings…

After the user authenticates to the network

For Group Policy to work as designed we need an MSI file◦ Microsoft Software Installation file◦ Possible to include an MST file

Transform file Used for customized installations

Can’t do EXE files◦ Ok, there is a ZAP file but not nice!

Several Products◦ WinInstall-LE (Free!!!)◦ AdminStudio (was Adobe?, then Symantec, now

Flexera) Basic idea

◦ Let repackager “watch” you do install◦ It will create MSI based on what you did/do

To get it to work “right” need a clean machine◦ OS◦ Patches◦ NOTHING ELSE!!!

Imaging works nice for this Also virtualization is ok most of the time

Comes as MSI file(s) setup.exe simply a front end

LOTS of user interaction◦ CD Key◦ License Agreement (EULA)◦ What to install◦ …

Administrative install◦ Setup.exe /admin

Used to be able to create a TRANSFORM to perform unattended install◦ Microsoft took that away in 2007!!!

Now we get an MSP file◦ Microsoft Patch◦ Applied after installation

Not good for CD Key

Copy CD contents to distribution point◦ \\mysrv\mysw\office12\

Run setup.exe /admin◦ creates an MSP file with info

Owner Info CD Key (no spaces or dashes!) What to display What to install

◦ Save in \\mysrv\mysw\office12\update\

setup.exe /config myconfig.xml◦ need to add “path” to setup.exe and

myconfig.xml

Setup will look at myconfig for initial installation info (including key)

Setup will look for any MSP file in update directory and will apply those after install

A bit of work up front◦ Obtain or create an MSI file◦ Configure product

READ THE MANUAL!!! Use Group Policy to

◦ Distribute software◦ Modify software