Enterprise User Manual

Chapter 16

Implementation

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This chapter describes three methods of deploying the PC-Duo Enterprise Client software to your networked PCs. These methods are discussed independently in the following sections:

Using LANdeploy

The LANdeploy interface provides an easy, accessible method of deploying the PC-Duo Enterprise Client software to your Windows NT, Windows 2000 and Windows XP systems.

Deploying to Windows 95, 98 and Me

This section describes how to rollout the Client software to Windows 95, 98 and Me desktops.

The Squirter Utility

The Squirter utility provides a command line alternative for deploying the Client software to Windows NT, 2000 and XP systems.

When installation is complete, Clients push their data to the Offline Area. The Offline Scanner in the PC-Duo Enterprise Job Scheduler identifies them and automatically performs their initial inventory scans. This means that you can use the Console to watch successful Client installations and see your network data accumulate automatically.

Important Deployment Issues

PC-Duo Enterprise includes support for automatic installation of the Client software in networks that mix Windows NT, 2000 and XP systems with Windows 95, 98, and Me systems.

The Console's Site Creation Wizard is able to generate a pre-configured Client kit that can be silently installed on any 32-bit Windows platform. We recommend you use the Wizard as an integral part of any 32-bit Client rollout.

Testing and Preparing

Take care when preparing automatic installations on your network. Any changes to login scripts and any remote updates to Client PCs should be tested thoroughly in your environment, before you proceed with further deployment.

Desktop PC users may be prompted, and this may cause surprise or alarm if they are not expecting such a prompt to appear. You should take care using automated tools and prepare your user population accordingly.

Differences Between Windows 95, 98 and Me, and Windows NT, 2000 and XP Rollouts

Note that a different sequence is likely to be required for Client deployment on Windows NT, 2000 and XP, and deployment on Windows 95, 98 and Me. This is because the PC-Duo Enterprise Client needs an admin-level installation (privileged) on Windows NT, 2000 and XP.

PC-Duo Enterprise includes support for performing admin-level installations on Windows NT, 2000, and XP, as well as installations on other Windows platforms, without ever having to visit the Client PCs.

Client Kit Configuration

Client installation kits are available on the Vector CD and from the Vector Networks web site (www.vector-networks.com). However, for convenience, the main Console kit includes a \ClientKit subdirectory which holds all the PC-Duo Enterprise Client components. The Console's Site Creation Wizard is able to generate a pre-configured Client kit that can be silently installed on any 32-bit Windows platform.

When completed, the Site Creation Wizard embeds the network path of the selected Offline Area into the Client kit's LUCLIENT.INI file. By default, the Wizard puts the configured kit into a subdirectory of the selected Offline Area.

To modify the account details that the Client will use for its network operations and generate a new pre-configured Client kit:

1. In the Console window, select the Site, Offline Paths command
2. In the Site Offline Paths dialog, click the Edit Account button to display the Offline Path, Share and Client Kit dialog.
3. Change the Username, Password and Domain details as required.
4. Enable the check box if you want the new kit copied to the Offline Area for rollout.

There are two other main areas of customization for rollout: the user prompt questions, and the frequency of inventory data push. These are described in the following sections.

Changing the User Prompt Questions

If you want to change the User Prompted questions, you can do this by changing the question definition file, LUTINFO.REF. This is a text file that can be edited with the RefEdit utility.

To run the RefEdit utility, double-click on REFEDIT.EXE in the PC-Duo Enterprise Console installation directory, or run the RefEdit Operation in the Console's Operations View.

You can also modify the questions when using the Site Creation Wizard to generate a Site in custom mode. The wizard embeds the updated questions in the Client Kit it copies to the Offline Area

In RefEdit, use the Open dialog to browse to and open the LUTINFO.REF file. RefEdit supports all format control features and pick-list features provided by the User Prompting facility.

Once you have created the desired set of questions, save the LUTINFO.REF file in the pre-configured \Kit directory. All subsequent Client installations prompt the user with the new questions if User Prompting remains enabled.

The User Prompting facility requires that an interactive user responds to the questions posed by the Client software. This means that the automatic installation is not 100% automatic; the main installation is performed according to the configuration settings entered at the Host, but user input is required on the Client PCs to respond to these prompts.

Disabling User Prompting

You can disable the User Prompting facility completely by editing the LUCLIENT.INI file and changing the [User Prompting] section's Disabled parameter as shown here:

 [User Prompting] Disabled=Yes

This inhibits the User Prompting facility completely, so the Client installation can be performed without user input.

When the installation is finished, you can use the Console's User Prompt Refresh Operation to distribute questions across the network.

Changing the Offline Client Push Interval

The frequency with which Offline Clients push their data to the Offline Area is governed by two parameters in the LUCLIENT.INI file. Refer to "Controlling Client Behavior" for information on configuring this file before commencing a Client roll out.

Testing the Client Rollout Process

Once you have used the Site Creation Wizard to create a Client kit, and made any required changes to the LUCLIENT.INI file or the LUTINFO.REF file, you can test the Client Rollout process. To do this, run the INSTALL.EXE program from the \Kit subdirectory (the default location of the Client kit directory) of a Client PC's Offline Area. This launches the Client installation in automatic mode.

It should run in an almost totally invisible manner - the Client startup process will flash some windows just prior to prompting the user to answer the User prompted questions.

Silent installation status information is written to the C:\LUCLIENT.LOG log file. A successful installation reports ResultCode=0.

You should perform several installations on representative PCs to gain confidence with the procedure and the Client configuration that results on each machine. Monitor these test Clients and ensure that Clients are pushing their inventory files correctly to the designated Offline Area (each Client creates its own subdirectory under the Offline Area).

Incorrect permissions on the Offline Area share, or incorrect access control settings in the Offline path entered in the Site Creation Wizard, are both likely to cause failures to push data to the Offline Area. It is important to verify that automatically-deployed Clients are behaving correctly before proceeding with a larger scale rollout.

Using LANdeploy

LANdeploy enables you to automate the installation of PC-Duo Enterprise Client software across your network. It supports admin-level, privileged installations, and can be used to deploy software to Windows NT, Windows 2000 and Windows XP systems.

Before Using LANdeploy

Before using LANdeploy, the following components must be prepared:

Client Installation kit

This is the Client installation kit that must be deployed to your PCs.

Configured PD file for the Client software

Package Definition files govern how the package is installed. To configure this file, use PC-Duo Enterprise's Package Definition Editor (PDEdit), or a text editor such as Notepad.

LANdeploy Security Issues

LANdeploy copies the Distribution Agent executable and associated data files onto each PC using the user/domain/password that you specify. It also installs and configures the Agent service to run the application installer under the same account settings.

Normally, you must specify an Administrator account to allow the installation to make a network connection to the Installation Kit location (specified as a UNC path), and to perform privileged actions during the installation.

The same account settings are used for all PCs processed by LANdeploy. Different account requirements require multiple deployments using the utility.

Starting LANdeploy

To start the LANdeploy, double-click the Client Deployment Operation in the Console. The LANdeploy Wizard is displayed.

Loading a Script File

The first LANdeploy Wizard dialog enables you to load a Script file from a previous LANdeploy session. If you don't want to load any previous saved settings, click the Next button to continue.

1. In the first LANdeploy dialog, click the Load Script button.
2. When the Open Vector Networks Script File dialog appears, browse to the location of your Script file, then select the file and click Open.

   The saved settings in the Script file are then used for this Client deployment.

3. Click the Next button to continue.

Selecting a Package Definition File

The second LANdeploy Wizard dialog enables you to select the Package Definition file you want to use to the deploy the software. Package Definition files specify how applications can be installed. You can use the dialog's Edit PD File button to edit the specified Package Definition file in Notepad.

1. In the second LANdeploy Wizard dialog, read the information, then click the browse button to select your Package Definition file.
2. If you want to check or edit the selected PD file, click the Edit PD File button.
3. Click the Next button to continue.

   You can use the Package Definition Editor (PDEdit) to import, edit and export the selected Package Definition file.

Editing Package Definition Files

LANdeploy enables you to configure your Package Definition file before deployment. If you want to inspect the file using Notepad, read the following information about Package Definition files.

Package Definition files are similar to INI files. They contain the following sections:

[PreProcess]

Enables you to specify commands which can be executed before the installation command runs.

[Summary]

Stores the general information about a Package, along with check paths which are used to determine whether or not the Package has been installed.

[Install Type]

Many packages support different types of installation. As well as supporting different operating systems, some also make a distinction between an Administrator level install and a normal user level install. There are often also variants which allow you to select optional components to install. You can specify each of these installation types in their own Install Type category. All Packages have at least one Install Type, and some may have several. They are each given names such as Typical and Admin.

[PostProcess]

Enables you to specify commands which can be executed after the installation has been performed.

[Notes]

Stores any comments about the PD file.

Check paths (specified in the Package Definition's Summary section) are tested before and after an installation. If any files matching the check paths are present, the Agent assumes the Package is installed.

You can use wildcard characters (* and ?) to detect multiple files in a single check path.

Selecting an Install Type

The third LANdeploy Wizard dialog enables you to select the type of installation you want to perform. For example, the Admin type enables you to install software on WIndows NT, 2000 and XP systems, and the Typical type enables you to install software on Windows 95, 98 and Me systems. The Install Types are specified in the selected Package Definition file.

To install a package type:

1. In the Install type drop-down list, select the type of install you want to perform.
2. Click the Next button to continue.

   For privileged installations, you would typically select the Admin Install Type from the list.

Specifying Target PCs to Include

You can install software on a specified network domain, selected PCs in a domain, or to all PCs listed in a text file.

To select your target PCs:

1. Choose a Deploy To option.
2. If you chose Selected Domain, select the domain from the Domains list on the left.

   If you chose Selected Nodes, click on a Domain in the left box, then select the appropriate PCs from the list in the right box.

   If you chose PCs listed in a file, enter the name of file in the Include PCs in field, or click the browse button to search for the file.

3. If you want to save your selected PCs for use in further deployments, click the Save button.

   To create a file listing the PCs you want to include in the deployment, use Notepad to create a text file containing the names of the appropriate PCs. Each PC name in the file must be separated by a space, or placed on separate lines. Do not use commas to separate the PC names.

4. If you selected a Domain or a list of PCs and you do not want to deploy the software to all the specified PCs, enter the name of the file that contains the PCs you want to exclude in the Exclude PCs listed in field.
5. Click the Next button to continue.

Specifying Account Information

Use the Account Information dialog to specify the details of an account that can be used to access all the target PCs and the software kit that you want to install.

To specify the account information for LANdeploy:

1. In the Installation Account fields, enter the User Name, Password and Domain details of the account that you want to use to access the PCs on which you want to install the software.

   The installation accounts must both have Admin privileges.

2. If the kit that you want to use to install the software is located on a different domain from the target PCs, select the Separate Server Account check box and enter the detail of the account that you want to use to access the kit.
3. Click the Next button to continue.

Specifying the Kit Path

Use the Kit Path dialog to specify the location of the Client installation kit. The Console's Site Creation Wizard copies files from the Client kit to the Offline Area of the target PCs.

To specify the kit path:

1. In the Wizard's Kit Path dialog, use the ellipsis button to browse to the Kit Path location.
2. To enable Clients to access this location, browse to the Kit Path using the Network Neighborhood route to obtain a proper UNC path.
3. Click the Next button to continue.

Specifying Progress and Error Logs

LANdeploy enables you to record information and error message from the installation of software on all target PCs so that you can monitor the progress of the deployment. If you do not specify the name of a log file, the information is not recorded.

To log installation information:

1. If you want to record installation messages, such as when an installation starts and any user refusals, enter the details of the file you want to use in the Progress Log Path field.

   Use a network share (referenced by a UNC path) to act as a log file repository. If necessary, include any access permissions in these paths.

2. If you want to record only error messages, enter the details of the file you want to use in the Error Log Path field.

   Error logging provides messages for installation errors, such as an invalid or inaccessible kit location. It also means the error log can be used as a quick check for PCs that require your attention because successful installations do not produce any entries.

3. Click the Next button to continue.

Choosing a Client Installation Mode

LANdeploy's Client Installation Mode dialog enables you to control how and when software is installed on target PCs.

To specify the installation mode for all target PCs:

1. By default, software installations are performed when users reboot or log on to their PCs. If you want to install the software immediately, select the Real Time Mode check box.
2. If you want to record information to help you debug unsuccessful installations, select the Debug Mode check box. Each PC records the information in the CLDIST32.TXT file of its Windows directory.
3. Select an installation mode. Choose:

   Normal Mode to prompt users with start and end messages, and to display error messages on the target PCs.

   Silent Mode to prevent the display of all messages and prompts, except for errors, on target PCs.

   Totally Silent Mode to suppress the display of all information and error messages on target PCs. This enables you to perform remote installations with zero user visibility if the SETUP program is also invisible.

4. Click the Next button to continue.

Specifying a Refusal Count for LANdeploy

By default, LANdeploy installs software immediately, or the first time that users log on to or reboot target PCs. If you have chosen Normal installation mode, and want to allow users to postpone the installation of software, enter the number of times that users can postpone the install in the Refusal Count field.

If you are using a Silent or Totally Silent installation mode, the Refusal Count has no effect.

A Refusal Count of zero means the user cannot postpone the installation.

Click the Next button to continue.

Completing the LANdeploy Wizard

The final stage of the LANdeploy Wizard enables you to save your Wizard settings in a Script file, and to start the deployment.

To save the script, use the Save Script button.

To begin the deployment, click the Execute button.

During a deployment, an on-screen Progress dialog is displayed, containing progress information about the deployment. Click the dialog's Save button to save this log to a file.

Monitoring a LANdeploy Deployment

To monitor your Client deployment, you can refer to the progress log and error log specified earlier in the Wizard:

• Progress logging includes a message from each PC as it starts processing a package for installation, another message which reports any user refusals, and further messages which report the success or failure of the installation.
• Error logging provides messages for installation errors, such as an invalid or inaccessible kit location. Because successful installations do not produce any entries in the error log, the error log can be used as a quick check for any PCs requiring your attention.

These log files are optional. Typically you would use a network share (referenced by a UNC path) to act as a log file repository. The two logging types (progress and error) are independent from each other:

If you encounter any problems while using LANdeploy, or during the deployment, refer to LANdeploy's Online Help. This help file's Troubleshooting topic includes a list of Silent Install error codes which may appear in the LANdeploy error log.

Deploying to Windows 95, 98 and Me

Automatic Client rollout on Windows 95, 98 and Me PCs is normally done by means of login scripts. The Client kit includes utilities and an example login script insert that can be used to test the pre-configured Client kit and also to deploy Clients in bulk once you have gained confidence that the configuration is correct for your environment.

The Console's Site Creation Wizard copies files from the Client kit (typically on CD) into a subdirectory of the Offline Area. The Site Creation Wizard also adds an LUCLIENT.INI file that contains the user's settings. The rollout-related components in the Client kit are:

INSTALL.EXE

This program can be run directly to perform test silent installations of the Client by hand. This program checks that the Client has not been installed already, that there is sufficient disk space, and that any installations on Windows NT, 2000 or XP systems are being performed from a privileged account.

The installation is performed automatically, with no requirement for user input, except to complete any User Prompting questions.

INSTALL.INI

This file configures INSTALL.EXE. It is a text file that can be edited. It contains explanatory comments that describe each entry.

ROLLOUT.EXE

This program is intended to be called from a login script when performing bulk installations of the Client software. It behaves almost identically to INSTALL.EXE except that it exits without an error message if it is run on a Windows NT, 2000 or XP system from a non-privileged account.

INSTALL.EXE issues an error message in that situation as it is expected to be used for manual testing, whereas ROLLOUT.EXE could be legitimately called by many non-privileged users' login scripts and they would not want to see error messages.

ROLLOUT.INI

This file configures ROLLOUT.EXE. It is a text file that is almost identical to INSTALL.INI. Changes to INSTALL.INI should usually be reflected with changes in this file as well.

LoginScript.BAT

This is an example insert for a login script. This batch file checks for Windows 3.x PCs and exits silently for them. For 32-bit PCs it checks to see if the Client is already installed, as this may help to avoid a cross-network load of the ROLLOUT.EXE program.

If the Client is not already installed, this batch file makes a network drive mapping to an example server and runs ROLLOUT.EXE from that location. Once ROLLOUT.EXE completes, the mapped drive is disconnected.

The following components are used by all installation methods:

SETUP.ISS

This is the silent install response file that controls the SETUP program, in place of user entry to the SETUP program's prompts. This file causes SETUP to execute a pre-configured installation, thus suiting the pre-configured kit that is created by the Site Creation Wizard.

LUCLIENT.INI

This text file presets options for Client configurations. Some of the options are configured by the Site Creation Wizard. Others must be changed in advance of roll-out. For more information, see "Controlling Client Behavior".

LUCLIENT.TXT

includes commentary on all the sections of the LUCLIENT.INI file. Users should study the LUCLIENT.TXT file when planning a major PC-Duo Enterprise roll-out. See also Chapter 4, "Managing Clients".

SETUP.EXE and Other Client Kit Files

The rest of the normal Client kit must be present in the same directory as the files listed above, or the installation process will fail. All of the Client kit files are copied to an appropriate directory by the Site Creation Wizard.

Widespread Rollout in Windows 95, 98 and Me Environments

Once you have configured the LUCLIENT.INI, you should perform some more test installations, but this time by running the ROLLOUT.EXE program instead of INSTALL.EXE.

ROLLOUT.EXE is controlled by ROLLOUT.INI which is set to cause ROLLOUT.EXE to execute a silent installation on all 32-bit platforms. INSTALL.EXE issues an error message if it is used from a non-privileged account. You should perform test installations using ROLLOUT.EXE to confirm that the Client is being deployed with the settings that you want.

Once you have the Client kit working correctly with ROLLOUT.EXE, edit the example login script insert, LoginScript.BAT. Look at the LoginScript.BAT file for details.

You must edit the NET USE command and the path used to access the ROLLOUT.EXE program. Change these to suit your network and login script environment and test them by executing the BAT file directly, or by inserting it into a login script that is used by a small number of test PCs.

When you have the login script insert tested and working correctly, you are ready to apply it, to the live login scripts used on your network.

Using the Squirter Utility

The Squirter utility is a command line alternative to the LANdeploy tool for deploying PC-Duo Enterprise Clients. It is designed to enable the Client installer to run in a privileged account on WIndows NT, 2000 and XP systems irrespective of the rights of the current user.

The Squirter utility is appropriate only for installations on Windows NT, 2000 and XP systems, which need special handling in terms of a privileged install environment. If you are working in an environment where Windows users all have privileges, you can use the entire sequence described in this chapter for all Windows Clients.

Using the Squirter for Installing Clients

The Squirter is a command line wrapper for the normal Client Software Distribution Agent service that can provide the privileged account environment which is required.

It is able to copy the Agent service onto PCs running Windows NT, 2000 or XP, and to configure it to run the Agent on each PC. The Agent is instructed to perform a single installation and to uninstall and delete itself when the installation has been completed. The intention is that the combination performs the desired privileged installation on each Client and then removes itself so that no trace of the installation mechanism remains.

The PC-Duo Enterprise Client installs the Software Distribution Agent properly and supersedes the Squirter combination that is used temporarily to perform the installation. The Console and Client provide full functionality for remote Software Distributions, with a friendly user interface that allows further privileged and non-privileged application installations to be performed.

Note that the Squirter/Agent delivery mechanism normally results in each PC user being prompted if it is convenient to run the installation (the user can be given the opportunity to refuse the installation any number of times). If the user refuses, the Agent exits and will run again at the first login after each reboot. It will prompt, once, for each reboot until the user allows the installation to proceed or until the refusal limit is reached (after which the user is still prompted, but is no longer allowed to refuse).

The installation then proceeds according to the settings contained in the LUCLIENT.PD file and in the other files contained in the kit area. A message is displayed to the user to notify success or failure when the installation completes, and the Agent uninstalls and deletes itself (some files remain until they are removed at the next reboot).

Squirter Security Issues

The Squirter copies the Agent executable and associated data files onto each

PC, using the user/domain/password that you specify, and it installs and configures the Agent service to run the application installer under the same account settings.

You would normally specify an Administrator account that allows the installation to make a network connection to the package kit area (specified as a UNC path) and to perform privileged actions during the installation.

The same account settings are used for all PCs processed by a Squirter command - different account requirements will require multiple runs of the Squirter.

Since the Squirter is a command line utility, you must specify all installation settings on the command line and this means that passwords may be visible. Only run the Squirter from a secure location.

Selecting PCs to Receive a Package

The Squirter offers limited facilities for nominating the PCs to receive a package. Its command line supports any of the following:

• A single Node name.
• The name of a text file that contains a list of nodes.
• A single domain name.
• All domains.

A Microsoft LAN Manager domain is expanded automatically into its constituent nodes and each is analyzed for eligibility (see below).

PC Eligibility Checks Performed by the Squirter

However a PC is specified, whether explicitly or by enumerating one or more domains, the Squirter connects to it to confirm that it is running Windows NT, 2000 or XP, and to ensure that it is using an Intel (x86) processor.

If these checks are passed, the node is considered eligible to receive the package. If the package is already installed on that node, the Agent service can check this before prompting the user and running the installation.

Note that Squirter distributions to Alpha processor machines are not supported.

Monitoring Package Installations

The Squirter provides screen output as it performs the remote configuration on each PC. It displays error messages for PCs that are not available, PCs that do not accept a drive connection, and PCs that are not using Intel processors. This gives feedback on the PCs that succeed or fail in the configuration process, but that is distinct from the success or failure of the actual package installation itself.

The Squirter also supports the optional PROGRESS= and ERROR= parameters that cause the desktop PCs to log progress and error information. These allow you to nominate a UNC path to a file on a network share that will receive progress information and a separate path that will receive only error information. These logging options are independent and they can both be used (directed to different files).

Progress logging includes a message from each node as it starts processing a package for installation, another message that reports a user refusing an installation, and further messages that report success/failure of the installation.

Error logging provides messages for installation errors, such as an invalid or inaccessible kit location. Successful installations do not result in any entries in the error log, so it can be used to check if any PCs require attention.

Squirter Files

The Squirter is provided as part of the PC-Duo Enterprise Console kit. The following files are installed into the Console installation directory:

SQUIRTEREXAMPLE.BAT

A batch file that contains example command lines that you can edit, instead of creating Squirter commands from scratch.

SQUIRTER.EXE

The command line utility that drives the remote installation process.

CLDISTSVC.EXE

The Software Distribution Agent service used by the PC-Duo Enterprise Client.

LUCLIENT.PD

A Package Definition for controlling remote installation of the PC-Duo Enterprise Client.

LISTDOMAINS.EXE

A command line utility to create a text file containing a list of the nodes contained in a domain, or in all domains.

Instructions for Using the Squirter

To run the Squirter:

1. Run the PC-Duo Enterprise Console's Site Creation Wizard to create the pre-configured Client kit in the \Kit subdirectory of the Offline Area.
2. Copy the SquirterExample.BAT, SQUIRTER.EXE, CLDISTSVC.EXE and LUCLIENT.PD to a Windows NT, 2000 or XP system that will be used to drive the installation (these files must be saved in the same directory)
3. Edit the file SquirterExample.BAT:
4. Insert the UNC path of the Offline Area with the KIT subdirectory included
5. Insert the %username@domain:password account definition that each Client PC will use to execute the installation (normally a domain Admin account). Note that the double ``%%'' characters are required in a batch file to pass through a ``%'' character.
6. Adjust any options that you wish (see below for details of the options available)
4. Open a DOS box on that PC, then change to the working directory.
5. From the DOS box, run the batch file SquirterExample.BAT.
6. Watch the Squirter's screen output to identify any nodes that fail and require another attempt or manual intervention.

Squirter Command Line Syntax

The Squirter has very specific command line requirements and it is limited in the error checks that it can perform.

It does not issue any prompts for confirmation after a command has been entered; the sequence proceeds without further requirement for user input (and without explicit opportunity to change your mind).

Be careful in constructing Squirter command lines - it may process many nodes very quickly so we recommend that you test with just one Node name and gain familiarity with it before expanding to a few nodes (in a list file, perhaps) and only later to one or all domains.

This is the Squirter's command syntax:

 SQUIRTER { NODE=node | NODEFILE=listfile | DOMAIN={domain | *} } <PDfile> <InstallMode> 
 <%user@domain:pwd> <kitpath> <refusalcount> [REALTIME] [DEBUG] [PROGRESS=progresslogpath]
 [ERROR=errorlogpath] [SILENT] [TOTALLYSILENT]

All parameters must be entered on a single line (they are shown across several lines here for clarity).

The following line means that these options are mutually exclusive. You can specify a single Node name, or a list file containing Node names, or a domain name (use an asterisk to specify all domains):

{ NODE=node | NODEFILE=listfile | DOMAIN={domain | *} }

The order of parameters is crucial. Make sure you specify all parameters in the precise order given here.

The SquirterExample.BAT file is provided to make it easier for you to edit a command that has been constructed in the correct format. Use "quotation" marks to preserve spaces in any parameters.

Squirter Command Parameters

NODE=node

Specify a Node name without any leading "\ \ " - just the bare Node name is accepted

NODEFILE=listfile

Where listfile represents the path to a text file containing a list of Node names, with one node on each line (blank lines are skipped automatically, as are comment lines that start with "!")

You can create the list file with the LISTDOMAINS utility, such as when you want to distribute to all nodes in a domain except for a few exceptions. LISTDOMAINS is described below.

DOMAIN=domain

Specify the name of the domain to be processed, or "*" to process all nodes in all known domains

<PDfile>

Enter the file name of the PD file that will control the Squirter.

<InstallMode>

Enter the name of the "InstallMode" from the PD file. The InstallMode identifies the type of installation to be performed and it is given by the name of the section in the .PD file but without the "Install" word. "Admin" is appropriate for installing the PC-Duo Enterprise Client.

<%user@domain:pwd>

This is the user specification that you want to use to connect to each PC and for the installation command itself to run under. Note that % characters must be doubled-up in batch files or else the DOS batch command processor will strip them.

<kitpath>

This is the UNC path to the installation kit directory on the server. It can also include access control in the format: \ \ server\share%user@domain:pwd\directory - we recommend you use the same access control in this parameter as you use in the previous parameter. Note that % characters must be doubled-up in batch files as the DOS batch command processor will strip them otherwise.

<refusalcount>

Enter an integer to specify how many times the PC user is allowed to postpone the installation. For example, enter 0 to prevent the user from delaying the installation; enter 5 if several postponement are allowed before the installation must proceed

[REALTIME]

This parameter is optional (do not specify anything if you do not want to use it, otherwise specify as "REALTIME"). The REALTIME parameter triggers an immediate start of the remote installation (assuming a logged-on user). It may interrupt a user's work and should be used with caution. Not using this option means that the user does not see anything until the PC is next rebooted and the first login occurs after that.

[DEBUG]

This parameter is optional. If specified, it enables Client-side debug output that is created in each PC's Windows directory, filename CLDIST32.TXT. This can be used to help diagnose problems when testing distributions. It should not normally be enabled in a production rollout

[PROGRESS=logpath]

This parameter is optional. If specified, it causes the Clients to generate progress messages in the file path specified. The path must be a full UNC path to a file on a network share with public write access. You should include user access control in the same format as described above for the <kitpath> parameter, as required.

[ERROR=errorlogpath]

This parameter is optional. If specified, it causes the Clients to generate error messages in the file path specified. Note that the path should usually be a full UNC path to a file on a network share with public write access. You should include user access control in the same format as described above for the <kitpath> parameter, as required.

[SILENT]

This parameter is optional (do not specify anything if you do not want to use it, otherwise specify as "SILENT"). The SILENT parameter disables the normal start and end prompts that are issued to the desktop PC users. Error messages produced on the desktop PCs are still displayed (e.g. if that PC is unable to connect to a kit source area).

[TOTALLYSILENT]

This parameter is optional (do not specify anything if you do not want to use it).

The TOTALLYSILENT parameter disables the normal start and end prompts that are issued to the desktop PC users and it also disables error messages produced on the desktop PCs.

This allows you to perform remote installations with no user visibility whatsoever, assuming that the SETUP program is also invisible.

You should include user access control in the paths in the normal PC-Duo Enterprise format.

Except for the options listed in square brackets, do not omit parameters. Instead, you should specify "" if they are not appropriate.

Checking Squirter Log Information

If you generate progress log information, you can use the following command in a DOS box to select entries that report successful installations:

 C:\> FIND "successful" logfile.txt

The output can be piped into a summary file with a command such as:

 C:\> FIND "successful" logfile.txt >summary.txt

Similarly, you can identify PCs that already had the package installed:

 C:\> FIND "already installed" logfile.txt

You can also identify any installation errors, which can be logged independently to the error log file:

 C:\> FIND "fail" logfile.txt

Squirter Visibility to the User

The Client PC user is normally prompted for confirmation that it is OK to proceed with a software installation. The user may be allowed to refuse the installation a number of times, dependent upon the refusal count given in the Squirter command line. Successful completion of a Client installation under Squirter control again prompts the Client PC user with a success status message.

It is possible to use the SILENT and TOTALLYSILENT options to disable the normal start and finish prompts issued by the Agent.

It is therefore possible to make the Agent completely silent. Note that these settings are independent of the installation itself - the visibility of the SETUP program can be controlled with the .PD file.

Beware that remote automated installations with no user prompting can cause side effects that may be noticeable to the desktop PC user. For example, it is possible to perform a silent installation that triggers the sudden appearance of the User Prompting screen - a user may be surprised.

Troubleshooting Silent Install Errors

You can check the completion status of silent installs by looking at the log file that is created. The completion status is shown in a section that looks like this:

 [ResponseResult] ResultCode=0

A ResultCode value of 0 indicates success, negative numbers indicate failure.

Known Silent Install Errors are listed here:

ResultCode	Meaning
0	Success
-1	General Error
-3	Required data not found in the SETUP.ISS file
-4	Not enough memory available
-5	File does not exist
-6	Cannot write to the response file
-8	Setup cannot find the response file (always use SETUP.ISS)
-9	Not a valid list type (string or number)
-10	Data type is invalid
-11	Unknown error during setup
-12	Dialogs are out of order

The most common error is -12. This occurs when the target PC does not match the source PC well enough, or when there is an error in SETUP.INI. The response file contains the installation drive and directory.

If this is not a valid drive on the target machine (such as a CD-ROM), Setup complains silently about the lack of disk space.

The dialog used is not in the response file, so you can get error -12.

Using the LISTDOMAINS Utility

If you want to rollout software to many, but not all, PCs in each domain, you may find the LISTDOMAINS utility to be useful. LISTDOMAINS creates a text file that contains all of the names of nodes contained in a domain, or in all domains.

If you use it repeatedly, with different domain names but the same output file, it creates a combined list by appending successive output to the same file. You can therefore create a list file containing the nodes from several domains.

You can then edit the node list to subsequently use the Squirter to process a subset of nodes in the domains scanned.

LISTDOMAINS uses the following command syntax:

 LISTDOMAINS {domain | *} <OutputFileName>

Where domain is the name of the domain to be processed, or alternatively you can use the asterisk (*) to process all PCs in all known domains.

The <OutputFileName> refers to the path to the file to be created/appended. Example:

 listdomains engineering EngineeringPCs.txt

After Completing the Silent Install

As you rollout Clients, you must make them accessible in your PC-Duo Enterprise Site Database. Once you have setup the Site that you want to use, you can use one of the following methods to publish Client data in the Site Database:

Offline Scanner

A simple method of automatically detecting Clients at your Site.

Offline Auto-populate Operation

An alternative to using the Offline Scanner.

Online Auto-populate Operation

This operation is used to auto-populate your database with online Clients. You should customize this operation before attempting to run it.

After you have populated your Site Database with Clients, the rollout is complete and you can use all of PC-Duo Enterprise's functionality.

Advanced Squirter Approach

It is possible to perform your own installation sequence and gain access to alternative configuration options provided by the PC-Duo Enterprise Client installer.

Normally, this is not necessary, but it is summarized here for advanced users.

The Client is installed with an InstallShield installation engine which supports a silent install mode, in which installation questions are entered and saved in advance in a response file. These saved entries are replayed automatically for an unattended installation across many PCs.

A normal interactive installation involves running the Client's SETUP.EXE program with no command line. Recording the installation responses and subsequently replaying them are both achieved with command line options.

Recording Silent Install Responses

Copy all of the files from the Windows Client directory from a CD-ROM distribution (\LU32\CLIENT.WIN\*.*) into an empty directory on a publicly-accessible server share. This example assumes that you have mapped drive Z: to this area.

The following SETUP command saves the installation responses into a file called SETUP.ISS in the Windows directory on the local PC:

 C:\>z:\setup -r

It is important that you perform a Custom Install and select the options with care. You can preset virtually any aspect of the Client configuration so they are deployed as you want them. Refer to the online Help within the Client SETUP program for more guidance on Client installation options.

The defaults are normally adequate for online Client installations, except for the following issues regarding file sharing.

File Sharing Setup

If file sharing is not enabled on all of your PCs, and you intend to use them in Online mode, you must provide the network path to the required VSERVER modules so that SETUP can copy them onto Clients.

File sharing is enabled by default on Windows NT, 2000 and XP systems, but Windows 95 and Windows for Workgroups PCs sometimes require access to their installation CD or floppies to add the extra files which are needed.

The original Windows installation media is not available during a silent install of the PC-Duo Enterprise Client, so the Custom Install prompts you for the location of each version of the VSERVER image. You should normally copy VSERVER.VXD from the Windows 95 SYSTEM directory into the area where you place the Client kit (use the latest Windows 95 VSERVER that you have, e.g. for 95B).

If you are installing onto PCs running Windows for Workgroups, you must also copy the VSERVER.386 file into the same area. If you are sure that the required files are present on every one of your desktop PCs, you can ignore this prompt and leave both fields blank.

Beware that a silent installation attempt will fail if a target PC does not already have the VSERVER image installed and the path given is blank or otherwise invalid.

Replaying a Silent Install

Once you have recorded the desired Custom Install responses, copy the SETUP.ISS response file into the same shared area on the server:

 C:\>copy \windows\setup.iss z:\

This directory contains any customized LUTINFO.REF as well, if you want to override the default questions asked during Client installation.

The shared area on the server can be read-only for subsequent silent installs and this is recommended for security reasons.

Reconfiguring Clients after Installation

PC-Duo Enterprise provides an interactive Client Configuration Operation which enables you to remotely change Client setup.

This can be used for both offline and online Clients. It allows you to change the frequency at which offline Clients push their data up to the Offline area on the server, the way that drives are shared by online Clients, and even to change a standard Client into an online Client (and vice versa).

Note that you must customize the Client Configuration Operation before it becomes available for use. This is a powerful operation which can change the setup of many Clients and it will often achieve this very quickly.

To learn how to reconfigure Clients using the Client Configuration Operation, refer to the PC-Duo Enterprise Console's Online Help.

Vector Networks http://www.vector-networks.com Voice: +44 (0) 1827 67333 Fax: +44 (0) 1827 67068 info@vector-networks.co.uk