Scripted OS Install - Part 7: Installing Software

It has been a while, but it is time to finish this series off. All of us have had to install Windows at some point. Most companies have stuck with XP, so we have had lots of practice getting it installed. I have installed XP on all kinds of different computers, and frankly I decided that I was sick of it. I determined that if I had to enter our XP serial number in one more time I might just switch my users to Linux. Luckily I found a solution that literally installs Windows for me.

Here is a quick overview of what we have talked about so far:

• Scripted OS Install - Part 1: Installing Windows XP: In this article we talked about why you would want to use a scripted install to take care of your basic Windows needs. If you want a really good overview of this series, this is a great place to start.
• Scripted OS Install - Part 2: Windows Updates: In this article we talked about how to make sure that your Windows install has all of the latest and greatest updates when you are done with the install. This involves figuring out what updates your computer needs, downloading the updates, and integrating the updates into your Windows XP cd.
• Scripted OS Install - Part 3: The Answer File: Computers are just like humans - we both need instructions to be able to do something. The answer file tells Windows what do to. This is the one thing that makes the scripted install possible.
• Scripted OS Install - Part 4: Drivers: Getting Windows on the machine is great, but if you can't access the Internet or see anything because there are no drivers installed that is a bad thing. This article talks about how to make sure Windows has and installs the right drivers while it installs.
• Scripted OS Install - Part 5: Tweaking Windows (Round 1): What if I told you that you could install a custom version of Windows with all of your favorite settings without lifting a finger. I would be lying. But, you can add your favorite settings with a little leg work.
• Scripted OS Install - Part 6: Tweaking Windows (Round 2): This digs a little deeper into the customization realm of a Windows scripted install.

Now it is time for Part 7. In this article I would like to talk about a few different ways to get software onto your computer after Windows has been installed. I will talk about a few third party solutions, what I used in the past, and the Altiris route.

Third Party Solutions:

If you want a quick start, this is the way to go:

nLite:

nLite is a freeware program that you can use to integrate Windows updates, service packs, and other files. You can also add and remove Windows core components. One of the more interesting things that you can do with nLite is integrate software directly into your install. That means when Windows is done install you can have Firefox or the AClient installed. If you are interested in this option, check out these websites:

• http://www.winmatrix.com/forums/index.php?showtopi...
• http://www.overclockers.com.au/wiki/Nlite_Tutorial...

When I first started playing with scripted installs I spent a lot of time with nLite. Over time I learned how to make most of the tweaks that nLite made. Now I do things by hand.

Windows Installation Helper Utility:

According to the literature, this program: "WIHU is an easy to use tool for user account creation and software installation, i.e. it allows the user to select software which should or should not be installed. After selection is finished it runs the desired applications automatically." If you are interested, here is the manual:

http://www.msfn.org/board/manual-for-WIHU-t24833.h...

Windows
Post-Install Wizard (WPI):

"Windows Post-Install Wizard (WPI for short) is a hypertext application designed for giving users choice. While Windows XP offers many ways of customizing the setup process out of the box, its major drawback is the lack of being able to select which applications an end user may install. In the past, end users and administrators needed to either download the files manually, or create overly complex scripts that could only be used once. WPI allows you to create one image, which can then be custom configured, and optionally, automated, so that end users can install any applications."

This solution is great because it lets the end user choose what software they want installed. This is a great solution for the power users you may work with.

Here is a great overview of what I talked about above: http://unattended.msfn.org/unattended.xp/view/web/...

My Experience:

In the past I decided to go the "silent install" route. Basically, I would figure out how to get a piece of software to install itself. For instance, with some EXEs you can add a "/s" to after the filename (for example: setup.exe /s) and the software will install. If you are using an MSI, you can add a /qb! to the end (for example: setup.msi /qb!) and it will install by itself. Here are a few tutorials on how to do that:

• Inno Setup
• InstallShield Installers
• Nullsoft SuperPiMP Install System (NSIS)
• Microsoft Windows Installer
• WISE Installer

Truthfully, it takes a lot of time to get a program to silently install. Generally what I would do is figure out how to install a program, then I would figure out how to configure it (using registry keys or other files). Finally I would package all of the files into a self extracting EXE (that would run a bat file once the files were extracted). It works pretty well, but it takes a lot of work to figure out and maintain.

The Wise installer is a great tool to help create custom installs of most programs. It takes a lot of the pain out of setting up a computer to install itself. It allows you to tweak or create MSI files. Altiris has several solutions that really make distributing software a cakewalk, lets talk about them.

Altiris:

SVS Layers:

There are tons of articles that talk about SVS Layers on this site. Layers make setting up and distributing software really easy. You can script the layer import right into your Windows scripted install.

Here is how:

• Create your layer, making sure it works on multiple computers
• Export your layer
• Place the layer in your $OEM$ folder in a place that makes sense to you and your circumstances (see http://juice.altiris.com/article/2768/scripted-os-...)
• Place the SVS install files in your $OEM$ folder
• In your answer file, you need to do two things:
  • You need to make sure that it logs into the admin account at least once
  • And you need to add a BAT file to the GUIRunOnce (check out: Part 3). The BAT file will:
    • Install the SVS software silently (check out this article for more details: Software Virtualization Agent Installation)
    • Now that SVS is installed, you can use a script to import the layer (svscmd I -P "C:\Layers\Layer1.vsa" -F) - check out this article for more info: Chapter 6: Advanced Virtual Software Layer Topics

Here is what the answer file GUIRunOnce BAT file might look like:

@ECHO OFF

ECHO Install Altiris SVS 2.1...
msiexec.exe /qn /i "C:\Altiris\SVS\Software_Virtualization_Agent.msi" PRODUCT_KEY= REBOOT=ReallySupress INSTALL_ADMIN=1

del "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Desktop\Altiris Software Virtualization Admin.lnk"

ECHO Importing Layers...
svscmd I -P "C:\Altiris\Layers\Layer1.vsa" -F
svscmd I -P "C:\Altiris\Layers\Layer2.vsa" -F
svscmd I -P "C:\Altiris\Layers\Layer3.vsa" -F

shutdown /r /t 0

Now, we have a nice little script that will import all of the layers we may need. It is a pretty simple method. The only thing that will limit you is your imagination.

SVS Pro:

SVS Pro is pretty much the easiest way to get a computer up and going. You can add layers or software (MSIs work really well in SVS Pro) to the streaming server. Then, you can assign them to a user or group. You will need to make sure that the SVS Pro Agent and SVS Agent are installed. You can add these to the same BAT file referenced in the answer file.

Here is what that script could look like:

@ECHO OFF

ECHO Installing Altiris SVS 2.1...
msiexec.exe /qn /i "C:\Altiris\SVS\Software_Virtualization_Agent.msi" PRODUCT_KEY= REBOOT=ReallySupress INSTALL_ADMIN=1

del "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Desktop\Altiris Software Virtualization Admin.lnk"

ECHO Installing SVS Pro Agent...
AWEClientSetup.exe /s /v" /qn SILENT_REBOOT_NOTIFY=FALSE REBOOT=ReallySuppress" /f1"setupcfg.txt"

In a different article I will talk about how to import a program from your SVS Pro streaming server. It is a pretty solid solution to this problem.

Altiris has your bases covered:

You can use a Deployment Console job or a Notification Server task to get those pesky programs onto the computer. Basically, you can choose what works for you.

Conclusion:

I have packaged software as many different ways as you can imagine. After many late nights and frustrating weekends I have discovered that just sticking with Altiris is the way to go. Creating layers is a powerful way to get computer running and configured quickly. And, if you add in the power of SVS Pro streaming, you are on your way to going home early (just kidding). There are a few programs that SVS can't tackle (yet), for those problem children you can throw Wise Package Studio at it. You can try the third party apps that I mentioned above, but they won't work as well as Notification Server will.

I am sure that you are wondering what I am cooking up next. I will let you in on the secret. Once again, Altiris has your back. You can create a Windows scripted install job in Deployment Console. Before you get too excited, please finish reading this article...Everything that we have talked about so far can be cooked into the scripted install job. The time-saving possibilities are amazing.