AD Software Install

  • Thread starter Thread starter Adrian Marsh (NNTP)
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A

Adrian Marsh (NNTP)

heres a poser.

I have w2k SP4 setup to deploy via AD Soft. Inst., but what happens
when I'm using an XP PC ? I'm assuming it'll try to run the SP4, and
that SP4 will just quit - right ?
 
Adrian,

There are three choices that you have here:

1) create an OU structure so that all of the WIN2000 computer account
objects are in one OU and all of the WINXP Pro computer account objects are
in another OU and link the GPO that deploys WIN2000 SP4 to the OU that
contains the WIN2000 computer account objects, or

2) place all of your computer account objects in the same OU and link two
GPOs to that OU ( assuming that you will ultimately be deploying SP2 for
WINXP via GPO ). You could then use Security Groups to filter who gets
which GPO ( you know that all you need to do is to create two security
groups - one WIN2000 and one WINXP, populate them with the correct computer
account objects, remove the Authenticated Users security group form the GPOs
and replace that with the appropriate security group that you just created,
making sure to give it both READ and APPLY GROUP POLICY rights ), or

3) leave things as-is and let it fail on the WINXP systems....and SP2 for
WINXP Pro fail on the WIN2000 systems.

I would contend that the third option is for lazy people and go with first
#1 and then #2. However, we do not know anything about your environment and
do not know if you have any other GPOs that might be linked to the current
OU in which your computer account objects are located.

HTH,

Cary
 
It will fail, swearing a bit in application event log.

You can try configuring WMI filters on the group policy object that deploys
the SP so what WinXP machines are filtered out of the GPO scope, and W2kSP4
will not even attempt to install - without any errors.

--
Dmitry Korolyov [[email protected]]
MVP: Windows Server - Active Directory


heres a poser.

I have w2k SP4 setup to deploy via AD Soft. Inst., but what happens
when I'm using an XP PC ? I'm assuming it'll try to run the SP4, and
that SP4 will just quit - right ?
 
Cary,

Thanks for the detail. As the structures pretty small option 3) isn't
too bad. Users won't be logging on/off to often either.

If Sp4 fails (on xp), will it try again on next login?

I had to re-write my login scripts to manually install IE6, because I
found that if I had to install SP4 & IE6 at the same time (eg the
machine had a basic 2000 install with ie5), then the IE6 installation
would fail, but not retry again later (thats listed in the release notes
for IE6).

I could put SP4 into the login scripts in the same mannor, and then use
"ver" to detect the OS, but then that beats the point of ADs Software
Installation....

Adrian.
 
Adrian,

Just a minor point: The deployment of a Service Pack via GPO is a computer
configuration side GPO so it would come into effect when the computer is
rebooted, not when a user logs on. So, will it try at the next reboot and
every subsequent reboot? Yes, as long as the computer account object
remains in the OU to which this GPO is linked.

And please do not misunderstand my comment about #3 being for lazy people.
I sometimes write something that is meant to be a little witty but it does
not always come through like that. Especially on paper! If the third
option is going to work for your environment and you are comfortable with
all of the errors in the logs then that is what you should do. No one knows
your environment like you do.

And - yes, a start up script would definitely defeat the point of having
Active Directory!

HTH,

Cary
 
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