Software Deployment

I sent you an email, not sure if you got it or not.

My email is

Timanator@gmail.com

I did not receive your initial mail, only the notification that you responded to this posting. I'm doing further testing, but I think out spam filter may have blocked it.

Tom

I'm an admin too, but I've found the best community is a couple guys I was in Package Training in...

Another new Admin :D

We have been using Icommand for about a year now and I'm just working on the test SLD platform before it gets rolled out :D

Cheers

School district here with 5000+ computers that Technology department manage with LiveState.
Workstations: Windows 2000 with SP4, Windows XP pro with SP2, Servers: Windows 2000 and Windows 2003. Running one single Domain with Active Directory.

Costs roughly $500K to purchase the software and $160K for additional licensing also 30+ depo servers we had to purchase.

How long have we had it? Well it took over a year of testing and Symantec dragging their feet to get it implemenated and functioning correctly on our network that is a WAN with 30+ schools and locations. We started creating packages around 7-2006. Like Nuke stated learning curve had a rep from Symantec come on site and do a crash course on package creation which was very helpful. But once it works it works well.

The new software titles are becoming increasingly diffcult to put into a livestate package using the transcipt recorder; hopefully some updates are released soon.

Good info, thanks!

I've taken my previous packaging/scripting experience and applied that to SLD packaging. Think of that SLD package as a big old batch file :D

For msi's, I use command line options. For Installshield, I either do the "iss" file or do a setup capture. I've only used transcript recorder a few times, it's cumbersome but has its usefulness.

I find that I can package about 90% of our apps. We have quite the collection, ranging from Accounting and Financial apps to Engineering / CAD apps.

I agree that MSI's are the way to go Nuke. Try installing MacroMedia Studio 8. Through a package. Talk about a learning experience. MSIEXEC.exe commands are very useful for installing and uni-installing I have learned. The MSI Package creator is very handy for simple MSI's. I have been as much as possible been converting EXEs into MSI. By using the AutoInstall SnapShot and catching most of the registry changes and exporting them to a REG file then record all files installed. Then use AutoInstaller to build a MSI with the files installed then import the REG file into the MSI. This works well on older applications that mostly do file copies with minor registry changes. More complex apps I fall back upon the evil transcript record. I hope they do some big VAMPS on that in 7.0. As most people have noticed it is useless for installers that use pictures and flash objects to display the install menu's. Microsoft's new products AKA Share point 2007 and Expression Web are not detected by Transcript recorded so I had to do key strokes to install it and even then some of the newer installers will only continue through the menus by mouse clickes. I don't mean to bitch but, come on coders; who only uses the mouse to install something?

I hear you... At least some companies have the administrator in mind and provide the tools needed for enterprise deployment. (Office Resource Kit, etc.)

I too am hoping that 7.0 will see some improvements. Working with PE is going to be interesting, to say the least.