Software Deployment

I should also say that these are W2k workstations and we use AD GPOs for distribution to User OUs. This means that users are logged in and go to Add/Remove Programs and choose to Add New Programs to install software. Thanks again.

Why not repackage the vendor installation into an MSI?

That way you can capture the dll registration, set the reboot whenever you want and also deploy the package via AD... Just remember to fix validation errors and test test test [;)]

Cheers,
Rob.

Thanks for your reply. I didn't want to repackage it because I always try to use the vendor recommended solution. Also, the footprint of the files itself (not the registry) is 929 mb! My thought is that the larger the install, the more problems the repackage would present IMHO.

Any other suggestions? There must be other people with locked down workstations whose installs need a reboot and admin privileges to finish the install. No?

From my experience, vendor suggested solutions should be taken with a grain of salt. While vendors know their application well, most vendors are very unknowledgeable about corporate software distribution. They're too caught up in single machines and their application to think about how one would install it on 5000 machines in a reasonable amount of time.

I'd listen to vendor suggested solutions when it is in the scope of their application, but when it comes to how their application is distributed and implimented in your environment, they're usually not experts and sometimes downright ignorant.

I would recommend capturing their install into an MSI with external .CAB files. This will add self-repair, standardized removal and compliance with User level security to their install. Using external .CAB files will save time in development because if 929MB of files are compressed in the MSI, any sort of change to the MSI will require all 929MB to be rebuilt. If they're in an external CAB, the CAB only gets rebuilt if files are added or changed.

I would recommend capturing their install into an MSI with external .CAB files

Yep - either that or use uncompressed external files.

929Mb shouldn't be an issue unless there is a huge number of files in the installation - you might then have problems capturing it but I'd definately give it a go...

Cheers,
Rob.

Hi,
did you ever resolve this issue, I've repackaged the Rational Suite, but have an issue with the "Robot" app not working, it behaves in the same way as the vendor install does pre-reboot, so I'm missing something that gets done in that reboot stage, but I can't find it.

If you've had any success I'd like to hear about it, even just for motivational purposes :)

thanks,
Duncan

Update:
Gave up on Wise eventually, must have been missing some keys for some reason, just couldn't get Rational Robot working, recaptured with MaSaI, and worked first time.