2.2 Configuring the Package
Figure 23
shows the full set of information specified for the package. Note that
the manufacturer name is automatically prepended to the name, with the
version and language added at the end, thus giving the full name of the
program: Microsoft Forefront Client Security Agent 1.0.1703.0 English,
as shown at the top of Figure 23 in the field next to the package icon.
Click
Next to continue and now configure the data source for this package.
Specify the source folder created earlier, which is the d:\source\Forefront
folder. Anticipating there will be regular updates to this package,
configure the package to update distribution points on a schedule
(daily in this case). Figure 24 displays this configuration.
There
are no additional fields in the wizard you need to alter from the
defaults (Data Access, Distribution Settings, Reporting, Security,
Summary) so click the Finish button on Figure 24 to bypass the remaining configuration pages. Click Next on the Summary page and click Close after creating the package.
2.3 Adding Programs
The
package is created, but without any programs for the package to run. To
specify the program you want to create, open the Configuration Manager
console and then navigate to System Center Configuration Manager ->
Site Database -> Computer Management -> Software Distribution
-> Packages -> Microsoft Forefront Client Security Agent
1.0.1703.0 English -> Programs. Right-click Programs and choose New
-> Program to start the New Program Wizard. On the General screen,
specify a name, comment, command line, and how the program will run.
For this example, configure settings for the Forefront client as
displayed in Figure 25.
The
Name and Comment fields can contain whatever text is appropriate, and
do not require a specific set of text as long as they properly describe
the program and its function.
However,
the command line needs a very specific set of information. How do you
know what to put into the command line field? There are two primary
methods for determining the appropriate command-line information:
The easiest method is opening the folder containing the installation program and running the program with /? after the command. As an example, Figure 26clientsetup /?. The parameters shown here indicate the parameters necessary to specify when running the program. The command line shown in Figure 26 uses both the /CG and /MS parameters to install the Forefront client. shows the output from running
Alternatively, you can find command-line information using the Internet to check commonly used sites, such as myITforum.com and AppDeploy.com, or just search for command-line parameters.
Figure 25
also shows the Run parameter set to Hidden, so the user will not see
the program installing on his or her system. Keep the default “After
running” selection of No action required. Click Next, and continue on
to the Requirements screen.
On this page, set the estimated disk space to 350MB (based on the client requirements available at http://www.microsoft.com/forefront/clientsecurity/en/us/system-requirements.aspx).
You will also want to specify the x86 platforms (this is further
restricted, because for the XP platforms only Windows XP SP 2 is
supported, and for the Windows 2000 platforms only Windows 2000 SP 4 is
supported). Figure 27 displays this configuration. Click Next.
On
the Environment screen, change the default configuration to run whether
or not a user is logged on. Take the default configurations on the
Advanced, Windows Installer, and MOM Maintenance screens. Click Finish
to move to the Summary page and click Next to finish creating the
program, then close the wizard.
At this
point, you have created a package for the Forefront client and a
program that runs an unattended installation of the program.
3. Custom Packages
The
majority of the packages needed for most organizations have existing
package definition files, because most major packages now install from
MSI files. For those packages that do not have package definition files
but do have setup files, the Forefront client example illustrates that
you can manually create packages by performing some additional steps.
You can often install simple applications with a batch file or a script.
Tip: Site for Software Packaging and Deployment Guidance
A great place for general guidance on software deployment is the AppDeploy site (http://www.appdeploy.com).
AppDeploy provides information on how to distribute software, including
examples for Adobe Reader, Microsoft Office, and Visual Studio .NET.
You now can deploy nearly all software using packages that run the
various command-line configurations.
What
do you do for the few applications that you cannot package using normal
methods? There are some packages you cannot package using standard
processes, but you can repackage them.
3.1 Repackaging
Software
repackaging takes an existing application installation and converts it
to an MSI package. You would take a snapshot of a system before and
after installing the software on a system and then convert the results
into the MSI package. Several tools are available to help with
repackaging:
The SMS Installer is
a command-line tool used for repackaging, and has been available since
Systems Management Server 2.0. This installer’s most recent update was
the Windows Installer Step-Up utility (ISU), which converts packages to
MSI formats. SMS Installer is still available for download at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sms/20/downloads/tools/installer.mspx, but Microsoft has not updated it for ConfigMgr 2007. The most comprehensive source of information on the SMS Installer is Microsoft SMS Installer (Computing McGraw-Hill, 2000), written by Rod Trent from myITforum.com.
Acresso
Software’s AdminStudio Configuration Manager Editor provides
repackaging for Configuration Manager 2007, converting applications to
MSI format. A free download of this product is available at http://www.acresso.com/promolanding/7698.htm.
The fully featured package includes the ability to create transforms
(MST files), improved integration with ConfigMgr, and integration with
the ConfigMgr Web console (available at http://www.myitforum.com/articles/19/view.asp?id=8662).
Several
other vendors provide repackaging options that may meet your
requirements. For additional information on these vendors, go to the
AppDeploy website (http://www.appdeploy.com/tools/browse.asp) and browse for repackagers.
However,
there may be software you cannot even effectively repackage to create
an MSI. Although this is not common, it can happen.
3.2 Scripted Installations
A
coworker had a situation where OSD was being used to deploy a large
number of operating system upgrades. The client had a Wireless
Configured Privacy–based wireless configuration that needed to be
deployed to all systems being upgraded. Testing determined no method
existed that allowed either installing the WEP configuration or
repackaging the WEP configuration. Faced with that situation, the best
option was to use a scripted installation.
A scripted installation uses a tool such as AutoIT (available for download at http://www.autoitscript.com),
which uses a simulated set of keystrokes, mouse movements, and Windows
manipulation to automate tasks. These tasks are tested on a client
workstation until they reliably perform the process they were designed
to perform. The tasks are compiled into an executable that ConfigMgr
can deploy as a software package. The software package requires the
user be logged on and can interact with the package, because the
scripted installation actually performs the installation through the
user interface. Although it is not recommended as an approach for
providing software installation, this is a good trick for those cases
where no other software packaging approaches are viable.
