A couple questions of fine tuning sw installation via GPO

  • Thread starter Thread starter Robert Gordon
  • Start date Start date
R

Robert Gordon

I understand the basics of using GPO for doing sw installations but I have a
couple questions regarding some of the finer points.

We have a couple of homebrewed applications that get pushed out to our
Windows 2000 compute farm reguarly. These apps get modified about once a
month, and one of our developers was nice enough to finally wrap them in an
..MSI so that I can push them out to our farm simultaneously using GPO.

However, I have a couple of questions about how how smart the install can
be. Is there a way for GPO to check:

a) If the version of the app currently available from the install point is
newer than the version already pushed out to the compute farm?
b) If it is, how can GPO auto-uninstall the older version, removing all
traces of the older app, and do a complete fresh install the new version
without any intervention on my part?
c) How can I hand set the refresh rate time, that the compute farm nodes
refresh their GPO policy to look to see if any updated version of the
installers are available?

Any help is appreciated,

Robert Gordon
 
Hi Robert,

I have an answer for the third question,the first two need some more thought.

For the third question:
Software deployment policies are re-applyed only at startup and login.
They are not refreshed as some of the other policies.

For the first and second question I suggest that you take a look at the "Upgrade"
tab on the package that is supposed to upgrade the older application.

Good luck,
Erik.



--
Erik Rozman, MCSE, MCSA, MCP+I, MCT, CCNA, CNA, (LL.B).
Senior Trainer and Consultant
JohnBryce Training
Windows Server MS MVP
http://www.linearc.net

Visit http://www.msforum.co.il
 
-----Original Message----- the install point
is compute farm?

If you just update the .msi file on the share, the client computers will not
figure out that they need to reinstall the package - You need to edit the
GPO you used to deploy the software, and use 'redeploy' to trigger a
reinstall of the package on all the client computers.

Another way of doing an update is forced upgrades (you next question)


You can set up a new MSI package, and (in the GPO editor) set up an upgrade
relationship between the two apps - When the client computer reboots, it
will figure out that it has an older version of the software installed, and
it will uninstall the current version and install the newer one.

For example, if you have a computer-assigned app, on:
\\someserver\someshare\version1.0\app.msi

You can add the updated package to
\\someserver\someshare\version1.1\app.msi

And then, in the gpo you used to deploy app (version 1.0), deploy app
(version 1.1) and set up an upgrade relationship between the two. Be sure to
check the 'force upgrade' option.


Software installation policy is only processed at computer startup (for
computer assigned apps) and user logon (for user assigned apps)

User published apps (the list of apps in add/remove control panel) are
updated when you open the control panel.


.
Click to expand...
Frank,

Thank you very much for the explanation of the UPGRADE
tab. Don't I feel stupid. It really is that easy! I
sure am glad that I did not spend a lot of time looking at
it back when or I would really feel stupid!

Thanks again,

Cary
 
Back
Top