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Microsoft Systems Management Server 2003 : Creating Packages for Distribution (part 4) - Creating a Package from Scratch - Creating Programs

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4/15/2013 6:20:46 PM
Creating Programs

Finally, it’s necessary to create at least one program for each package. This program specifies how the package is to be executed at the client. Many packages can have more than one program associated with them. For example, a package might have different installation methods such as Custom, Typical, Unattended, and Manual. This is where you really have to know your package. The command-line information you provide here will either make or break the package when it’s run on the client.

To create a program, follow these steps:

1.
Navigate to the Packages folder, find your package entry, and expand it.

2.
Right-click Programs, choose New from the context menu, and then choose Program to display the Program Properties dialog box, shown in Figure 19.

Figure 19. The Program Properties dialog box.


3.
In the General tab, enter a descriptive name for the program—for example, Custom Installation or Unattended Installation. Enter additional descriptive information in the Comment text box.

4.
In the Command Line text box, enter the command that should be executed at the client. For example, this could be a Setup.exe file, a batch file, or an .MSI file; however, you must include any and all command-line arguments required for successful execution. For example, if you run the Setup program, which uses a script file called Custom.inf, and the Setup program invokes this script file through a “/c” command-line switch, you must enter the full command as it references the script: setup.exe /c:custom.inf.

5.
In the Start In text box, enter the name and path of the directory in which you want the program to start. This field is optional, and by default the distribution folder on the distribution point is used.

6.
From the Run drop-down list, select an option—Normal, Minimized, Maximized, or Hidden—to specify how the program will be displayed to the user. Hidden does mean that nothing will be displayed; this option is best used with fully unattended, or silent, installations.

7.
From the After Running drop-down list, select an option—No Action Required, SMS Restarts Computer, Program Restarts Computer, or SMS Logs User Off—to specify what action, if any, will be performed after the program completes.

8.
Select the Requirements tab, shown in Figure 20. This tab lets you specify descriptive elements regarding the program’s estimated size and installation run time. More importantly, it allows you to identify which operating system platforms the program can run on. This enables you to filter out those clients on whose platform the program can’t run.

Figure 20. The Requirements tab.


9.
Select the Environment tab, shown in Figure 21.

Figure 21. The Environment tab.


In this tab, user level and drive mode requirements are defined. First specify when the program can run. The drop-down list options are Only When A User Is Logged On (which can apply to all clients, but Windows 98 clients in particular); Whether Or Not A User Is Logged On; and Only When No User Is Logged On. These last two options are specific to computers running Windows NT 4.0 and later. If either of these options is selected, the User Input Required check box and the Run With User’s Rights under Run Mode option are automatically disabled.

10.
If the program requires the user to click even a single OK button, you must select Only When A User Is Logged On from the Program Can Run drop-down list and then select the User Input Required option. Clear this option only if the program is fully scripted (that is, automated). If the program must be run in the local administrative security context, select the Run With Administrative Rights option in the Run Mode frame. If you have specified a particular account to use on Windows computers when running programs that require administrative privileges, select the Use Software Installation Account check box. If you require that the logged-on user also be able to interact with the program while it’s running with administrative rights, select the Allow Users To Interact With This Program check box.

Caution

Selecting the Allow Users To Interact With This Program check box allows any connected user to interact with the program in an administrative security context. This could provide an opportunity for a security breach on that client. Choose this option only if absolutely necessary for the successful execution of the program.

11.
In the Drive Mode frame, select the option that best fits the program. As you have no doubt experienced, although most programs understand UNC paths, some do not and require a drive letter mapping. If you need to have the client reconnect to the distribution point each time the user logs on, select the Reconnect To Distribution Point At Logon check box. This option could be useful if the application needs to write information back to the distribution folder on the distribution point, retrieve startup files, and so on.

12.
Select the Advanced tab, shown in Figure 22, which provides several additional options. If you need to run another program before this one—for example, to install a service pack or a patch, select the Run Another Program First check box and then select the appropriate package and program. This assumes, of course, that you have already created the other package and program. In this example you won’t need to advertise the other program separately.

Figure 22. The Advanced tab.


13.
If you’ve assigned a program to run on a computer, you can either execute it once for the computer or once for every user who logs on to the computer by choosing one of two run time options in the When This Program Is Assigned To A Computer section. Select Run Once For The Computer, the default, to execute the program once for use by all users on the computer. Select Run Once For Every User Who Logs On to execute the program once for each user when the user logs on. Use the Suppress Program Notifications check box to turn off notification and countdown icons and messages for this program.

14.
To temporarily disable the program from being run—even if it has been assigned a specific time—select the Disable This Program On Clients Where It Is Advertised check box. This option can be handy if you need to update files, test an installation, and so on.

15.
Select the Windows Installer tab shown in Figure 23 to specify Windows Installer product information to enable SMS to manage the location of source files for Windows Installer-based programs. This feature is available only for Advanced Clients and is valuable for determining the location of source files when Windows Installer needs to initiate a repair. Click Import to locate and select the Windows Installer package associated with the program and populate the Windows Installer Product Code and Windows Installer File fields.

Figure 23. The Windows Installer tab.


16.
Click OK to save the program.

If you decide to delete a program later, right-click the program in the SMS Administrator Console and choose Delete from the context menu to activate the Delete Program Wizard. This wizard walks you through the process and helps you decide whether to delete the program. Deleting a program does produce a ripple effect for other SMS components. Any advertisements of the program will also be deleted and will no longer be made available to the client. The wizard displays all the affected advertisements and prompts you once more to confirm the deletion.

When a new member joins the collection, it automatically receives any advertisements made to that collection. In general, you should leave programs advertised until they’re no longer needed or until they should be retired.

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