Deploy S/w using SMS 2003

In a medium to large organization, deploying a new software version can be a nightmare as it involves making copies of the install media, taking it to each computer and doing the install. Keeping the install source on a network disk and asking users to install it is also fraught with issues-users may not do it, they may use it to make personal copies, etc. Here is where SMS 2003's software-distribution abilities come into play. Using SMS 2003 you can easily set up a software distribution that allows you to configure the install options, select the users to whom it will be installed, specify the time when it should be installed and more.

The first thing to do is to enable the Software Distribution Agent on all the client computers. For this, open up the SMS Console> SMS>Site Database>Site Hierarchy>>Site Settings>Client Agent. Open the properties of the Advertised Programs Client Agent and turn on the Enable Software Distribution to Clients option. In this same dialog box, you can set other options for the agent, such as the polling interval for new programs and for new policies, how the user is notified of new programs (via a notification message or sound), the countdown timer for installing the software automatically, etc. 



The next thing to do is go to Site Settings>Site Systems pane. Here your server will be listed. Open its properties window and go to the Management Point, Client Access Point and Distribution Point tabs and make sure they are all enabled. Also enable the BITS options in the Distribution Point tab. This helps reduce network bandwidth significantly. You can also set up other Distribution Points here that are protected by the settings you can configure. 

Now go to the Collections section and ensure that the computers to which you wish to distribute the software are listed in one or more collection 'groups'. You can, of course, create a new group containing only those computers to which you wish to distribute software. Once this is done you can proceed to the next step.

The next thing to do is create a new 'package'. A package is a set of information about a new program install and includes the installer source as well. A package uses a file called the Package Definition File to define other parameters, such as version, name and clients. All Microsoft products and many third-party products come with the definition file (which has an extension of SMS). You can create one manually in Notepad as well. However, it is easier to create a package by using the Software Distribution Wizard. Simply right click on the Packages section and select 'Distribute Software' from the All tasks menu. Follow the wizard to create a new package. Some of the important things to note and make sure you choose or enter correctly are the following.

Name, Version, Publisher and Language: The details of the software being installed. 

Source Files: Select the files from a 'source directory' or 'create a compressed version of the source'. Select the second in most cases.

Source File Compression: Select the place where the installer source for the application is.

Once the package and advertisement are created, you can view and modify them

Distribution Points: The SMS servers where the software can be distributed from. Make sure at least one is selected.



Program Identification: The name of the application and its setup executable path. You can also add in parameters here to do an auto install if it is supported.

Program Properties: Select when the software will be setup- when the user is logged in or even logged off. You can also select whether the program needs admin rights on the machine and the user can interact with the setup or not. Finally, you can set actions after the set up, such as whether the machine will restart after the install.

Advertise Package: A package must be advertised to the client computers. Otherwise the package only gets distributed between 

SMS DPs. 



Target: You can choose or create a collection to which you wish to deploy this application. 

Schedule: The program can be installed from a starting date to an expiry date (if set).

Assignment: If you Assign a program, it becomes mandatory for all the systems in the target collection and is forcefully installed on the machine. If the user cancels out of the install, the next time he logs in, it again starts installing it. 

When the client receives information about a new install, it informs the user before it starts the process

Follow the wizard till the end and see the package and advertisement getting created.

To test the advertisement on a test lab computer, go to Control Panel>System Management. Here go to the Actions tab and select the machine policy option and update it. Once it is updated, check the components tab in the same window. It should have the Software Distribution Agent set as enabled. 

Depending on your advertisement schedule and properties (such as assignment), the client machine will soon see a small icon on the notification area that shows the software that will be installed. If you provided a countdown timer, a new pop-up window will display the application details and start counting down the time left to install. Once the time finishes or the user clicks on Run manually, the software will start installing. And once it is done, if you have set the option to reboot the machine, the user will be notified, given a small time period to save his work and then the machine will get rebooted.

The user can also see other non-assigned (that is, optional not mandatory) software that is available to be installed for him and can select and install any of these

as well.

Software Distribution by SMS 2003 is a powerful and useful way of making sure that the correct software reaches the correct machines. It reduces headache for system administrators and makes meeting SLAs easy. We'll look at another use of software distribution in the next article in this series where we will see how to distribute software patches with

SMS.

Vinod Unny



Enterprise InfoTech