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Software Distribution
The document discusses best practices for software distribution at the Dell World User Forum, focusing on package configuration, deployment options, and troubleshooting. It outlines customization tools for software packages and methods for automating manual installations, along with various deployment strategies including managed installs and scripting. Additionally, it provides guidance on uninstalling applications and common troubleshooting steps for failed installations, emphasizing the importance of logging and debugging processes.
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Software Distribution
- 1. Dell World UserForum UFIL520: Software Distribution Shawn Carson, Senior Trainer John Verbosky, Senior Trainer Dell World User Forum
- 2. Dell World UserForum Agenda • Package Configuration – Package Customization – Automating Manual Software Installers • Deployment Options – Managed Installs vs. Scripting – Uninstalls • Troubleshooting Basics – Install media options – KACE Logs – Windows Event Logs – PSExec for Local System account testing • Demonstrations and Q&A
- 3. Dell World UserForum Package Configuration
- 4. Dell World UserForum Package Configuration: Customization Tools • Some vendors/packages supply customization tools. Examples: – Office Customization Tool – AAMEE – Autodesk products • Customization tools allow you to configure a software installation – You can enter license codes – Change install directories – Select what applications are installed as part of software suites
- 5. Dell World UserForum Microsoft Office Customization Tool • To load the Office Customization tool run “setup.exe /admin” from a command line • You can enter the product license • Set display level seen by user during deployment • Select what features of office are installed • Configure security settings
- 6. Dell World UserForum Adobe’s AAMEE customization Tool
- 7. Dell World UserForum Exercise: Adobe Customization Wizard
- 8. Dell World UserForum Automating Manual Software Installers • Manual Installers – Occasionally software does not support command line installation – Manual installations can be costly both in labor and productivity – Automating this process can allow your IT staff to better utilize their time • AutoIt • MakeBatchFiles • Visual Basic • KScripts
- 9. Dell World UserForum Deployment Options
- 10. Dell World UserForum Deployment Options Scripting File Synchronization Managed Installs • Trigger based upon check-in • Can launch batch files. • Limited options when deploying multi-file software in specific order with checks • Runs as Local System • Large Installer Packages • Allows for specific time deployment schedules • Used for more complex installs, especially multi-file installs • Can perform prerequisite verification and also has logic to check each step completes successfully • Online scripts can be run as any user account • Is great for placing files on endpoints for deployment later • File Synchs are good if the software is simply a collection of files or an executable that is placed on the desktop
- 11. Dell World UserForum Managed Installation / Uninstallation Creation Run (Test) Deployment Software Inventory Item Upload Media Select Operating Systems Create Managed Installation with Install Command and Parameters Target Test Device(s)
- 12. Dell World UserForum Managed Installation / Uninstallation Deployment Report results to K1000 Device Performs Inventory Does it already have Software Item? Download Package, unzip if necessary Run Install / Uninstall Command Verify Software Item now installed
- 13. Dell World UserForum Deployment Options • After examining the method necessary to package the software you can then determine what the best deployment method will be for that software • Having the correct deployment method will save you many headaches – Trying to deploy software at a specific time? Script – Need to check for the presence of a prerequisite? Script – Local System won’t work? Script – Simple, small, silent installer? Managed Installation – Want to deploy it whenever devices happen to be around? Managed Installation
- 14. Dell World UserForum Exercise: Scripting Software Installation
- 15. Dell World UserForum Uninstalls The K1000 can also be used to uninstall applications, using either Managed Installations, or Scripts. A common problem is applications with multiple versions, each with their own uninstall command. ITNinja Community may have the answer… Reporting May also have answers.
- 16. Dell World UserForum Tools to find Uninstall Commands • Most uninstall Commands can be found in the Software Detail Record MsiExec.exe /I{AC76BA86-7AD7-1033-7B44-AB0000000001} Change to: MsiExec.exe/qn /x {AC76BA86-7AD7-1033-7B44-AB0000000001} There are many tools out there to help you better get multiple uninstall Commands that will not need to be modified. Your going to see Two of these methods today.
- 17. Dell World UserForum How to find uninstall strings • Uninstall string Helper by DC -http://www.itninja.com/blog/view/how-to-find-uninstall- strings – Last line before the Comments: “Here's the download link.”
- 18. Dell World UserForum Uninstall String Helper ( cont.) • Once you click start you will then have the ability to choose to gather uninstall strings from a remote machine or local machine.
- 19. Dell World UserForum Exercises: Uninstalling
- 20. Dell World UserForum Troubleshooting
- 21. Dell World UserForum What happens if an Install fails? • One of the first things to do is verify that the file made it to the test machine. For Windows 7 systems this will be located at C:programdataDellKacedownloads. • Once you verify the file downloaded try to run the file at that location to verify the file is not corrupted
- 22. Dell World UserForum What happens if an Install fails? • Next we need to test our command line. Remember the K1000 agent runs as the local system account so you will need to mimic running this from the local system account. – Windows 7 – Download PsExec : http://download.sysinternals.com/files/PSTools.zip – Copy it to c:pstools – Make sure the local Administrator account is enabled. In Windows 7 the default is for this account to be disabled. To enable the local administrator account, open a command prompt in administrator mode by right clicking on it and selecting “Run as administrator”. Type in: net user administrator /active: yes – From a command prompt launch run the following in order to open an additional command prompt with the appropriate privilege level: c:pstoolspsexec.exe -accepteula -i -s "%windir%system32cmd.exe" -accepteula …Note: you need the accepteula twice.
- 23. Dell World UserForum Demo: PSExec
- 24. Dell World UserForum Logging Options Package Supported Options Devil is in the details Logging can be an important tool for any task. Command Line Logging Package- Generated Logs
- 25. Dell World UserForum What happens if an Install fails? • If all of this checks out then we need to gather logs for support • To gather logs we must be sure to enable debug logs on the test system. To do this use this article: http://www.kace.com/support/resources/kb/solutiondetail?sol=SOL112035 • After you’ve enabled debug logs we need to attempt the deployment again for it to appear in the logs.
- 26. Dell World UserForum What happens if an Install fails? • Next use the Kapture State tool to gather the logs: 2.0: https://support.software.dell.com/kb/116144 • At that point you could contact support, though you can do investigation into the log results from the Kapture State Utility.
- 27. Dell World UserForum Demo: KaptureState 2.0
- 28. Dell World UserForum Common Distribution Problems • Package uploaded to wrong Software Inventory Item • OS not selected on Software Inventory Item • Package Downloading (Replication Share?) • Unzipping • 7-Zip • Normal Compression • Command-Line • Use Default vs. Override Default • Security/Authentication • Local System Account • User Logged On / Off
- 29. Dell World UserForum Thank you.
- 30. Dell World UserForum KACE Support Portal Migrating to Dell Software Support Portal • Starting in November, all KACE Support Portal material will be migrated to the Dell Software Support Portal • All service requests will be submitted online or by phone • Same great content – Knowledge base articles – Video tutorials – Product documentation – JumpStart training • Check out the Support Portal Getting Started videos
Editor's Notes
- #5 OCT – for MS OFFICE AAMEE- Adobe Customizion wizard Adobe now has their Creative Cloud tool to be used for customization as well.
- #6 There are several different ways that you can deploy Office, either the Windows Installer-based (MSI) version or the Click-to-Run version, to users in an organization. The method that you chose to deploy Office depends on the specific requirements and characteristics of your organization. For example, a small organization that only has several dozen users might deploy Office from a network share. But a larger organization that has hundreds or thousands of users might use a software distribution product, such as your K1000 or K2000 or a combination of both , Office Customization Tool-The OCT is part of the Setup program and is the recommended tool for most customizations. It is available only with volume licensed versions of the Windows Installer based Office 2007-2013- The admin directory has to exist or it’s a retail version and will not be able to be created with OCT. The OCT saves customizations in a Setup customization (.msp) file, which is applied at either Setup time or during a maintenance mode operation. KMS vs other Key Good silent install is dependent on parameters set. Your instructions are on your exercise guides Admin Templates – volume license only- OCT has many features it offers for customization of your MS office installation.
- #7 The Adobe Customization Wizard gives IT admintrators the ability to customize the installation of their adobe products prior to deploying the applications across their organizations. It allows you to leverage existing deployments by copying enterprise files and registry configurations and streamlines the task of configuring the installer prior to organization wide deployment. Example: You can customize the installer to not only skip the standard registration questions, but also accept the standard EULA – you can also remove previous versions of apps and modify the registry via the Registry Editor Optimize the behavior of the installer by including silent installation, pre-serialization, reboot and multilingual custom setup to name a few. Note: While most users report no problems with multiple versions of wizard installed, it is a known constraint that these should be installed in order. It is possible that the presence of more than one version could cause problems with activation.
- #8 In the event that generating the Transform file gives an error that it cannot find the setup.ini, this can be created manually as a blank file. The transform will write what is needed. Link to use a transform file: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb490766.aspx To use this with a Managed Installation, .zip the .msi file, the .mst file and the setup.ini file together and attach this to the software inventory item. This will require we override the default install when we deploy the package.
- #9 Example: If we are installing software that takes 10 minutes to install on 3,000 machines that is 30,000 minutes. That is 500 man hours that must be paid, if it is only 5 minutes to install then it is still 250 man hours to install the software on those machines. At minimum wage that 500 hours comes to $3,625.00. AutoIT- Easy to learn Basic syntax – Basically put Scripts can be compiled into stand-alone executables (Aut2Exe. ) Manipulate windows Processes Interacts with all standard windows controls Scripts can be compiled into standalone executables http://www.autoitscript.com/site/autoit/ AutoIt v3 is a freeware BASIC-like scripting language designed for automating the Windows GUI and general scripting. It uses a combination of simulated keystrokes, mouse movement and window/control manipulation in order to automate tasks in a way not possible or reliable with other languages. (e.g. VBScript and SendKeys) AutoIt is also very small, self-contained and will run on all versions of Windows out-of-the-box with no annoying “runtimes” required! Many of your favorite KACE Scripting Ninja applications were built using AutoIt! MakeBatchFiles: Still in crowd funding stage at last look. www.makebatchfiles.com
- #13 Note that if this is an Uninstallation, this changes at the check for if the software is already installed. Additionally, uninstalls ignore the attempts count, attempting to uninstall as many times as needed to remove that software.
- #15 See Exercise Guide for Lab on Scripting software installation
- #16 Uninstall commands can be found in the software inventory, you may need to make a minor change if using MSI.EXE – or you can use the Uninstaller Wizard in scripting which most of the time will enter the uninstall command correctly and silently if the vendor is providing us with that info. If not, IT Ninja is your best option for finding these commands out.
- #17 Software Detail Record- The problem with the Software Detail Record is that the uninstall command sometimes needs to be changed - Explain Changes MsiExec.exe/qn /x {AC76BA86-7AD7-1033-7B44-AB0000000001} Pay attention. If it says /I, change it. If it says /X then you can simply add the /qn and proceed.
- #18 Here is something one of our customers came up with. Its a simple app that'll pull the uninstall strings from a remote or local computer. It does require .net 2.0 and is still under development. He posted it to IT Ninja in hopes that it would make things easier. If you want to utilize this great little utility, at the very bottom it says “Heres” the download Link. Its hard to see at first but it will bring you to the download site. The usage is pretty simple. There's a start button that'll get the uninstall strings. Right next to that there is a filter button. Type the name of the software you're looking for there. - See more at: http://www.itninja.com/blog/view/how-to-find-uninstall-strings#sthash.cyWC1jx8.dpuf The usage is pretty simple. There's a start button that'll get the uninstall strings. Right next to that there is a filter button. Type the name of the software you're looking for there. - See more at: http://www.itninja.com/blog/view/how-to-find-uninstall-strings#sthash.cyWC1jx8.dpuf
- #19 Once you click start you can then edit if you want to uninstall off a local machine or uninstall off a remote computer. The remote functionality requires the target machine to be running remote registry. Hint hint you can enable this with the K1 by running this as a script on the target machine. net start remote registry - See more at: http://www.itninja.com/blog/view/how-to-find-uninstall-strings#sthash.cyWC1jx8.dpuf
- #20 Exercise 3: Uninstalling Lab, this lab will include using your K1000 to find your uninstall string for Mozilla Firefox via Reporting and leverage this information via a managed uninstall.. Exercise 4: Uninstalling Lab, this lab will include using your K1000 to uninstall Adobe Reader XI from the Scripting module and the Uninstall Policy wizard.
- #23 This should already be setup on our machines for demo
- #24 c:\pstools\psexec.exe -accepteula -i -s "%windir%\system32\cmd.exe" -accepteula We then use our command line in the new command prompt window. This will run with identical permissions to a Managed Install. From here we will know if this is our problem, or if we have sufficient privilege.
- #27 The KaptureState utility is used by Dell KACE Support Engineering to diagnose and troubleshoot agent installation, communication as well as managed installations, scripting, patching and other Kbox client problems related to the end user systems. Standard Instructions Download the utility. Files included: KaptureStateLauncher_v2.0.exe, readme.txt Enable agent debugging mode manually. KaptureState v2.0 will automatically enable agent debug logging if it is not already enabled, but for most issues debugging will need to be enabled before moving on to the next step – and ultimately kapturing the agent data with KaptureState. If feasible, perform problematic task/action with debug enabled. E.g. Run script, MI, patching or other agent related, reported as problematic, activities Run (double-click) Kapture State executable with admin privileges (if UAC is enabled and the application is not run with admin privileges, you will see the UAC elevation prompt – you must answer ‘Yes’). The execution time can take several minutes. A progress bar will be displayed. On completion, press OK on message box to open the output directory and gather compressed output file. E.g. C:\temp\KStemp\KaptureState_MACHINENAME_YYYYMMDDhhmmss.zip Upload output file to your support ticket.
- #28 The KaptureState utility is used by Dell KACE Support Engineering to diagnose and troubleshoot agent installation, communication as well as managed installations, scripting, patching and other Kbox client problems related to the end user systems. Standard Instructions Download the utility. Files included: KaptureStateLauncher_v2.0.exe, readme.txt Enable agent debugging mode manually. KaptureState v2.0 will automatically enable agent debug logging if it is not already enabled, but for most issues debugging will need to be enabled before moving on to the next step – and ultimately kapturing the agent data with KaptureState. If feasible, perform problematic task/action with debug enabled. E.g. Run script, MI, patching or other agent related, reported as problematic, activities Run (double-click) Kapture State executable with admin privileges (if UAC is enabled and the application is not run with admin privileges, you will see the UAC elevation prompt – you must answer ‘Yes’). The execution time can take several minutes. A progress bar will be displayed. On completion, press OK on message box to open the output directory and gather compressed output file. E.g. C:\temp\KStemp\KaptureState_MACHINENAME_YYYYMMDDhhmmss.zip Upload output file to your support ticket.
- #31 Portal: http://www.software.dell.com/support Ticket Entry: https://support.software.dell.com/create-service-request Videos: https://support.software.dell.com/essentials/getting-started