SCCM by Davis

We have built an environment for a customer which has multiple forests without a trust between them. We used only one SCCM Site with one Server in the main domain. This means it's possible to manage […]

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Randall Smith started the forum topic CAS cannot access source location on NAS using computer account. Error 1808 in the group System Center Configuration Manager 2012

Posted: 28 Jun 2013 01:09 PM PDT

Hi All,

From our CAS, when trying to distribute content from a source location on a NAS we get an 1808 error in the distmgr.log. It's trying to use the computer account of our CAS. While we have given the […]

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Randall Smith joined the group System Center Configuration Manager 2012

Posted: 28 Jun 2013 01:06 PM PDT

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Enhansoft wrote a new post, Reminder to VOTE for July's Free SSRS Report

Posted: 28 Jun 2013 10:56 AM PDT

Which report will become July's free SSRS report?

List of PCs by Chassis Bootup State OR Package Home Page

So far, Package Home Page is leading with 65%, so make sure to vote!

28 jun 2013

SCCM by Davis: “PLUMgrid Launches Self, New SDN Platform for Data Centers” plus 8 more

PLUMgrid Launches Self, New SDN Platform for Data Centers
Mobile's Impact on Asia-Pacific Is 'Profound' and Increasing: Report
Mike Terrill posted an update in the group Arizona Systems Management User Group (AZSMUG): Hi Kristopher - we just had a meeting last Thursday and are […]
Adam Tatro joined the group SCCM Right-click tools
Adam Tatro joined the group System Center Configuration Manager 2007
Adam Tatro joined the group System Center Configuration Manager 2012
Adam Tatro became a registered member
Rod Trent posted an update in the group IT Fit: Runners Show Less Fatigue After 200 Miles Than 100 Miles
Rod Trent posted an update in the group The Word at myITforum: Malachi 4:1-3 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn […]

PLUMgrid Launches Self, New SDN Platform for Data Centers

Posted: 27 Jun 2013 05:02 PM PDT

Startup launches a new software package that virtualizes and automates data center operations so that a non-IT employee can use it.

Mobile's Impact on Asia-Pacific Is 'Profound' and Increasing: Report

Posted: 27 Jun 2013 12:00 PM PDT

The GSMA, in a report on the mobile economy in Asia-Pacific, calls for fair regulations and tax policies so the region's citizens benefit most.

Mike Terrill posted an update in the group Arizona Systems Management User Group (AZSMUG): Hi Kristopher - we just had a meeting last Thursday and are […]

Posted: 27 Jun 2013 10:46 AM PDT

Hi Kristopher - we just had a meeting last Thursday and are planning on having another meeting in August. The main communication for UG activity is the email distribution list. Let me know if you need instructions on how to sub to the list.

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Adam Tatro joined the group SCCM Right-click tools

Posted: 27 Jun 2013 09:29 AM PDT

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Adam Tatro joined the group System Center Configuration Manager 2007

Posted: 27 Jun 2013 09:29 AM PDT

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Adam Tatro joined the group System Center Configuration Manager 2012

Posted: 27 Jun 2013 09:14 AM PDT

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Adam Tatro became a registered member

Posted: 27 Jun 2013 09:09 AM PDT

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Rod Trent posted an update in the group IT Fit: Runners Show Less Fatigue After 200 Miles Than 100 Miles

Posted: 27 Jun 2013 07:32 AM PDT

Runners Show Less Fatigue After 200 Miles Than 100 Miles

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Rod Trent posted an update in the group The Word at myITforum: Malachi 4:1-3 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn […]

Posted: 27 Jun 2013 05:04 AM PDT

Malachi 4:1-3 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts.

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27 jun 2013

SCCM by Davis: “Broadcom’s New StrataXGS Chip Addresses Network Capacity Issues” plus 19 more

Broadcom’s New StrataXGS Chip Addresses Network Capacity Issues
Unix and Linux support in ConfigMgr 2012 SP1
Kristopher Turner posted an update in the group Arizona Systems Management User Group (AZSMUG): Will there be another user group meeting soon?
Rod Trent posted an update in the group System Center Orchestrator/Opalis: Spend the afternoon learning Orchestrator from John Savill
Rod Trent wrote a new post, Spend the afternoon learning Orchestrator from John Savill
Windows Management Experts wrote a new post, Application Deployment: InstallShield
Enhansoft wrote a new post, ConfigMgr 2012 SYDI
Cisco Touts Application-Centric Data Center Architecture
Rod Trent posted an update in the group Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT): Microsoft Deployment Toolkit Joins the Preview Releases, […]
Rod Trent wrote a new post, MDT 2013 Preview Release Available
Rod Trent posted an update in the group Microsoft Surface: Outfit Your Microsoft Surface with a Car Adapter and […]
Julien Moreau replied to the forum topic Error occurred when executing mssql_CreateDatabase.sql in the group BDNA Normalize CM
Mitel Integrates Vidyo Video Conferencing Solutions Into UC Suite
Windows Management Experts posted an update: Application Deployment: InstallShield This is part of an […]
Rod Trent posted an update in the group Windows 8: Windows 8.1 Preview Now Available | Windows 8 content from […]
Windows 8.1 Preview–Ready for download on MSDN
Jeremy Sichak became a registered member
Felipe became a registered member
Rod Trent posted an update in the group The Word at myITforum: 1 Corinthians 3:17 If anyone destroys God's temple, God […]
Patrick joined the group System Center Configuration Manager 2007

Broadcom’s New StrataXGS Chip Addresses Network Capacity Issues

Posted: 26 Jun 2013 09:00 PM PDT

The BCM56450 is aimed at networks in need of more bandwidth and management capabilities due to the growth of mobile Internet traffic.

Unix and Linux support in ConfigMgr 2012 SP1

Posted: 26 Jun 2013 07:42 PM PDT

ConfigMgr 2012 isn't just for Windows management anymore. ConfigMgr 2012 SP1 brought with it some very cool additional capabilities – one of them being the ability to directly manage UNIX and Linux clients. Now with the recent release of ConfigMgr 2012...(read more)

Kristopher Turner posted an update in the group Arizona Systems Management User Group (AZSMUG): Will there be another user group meeting soon?

Posted: 26 Jun 2013 04:19 PM PDT

Will there be another user group meeting soon?

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Rod Trent posted an update in the group System Center Orchestrator/Opalis: Spend the afternoon learning Orchestrator from John Savill

Posted: 26 Jun 2013 03:53 PM PDT

Spend the afternoon learning Orchestrator from John Savill

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Rod Trent wrote a new post, Spend the afternoon learning Orchestrator from John Savill

Posted: 26 Jun 2013 03:46 PM PDT

System Center 2012 SP1 Orchestrator is the foundation of System Center and quite literally allows any process to be completely automated across any number of systems in the datacenter and even beyond into the […]

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Windows Management Experts wrote a new post, Application Deployment: InstallShield

Posted: 26 Jun 2013 02:38 PM PDT

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Enhansoft wrote a new post, ConfigMgr 2012 SYDI

Posted: 26 Jun 2013 01:42 PM PDT

We are pleased to announce that we have created a SYDI (Script Your Documentation Instantly) for System Center 2012 Configuration Manager (CM12). This script is based on the SCCM 2007 version and has the […]

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Cisco Touts Application-Centric Data Center Architecture

Posted: 26 Jun 2013 01:00 PM PDT

Company officials say Cisco's Application-Centric Infrastructure addresses the application demands raised by cloud and mobility, and is a better option than SDN.

Rod Trent posted an update in the group Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT): Microsoft Deployment Toolkit Joins the Preview Releases, […]

Posted: 26 Jun 2013 12:19 PM PDT

Microsoft Deployment Toolkit Joins the Preview Releases, 2013 Version Available Now | Windows 8 content from Windows IT Pro

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Rod Trent wrote a new post, MDT 2013 Preview Release Available

Posted: 26 Jun 2013 12:10 PM PDT

Announced at TechEd Europe 2013, MDT 2013 preview release is available on Microsoft Connect.

MDT 2013 Preview includes:

Support for the Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (ADK) for Windows 8.1 Preview. […]

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Rod Trent posted an update in the group Microsoft Surface: Outfit Your Microsoft Surface with a Car Adapter and […]

Posted: 26 Jun 2013 11:36 AM PDT

Outfit Your Microsoft Surface with a Car Adapter and External Battery | Microsoft Surface content from Windows IT Pro

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Julien Moreau replied to the forum topic Error occurred when executing mssql_CreateDatabase.sql in the group BDNA Normalize CM

Posted: 26 Jun 2013 10:36 AM PDT

Daniel it looks like some pre-requisites are missing.

Can you make sure the components below are installed on your server

----------------------------------------------
Microsoft® System CLR Types for SQL […]

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Mitel Integrates Vidyo Video Conferencing Solutions Into UC Suite

Posted: 26 Jun 2013 09:35 AM PDT

Mitel and Vidyo will make the integrated offerings available through both resellers and the cloud.

Windows Management Experts posted an update: Application Deployment: InstallShield This is part of an […]

Posted: 26 Jun 2013 10:19 AM PDT

Application Deployment: InstallShield

This is part of an ongoing series about AdminStudio and its capabilities. Visit http://windowsmanagementexperts.com/blog for more articles about the uses of AdminStudio.

InstallShield is one of the most popular tools used to build software installations. It can construct MSI installers, or be used to wrap an EXE around an MSI (known as an InstallShield wrapper). Depending on the version of AdminStudio you have, you also have a copy of InstallShield. The enterprise edition of AdminStudio comes with the InstallShield Premier, while the professional edition of AdminStudio comes with InstallShield Professional. I will not be going over the differences in these editions, but they can be found at http://www.flexerasoftware.com/products/installshield/installshield.htm.

In addition to creating MSI's, InstallShield can also be used to edit MSI's. Keep in mind that an MSI is just a database with tables and rows. Some of the most popular edits to make are configuring shortcuts, adding registry items, adding files or folders, and modifying properties.

Edit the MSI or use a transform?

A lot of these same settings can be modified using a transform instead of modifying the MSI directly. There are a few advantages and disadvantages to modifying the MSI directly versus creating a transform. You have to evaluate what is best for your organization.

If you modify the MSI directly, you cannot have different installers for different areas of your organization. If you need this, then a transform is definitely the way to go. If you have only one installer for the entire organization, modifying the MSI directly may be the way to go. By modifying the MSI directly, your install is 100% guaranteed to have your customizations. With a transform, there is always the chance that something may be modified on the end user's machine that prevents the transform from being applied correctly.

Normally, transforms can be used across different minor versions of products (i.e. the transform built for Adobe Reader 10.1 also works with 10.2). Because of this, a transform may be better suited for software that updates frequently.

Given all of these considerations, I almost always modify MSI instead of creating a transform. To me, modifying the MSI is cleaner, and I have seen properties that I have defined in the transform get "lost", especially shortcuts that I have modified.

Files / Folders

By editing the MSI, we can add files and registry keys to our installation. You might need to do this if you want to insert license information, insert a custom configuration file, or anything else that needs to go into your installation. The process for adding or modifying a file is almost exactly the same as a registry key.

To add a file or folder, select the "Files and Folders" node under "Application Data". This presents four boxes in the right pane. We are mainly concerned with the destination computer panes. Here we can see exactly what files the MSI is copying to the system. To add a new folder, right-click on parent folder and select "New Folder". To add a file, right-click in the "Destination computer's files" pane and select "Add". This presents a normal Windows Explorer window. Navigate to the file you want to add and click "Open". Next you are presented with this box:

http://www.windowsmanagementexperts.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/13.jpg

I always select "In a new CAB file" and then "Stream CAB into the Windows Installer package". This keeps the install to one MSI, instead of having another CAB file that must be present. If you leave "On the source media (uncompressed)" selected, the file you inserted must be in the same location as it is on your computer during install on every computer. This method is NOT recommended, and makes installs much more difficult.

Once I click OK, the file is inserted. Now you can just click "Save" in the toolbar and InstallShield recreates your MSI with your new file.

The ability to retain that one MSI file to be used for install is another advantage of modifying the MSI versus creating the transform. A transform will create the CAB file, which must be present at installation. There is no way to stream a file into a MST file.

Registry

To modify the registry settings for your install, select the "Registry" node under "System Configuration". This screen looks exactly like "Files and Folders" and works almost the same way. To add a new registry key, simply right-click on the hive and highlight "New", then select "Key". To add a value, right-click in the "Destination computer's registry data" pane and select the value type. To fill in the value data, simply double-click on the value.

Shortcuts

To modify shortcuts, select "Shortcuts" from the "System Configuration" node. Here, you see where the install will place them. You can remove whichever ones you do not want, such as on the desktop, or move them into different folders in the Start Menu.

You can also modify the start parameters of your shortcut. This can be used to launch the software in a particular fashion. This is normally an advanced feature that you will get documentation with the software. These modifications are made by selecting the shortcut and inputting the new parameters in the "Arguments" box.

http://www.windowsmanagementexperts.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/23.jpg

Property Manager

Finally, you can use "Property Manager" section under the "Behavior and Logic" node to define various installation properties. The properties here are MSI-specific, meaning that just because the property is definable in this MSI, it may not be in another. A few common ones to look for are:

ALLUSERS – When set to "1", this will install the program for all users. When set to "0", it will install for the current user.

EULA_ACCEPT – When set to "1", this will auto-accept the EULA. When set to "0", it will prompt. EULA_ACCEPT is actually pretty specific in my example. Look for anything that has "EULA" in it. Please ensure that you EULA supports setting this parameter.

SERIAL – Normally, this is where you can input a serial number for the software. Other variations of this may be anything starting with ACTIVATION or PRODUCT.

REBOOT – When set to "1", it will reboot the computer after install (if needed). When set to "0", it will not. Other variations may be PROMPT_REBOOT, or anything with REBOOT in its name.

Summary

InstallShield is an extensive product. I would encourage you to take a look at the rest of sections not covered in this article to see if they can help you with your deployments. Studying InstallShield can also help you to better understand how a MSI install works.

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Rod Trent posted an update in the group Windows 8: Windows 8.1 Preview Now Available | Windows 8 content from […]

Posted: 26 Jun 2013 09:44 AM PDT

Windows 8.1 Preview Now Available | Windows 8 content from Windows IT Pro

Comments: 0

Windows 8.1 Preview–Ready for download on MSDN

Posted: 26 Jun 2013 10:21 AM PDT

Download it here:
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/subscriptions/securedownloads/hh442898#searchTerm=&ProductFamilyId=511&Languages=en&PageSize=10&PageIndex=0&FileId=0