Installing a MSI that requires a mapped drive
I use Altiris 6.9 to deploy software. This particular MSI I'm trying to deploy requires that a network share be a mapped drive (T: in this case). During the install it checks for a license file on the server through this mapped drive. Anyway, normally I can deploy software like this as the currently logged in user, but I don't have that luxury this time. I have to do this after hours when users aren't logged in.
How do I install software that needs a mapped drive?
I've tried a batch script that maps the drive and then runs the MSI installer, but that fails. Any thoughts?
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Posted by:
anonymous_9363
9 years ago
Like pretty much every deployment system, Altiris uses the local System account to deploy software. This account has no network access whatsoever.
In your shoes, I would simply condition-out the Custom Action which checks for the license file. In order to then ensure that the relevant users have access to the file, I'd be looking at popping something into the log-in script, with group membership checks. Thus, in psuedo-code: If IsAMember("UserX", "[domain_name]\AccessControlGroup") Then MapDrive("T:", "Server\ShareName"). Something along those lines.
In your shoes, I would simply condition-out the Custom Action which checks for the license file. In order to then ensure that the relevant users have access to the file, I'd be looking at popping something into the log-in script, with group membership checks. Thus, in psuedo-code: If IsAMember("UserX", "[domain_name]\AccessControlGroup") Then MapDrive("T:", "Server\ShareName"). Something along those lines.
Posted by:
EdT
9 years ago
You could try delivering the software to the machine with Altiris, including a script which Altiris runs, that logs on as a user with domain admin privileges and then runs the local copy of the source files. As VBScab rightly points out, any deployment system using the localsystem account is not going to have any access to network shares.
The risk with this method is if the software is licensed "per user" in which case your domain admin account would end up with the license rather than the actual user. Have you checked with the software vendor if they have a process for installing via a distribution system such as Altiris or SCCM ?
Finally, it used to be possible to set up a null session share on a server that a non-domain user, in fact any user, could access. Don't know if current versions of MS servers still support this option. The only risk is that it totally defeats any security on the server, but if you have scope for adding a dedicated virtual server then this might be a last ditch option.
