What is Software Deployment
See details at Wikipedia.
Deployed installation of update packages
On Windows platforms you need to use the MSI package available for each published update. You can download the needed MSI package from the link below.
On Mac platforms you can use the regular update package and deploy it via Apple Remote Desktop.
See further details on Graphisoft.com here: http://www.graphisoft.com/support/archicad/downloads/ReleaseNotes/DeployedInstallationOfHotfixes.html
Deployed Installation Package by PSEXEC
Most of the times regular users using the client computers in an office or university computer lab don’t have administrator rights and thus running the installation package requires the CAD manager or the lab adminstrator to install the package manually on each computer. To overcome this problem they can use PsExec .exe application downloadable from this site: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb897553 :
• Download the PsTools from the location above.
• Place the content of the zip file into a folder of the computer from which the remote install procedure will be conducted.
• Place the installer package into the same folder.
• Create a batch file (e.g: install.bat) into the same folder with the following script:
psexec \\COMPUTERNAME -accepteula -u DOMAINNAME\USERNAME -p PASSWORD -c “PACKAGENAME”
• In this script instead of
COMPUTERNAME – you should specify the real name of the remote target computer where ArchiCAD should be installed.
DOMAINNAME\USERNAME – you should specify a username with Administrator rights on the targeted remote computer.
PASSWORD – the password for the user above specified.
PACKAGENAME – the name of the installer package. The quotation marks are necessary if the name of the package contains space.
• For installing the package on multiple target computers at once one should use \\COMPUTERNAME1,COMPUTERNAME2 and so on instead of \\COMPUTERNAME
• Execute install.bat on this computer. As a result psexec will start running on this computer, but it will transfer the installer package to all the target computers automatically and run them on the target computers with the rights of the user specified in the script (“DOMAINNAME\USERNAME”).
• Please note that in certain circumstances PsExec.exe might not work with target computers that are equipped with Windows XP 64bit.
Deploying by SCCM
For this deploying method you need to have a functional SCCM system on a server (2003 or 2008) and clients computers have to have a functional Configuration Manager.
Create the Software Distribution Package
Note: It is NOT the same as the creation of the Installation Package. At this stage we already have the Installation package and we will use it as a source in SCCM.
Create a Folder on the Windows Server where you put the installation package already created. In the case of this demo this will be the C:/SCCM_packages/ArchiCAD folder.
Place the package in the folder.
On your Windows Server from the Microsoft Systems Center start Configuration Manager Console.
Click on Site Database/Computer Management/Software Distribution.
Right click on packages and choose New / package.
In the upcoming wizard fill in the text fields so that it best identifies the package.
On the second page of the wizard make sure that you do the changes suggested on the below screen-capture:
On this tab there are two more settings to make (set the schedule interval according to your preferences):
Set the Data Access tab according to the next screencapture:
Set the priority for the package in Distribution Settings to High:
Keep the Reporting tab as default.
Set the Security rights for the package class and instance rights.
In fact we are done with the creation of the Software Distribution Package. You only need to click Next two more times.
Create a Program for the Package
In Configuration Manager console, expand the newly added package and right click on Program, choose New / Program from the list of options:
In the appearing dialog set the fields according to the screen-capture:
On the Requirements tab set the Operating Systems required for ArchiCAD.
Set the Environment Tab as seen in this screen-capture:
Leave the settings on the Advanced Tab as default:
Leave the settings on the next tab as default as well:
On the MOM Maintenance tab check-in the “Generate Operations Manager alert if this program fails” checkbox:
On the remaining tabs you just simply press Next.
Create the Package Advertisement
Click on Site Database/Computer Management/Software Distribution / Advertisement right click on Advertisements and choose New Advertisement.
Set the General tab as shown in the screen-capture:
Click next and at this point there will be a warning where you have to press Yes :
On the Schedule tab please set the Priority to High and press the button on the screen-capture:
On the appearing dialog check the checkbox and set the pull-down field as shown in the screen-capture:
Set the Distribution Points tab as you prefer.In the screen-capture you can see a setting where the program is run from the distribution point (the server), but you can also choose the program to be downloaded and run locally.
Set the Interactions tab according to the screen-capture:
On the Security tab review the security settings.
Press Next on the remaining tabs.
Create Distribution point
In Configuration Manager Console click on Site Database/Computer Management/Software Distribution/Packages,
expand the package we’ve already created go to the Distribution Points, right click on it and choose New Distribution Point.
There is only one tab to fill in this dialog, the Copy Package one. You only need to check-in the check box:
Update Distribution point
In Configuration Manager Console click on Site Database/Computer Management/Software Distribution/Packages,
expand the package we’ve already created go to the Distribution Points, right click on it and choose Update Distribution Point:
On the appearing dialog click Yes.
The installation itself
After clicking “Yes” it depends on the client computer to check on the server if there are new packages to install. When this happens a message will appear in the tray of the client computer notifying of the existence of the package. At this point the person in front of that computer can manually trigger start the installation, otherwise the installation will anyway start after the time set up .. expires.
For testing purposes on the client computer you can force the Configuration Manager to check the existence of the package immediately thus you don’t have to wait for the client to do this by itself. For this you have to go into the Control Panel / Configuration Manager. There you have to go to the tab called Actions and initiate the Machine Policy Retrieval and Evaluation Cycle and the User Policy Retrieval and Evaluation Cycle actions.
The installation at this point will be carried out in an unattended manner, nevertheless the progress bar is displayed during the installation process:
Was this Helpful ?
0 0