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Step-by-Step Guide to Software Installation and Maintenance

Software Installation and Maintenance for the Windows® 2000 operating system allows administrators to manage software for their organizations, including applications, service packs, and operating system upgrades. This overview guide explains how to use the Software Installation extension of the Group Policy Microsoft Management Console snap-in to specify policy settings for application deployment for groups of users and computers.

Introduction

This document is part of a set of step-by-step guides that introduce the Change and Configuration Management features of the Windows® 2000 operating system. This guide presents an overview of Software Installation and Maintenance. It also explains how to use the Software Installation extension of the Group Policy Microsoft Management Console snap-in to specify policy settings for application deployment for groups of users and computers.

Software Installation and Maintenance is dependent upon both the Active Directory and Group Policy. Administrators who are responsible for Software Installation and Maintenance should be familiar with both of these technologies.

Publish vs. Assign

Administrators can use Software Installation and Maintenance to either publish or assign software:

  • Publish. Administrators publish applications that users may find useful, allowing users to decide whether to install the application. You can only publish to users, not computers.
  • Assign. Administrators assign applications that users require to perform their jobs. Assigned applications are available on users’ desktops automatically.

For a comparison of these capabilities, see Table 1 below. Administrators deploy applications in Group Policy objects (GPOs) that are associated with Active Directory containers such as sites, domains, and organizational units (OUs).

Table 1. Publishing and Assigning Software

  Publish to Users Assign to Users Assign to Computers
After the administrator deploys the software, it is available for installation: If an application is deployed in a GPO that is already applied to the user from a previous logon, it is available for installation in the current logon session (from the Add/Remove Programs Control Panel). If the application is deployed in a new GPO that is not already associated with the user, then it is available at the next logon. If an application is deployed in a GPO that is already applied to the user from a previous logon, it is available for installation in the current logon session (from the Add/Remove Programs Control Panel). If the application is deployed in a new GPO that is not already associated with the user, then it is available at the next logon. The next time the computer starts (reboot).
Typically, users install the software from: The Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel. Start menu shortcut.
Desktop shortcut.
Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel.
The software is already installed.
If the software is not installed and the user opens a file associated with the software, will the application install? Yes. Yes.

 

The software is already installed.
Can the users remove the software using the Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel? Yes. Users can re-install the application from the Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel. Yes. The software will be re-advertised immediately. This means that the shortcuts will be present in the users’ desktops and they can re-install the application by clicking on a shortcut, for example. No. Only the local administrator can remove the software. A user can run a repair on the software.
Supported installation file types: Windows Installer packages (.msi files), and ZAP files. Windows Installer packages (.msi files) Windows Installer packages (.msi files)

Supported Installation File Types

Software Installation and Maintenance supports Windows Installer packages (.msi files), repackaged files, and .zap files.

A Windows Installer package (.msi file) contains all the information necessary to describe to the Windows Installer how to set up an application. It covers every conceivable situation: various platforms, different sets of previously installed products, earlier versions of a product, and numerous default installation locations. Some applications such as Office 2000 provide their own .msi files. These files. These are referred to as natively-authored Windows Installer packages.

You can create Windows Installer packages for your applications by using package-authoring tools provided by various vendors such as InstallShield Software Corporation and WISE Solutions, Inc. See the section on Windows Installer Applications for more information.

You can also repackage an existing application for use with the Windows Installer. To create a package for the application, you use a repackaging tool such as the VERITAS WinInstall LE, described later in this document.

Non-Windows Installer-based applications must use a .zap file to describe their existing setup program. A .zap file is a text file (similar to .ini files) that provides information about how to install a program, the application properties, and the entry points that the application should install. A sample .zap file is included in the appendix  An Excel 97 .Zap File.

Prerequisites and Initial Configuration

Prerequisites

This Software Installation and Maintenance document is based on the two-part, Step-by-Step Guide to a Common Infrastructure for Windows 2000 Server Deployment.

Before beginning the steps in this guide, you need to build the common infrastructure, which specifies a particular hardware and software configuration. If you are not using the common infrastructure, you need to make the appropriate changes to this guide.

Software Installation and Maintenance is dependent on Group Policy. It is highly recommended that you complete the Step-by-Step Guide to Understanding the Group Policy Feature Set before the Software Installation and Maintenance guide.

Note: If you completed the Group Policy guide, it may be necessary to disable some of the policies particularly the loopback policies, as they may not allow people to install software from the Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel.

Additionally, you may want to use the Step-by-Step Guide to Repackaging Software for the Windows Installer Using VERITAS WinINSTALL LE and repackage some software before you continue with this guide.

Windows Installer Applications

Software Installation and Maintenance leverages the new Windows Installer service that is a part of the Windows FOOTNOTE? family of operating systems. For the best performance and the greatest reduction in TCO, you need to use applications that support the Windows Installer.

No sample applications are supplied for these guides. You must acquire applications such as Microsoft Office 2000 that supply a natively authored Windows Installer package (an .msi file). Or you must use an authoring or repackaging tool to create Windows Installer packages for your software.

You can author a Windows Installer package using a package-authoring tool if you have all of the files and know the architecture of the application. Package authoring tools are available from the following vendors:

If you want to use Software Installation and Maintenance with an existing application, you may want to consider repackaging the application to support the Windows Installer. The VERITAS WinInstall LE for repackaging of existing applications for use by the Windows Installer is available on the Windows 2000 Server CD. If you are unfamiliar with repackaging software, see the Step-by-Step Guide to Repackaging Software for the Windows Installer Using VERITAS WinINSTALL LE which explains how to use their repackager.

For more information on this tool, please see the VERITAS Web site.

Best Practice:

  • You may want to consider natively authoring a Windows Installer package rather than repackaging the application if you have all of the files for an application, if you know the changes that application makes to the registry for installation, and if there are not too many files.
  • Success with repackaging is affected by the state of the computer where the repackaging is performed. For best results, you should always start the repackaging of an application with a clean computer. For the purpose of repackaging, a clean computer is defined as a computer that has only the operating system and operating system service packs installed prior to running the VERITAS Discover program.

Other companies will provide their applications with native Windows Installer support. Please contact your favorite application vendors for information on their Windows Installer support plans.

Non-Windows Installer Applications

It is possible to publish applications that do not install with the Windows Installer. They can only be published to users and they are installed using their existing Setup programs.

Because these non-Windows Installer applications use their existing Setup programs, such applications cannot:

  • Use elevated privileges for installation.
  • Install on the first use of the software.
  • Install a feature on the first use of the feature.
  • Rollback an unsuccessful operation, such a install, modify, repair, or removal, or take advantage of other features of the Windows Installer.
  • Detect a broken state and automatically repair it.

Before an existing Setup program can be used with Software Installation and Maintenance, it must be described in a ZAP (.zap) file, which is a text file, similar to .ini files, which provides the following information:

  • How to install the program -- which command line to use.
  • The properties of the application -- name, version, language.
  • The entry points that the application should automatically install -- for file extension, CLSID, and ProgID.

Note that .zap files are stored in the same location on the network as the Setup program they reference. The appendix contains an example of a .zap file.

Creating a Software Distribution Point for the Windows Installer Applications

To manage software, you must create a software distribution point (SDP) that contains all the Windows Installer packages (.msi files), .zap files, and the actual software files.

To create a software distribution point, you do the following:

  • Create a network share along with the appropriate folders for software distribution.
  • Copy the Windows Installer packages, application executable files, and .zap files to the appropriate shared folder.
  • Set the appropriate permissions for the high-level network shared folder. Users must have the ability to read from the software distribution point. Set the following Discretionary Access Control (DACL) permissions:
    Everyone: Read
    Administrators: Full Control, Change, and Read.

The following procedure shows you how to set up the distribution point.

To create the software distribution point:

  1. Log on to the HQ-RES-DC-01 server as an administrator.
  2. Double-click the My Computer icon.
  3. Double-click the hard-drive icon of the local disk where you want to create the software distribution point.
  4. On the File menu, select New, and then click Folder.
  5. Under the New Folder in the selected drive pane, type Managed Applications.
  6. Right-click the Managed Applications folder, and select Properties from the context menu.
  7. In the Managed Applications Properties page, click the Sharing tab, click Share this folder, and then type Reskit Managed Applications in the Comment text box.
  8. Click Permissions. In the Permissions for Managed Applications dialog box, select Everyone, and then under Permissions, clear the Allow permission for the Full Control and Change check boxes. Ensure that Everyone has only Read access to the folder. Click Add.
  9. In the Select Users, Computers or Groups dialog box, under Name click Administrators, and then click Add. (Note the Look in text box should be pre-populated with reskit.com.) Click OK.
  10. In the Permissions for Managed Applications dialog box, select Administrators, and then under Permissions, set the Full Control and Change permissions to Allow. Ensure that Administrators have Full Control, Change, and Read access to the folder. Click OK.
  11. In the Managed Applications Properties dialog box, click OK.

At this point, you should repeat the preceding steps to create any additional folders for the software you are managing. Note that each sub-folder does not need to be explicitly shared or have permissions set. Afterwards, you should copy the Windows Installer packages, .zap files, and the application files to the appropriate shared folders.

You should note that for computer-assigned applications, the network share needs to be reachable by the local system account. This is not the default for Windows NT 4.0 and Novell servers.

Best Practice: Administrators should consider using either the distributed file system (Dfs) feature of Windows 2000 Server or Microsoft Systems Management Server to manage their software distribution points.

Software Installation Snap-in Configuration

The Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in is part of the Administrative Tools program group. It already has a Group Policy and Software Installation snap-in. You may either follow these steps to configure your own tool, a saved snap-in, or use the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in.

Creating a Software Installation Snap-in Tool

To create the Software Installation snap-in:

  1. Log on to the HQ-RES-DC-01 server as an administrator.
  2. Click Start, click Run, type mmc, and then click OK.
  3. In the MMC console, click Add/Remove Snap-in on the Console menu.
  4. In the Add/Remove Snap-in dialog box, click Add.
  5. In the Add Stand-alone Snap-in dialog box, click Active Directory Users and Computers on the Available Standalone Snap-ins list, and then click Add. Click Close, then click OK.
  6. In the console tree, double-click Active Directory Users and Computers to expand the tree, double-click the reskit.com domain, double-click the Accounts organizational unit (OU).
  7. Click the + next to the Headquarters OU.

Saving the Software Installation Snap-in Tool

As you go through this guide, you may want to save changes to the MMC console.

To save your changes:

  1. In the MMC console, click Save on the Console menu.
  2. In the Save dialog box, type SIM Tool in the File name text box, and then click Save.

Your snap-in will look similar to Figure 1 below.


Figure 1. Software Installation Snap-In

Creating a Group Policy Object

If you have already completed the Step-by-Step Guide to Understanding the Group Policy Feature Set, then you may have already created the necessary Group Policy objects (GPOs).

To create a Group Policy Object (GPO):

  1. In the Software Installation snap-in tool you just saved (SIM Tool console), in the console tree, double-click Active Directory Users and Computers, double-click reskit.com, and then double-click Accounts.
  2. Right-click Headquarters, and select Properties from the context menu.
  3. In the Headquarters Properties dialog box, click the Group Policy tab, and then click New.
  4. Type HQ Policy. This creates a new Group Policy object called HQ Policy.

At this point, you could add another GPO—giving each one that you create a meaningful name—or you could choose to edit a GPO, which starts the Group Policy and Software Installation snap-ins. If you have more than one GPO associated with an Active Directory folder, verify the order; a GPO that is higher in the list is processed first.

  1. Click Close.

Best Practice:Consider using security descriptors (DACLs) on the GPO to increase the granularity of software management for your organization.

To close the Software Installation snap-in:

  1. In the SIM Tool console, click Save on the Console menu.
  2. Click Exit on the Console menu.

To edit a Group Policy Object (GPO):

  1. Log on to the HQ-RES-DC-01 server as an administrator.
  2. Click Start, point to Programs, click Administrative Tools, and then click SIM Tool.
  3. In the SIM Tool console, double-click Active Directory Users and Computers, double-click reskit.com, and then double-click Accounts.
  4. Right-click Headquarters, and select Properties from the context menu. In the Headquarters Properties dialog box, click the Group Policy tab. Right-click HQ Policy in the Group Policy Object Links list box, and click Edit. This opens the Group Policy snap-in.
  5. In the Group Policy snap-in, under Computer Configuration node, double-click Software Settings.
  6. In the console tree, under the User Configuration node, double-click Software Settings.

You have opened the Software Installation snap-in for the HQ Policy GPO. Your snap-in should look like Figure 2 below.


Figure 2. Group Policy Snap-In

You can use the Software Settings node in the console tree under HQ Policy and Computer Configuration to assign an application to computers that are managed by this GPO. You use the Software Settings node under the User Configuration node to assign or publish an application to users who are managed by this GPO.

Configuring the Software Installation Defaults for a Group Policy Object

You can configure default settings for Software Installation on a per-Group Policy Object (GPO) basis.

To specify software installation defaults for the selected Group Policy object, you use the Software Installation Properties dialog box, shown below in Figure 3. This section explains some of the available options.


Figure 3. The Software Installation Properties page

Setting Options for New Packages and Installation User Interface

To control what happens when you add a new package to the selected GPO, you use the General tab in the Software Installation Properties dialog box, and set options in the New packages frame. The default behavior is that the Deploy Software dialog box appears each time, and the administrator can select one of the choices from that dialog box.

If you are going to deploy several packages to a GPO as published without transforms, you can select Publish in the New Packages frame, and every package that is deployed is automatically published. If you are going to add a package with a transform (customization or .mst file), you must select Advanced published or assigned.

Note: > You cannot add or change transforms (.mst files) after the software is deployed.

This setting is most useful when an administrator is adding several applications at one time. For example, if an administrator is adding five applications to this GPO and they are all to be published with no transforms, then the administrator could set this to Publish.

Similarly, the options in the Installation user interface options frame allow the administrator to set how much of the user interface (UI) the Windows Installer presents to a user during installation. The Basic UI (the default option) only presents progress bars and messages; no user choices are presented other than Cancel. The Maximum UI option shows the UI that the author of the Windows Installer package defined.

Setting Options for Categories

When an organization has a large amount of software to manage, administrators can create categories for software. These categories can then be used to filter the software in the Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel. For example, you could create a category called Productivity Applications and include software such as word processing and database management applications.

Although there is a Categories tab on the Software installation Properties dialog box, categories are established on a per-domain basis. This means the domain administrator can create and edit the categories from any of the Software installation Properties pages for any GPO in the domain. Administrators can then use these categories with software they are managing within any GPO in the domain. There are no default or supplied categories.

Best Practice: > Because Categories are established per domain rather than per GPO, an organization should standardize the Categories and create them in a centralized manner.

To configure the default settings:

  1. In the Group Policy snap-in console tree, right-click Software installation under User Configuration, and then click Properties. This opens the Software Installation Properties dialog box. You use this dialog box to set defaults for software installation in the current GPO. You can set the default package location to the network location of the software distribution point you created earlier. Then you do not have to browse for each package that you add.
  2. In the Software installation Properties dialog box, click Browse.
    You need to browse for the software distribution point you created in the previous section  relative to the network share location, rather than the local drive on the server. This ensures that you are managing software from the network share location that users can access. Users cannot access the package from the local drive of the server.
  3. In the Browse for Folder dialog box, click the plus sign (+) next to My Network Places, double-click Entire Network, double-click Microsoft Windows Network, and then double-click reskit.com.
  4. Double-click HQ-RES-DC-01, click Managed Applications, and then click OK.

Note: > The exact navigation above may differ on your network. Be sure that you are pointing to the software distribution point relative to the network rather than relative to the local drive on the server.

  1. In the Software Installation Properties dialog box, click the General tab, select the Display the Deploy Software dialog box (default) in the New Packages field, and select Basic (default) in the Installation user interface options field.
  2. In the Software installation Properties dialog box, click the Categories tab. Click Add.
  3. In the Enter new category dialog box, type Productivity Applications in the Category text box, and then click OK. In the Categories tab, click Add.
  4. In the Enter new category dialog box, type System Applications in the Category text box, and then click OK. Click OK.

Later, if you want to change these defaults or add additional categories for the organization, you can return to the Software installation Properties dialog box. As mentioned previously, categories are per-domain, not per GPO.

At this point you can either close the Software Installation snap-in or proceed with the scenarios described next.

Software Installation and Maintenance Scenarios

Scenarios Covered in this Document

This guide covers a few basic scenarios for Software Installation and Maintenance, including:

  • Assigning repackaged Microsoft Word 97 (to users).
  • Publishing Microsoft Excel 97 (using a .zap file).
  • Removing Excel 97.
  • Upgrading Word 97 to Microsoft Office 2000 (using an Office 2000 transform).
  • Assigning Windows 2000 to a computer (a new build).

As the packages for these applications are not included, you may have to modify the step-by-step guide. You may use applications that either natively support the Windows Installer or that you have repackaged for the Windows Installer.

Please note that this guide does not describe all of the possible Software Installation and Maintenance scenarios. You should use this guide to gain an understanding of Software Installation and Maintenance. Then  think about how your organization might use software installation and the other IntelliMirror features to reduce TCO.

Note> If you completed the Group Policy step-by-step guide, it may be necessary to undo some of the Group Policy to complete this guide. For example, the Loopback policy disables the ability to access the Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel.

Assigning Repackaged Word

Whether publishing or assigning software, the basic steps are fundamentally the same. This guide presents a scenario for assigning a repackaged version of Microsoft Word 97 for users.

This procedure assumes that you have already created a Word97 folder in the software distribution point created earlier, and that you are using a repackaged version of Microsoft Word 97.

Note: > To assign to users, start in the Group Policy snap-in User Configuration node. To assign to computers, start in the Computer Configuration node.

To assign repackaged Word or other software:

  1. Log on to the HQ-RES-DC-01 server as an administrator.
  2. Click Start, point to Programs, click Administrative Tools, and then click SIM Tool.
  3. In the SIM Tool console, double-click Active Directory Users and Computers, double-click reskit.com, and then double-click Accounts.
  4. Right-click Headquarters, and select Properties from the context menu. In the Headquarters Properties dialog box, click the Group Policy tab. Right-click HQ Policy in the Group Policy Object Links list box, and click Edit to open the Group Policy snap-in.
  5. In the Group Policy snap-in, under User Configuration, double-click Software Settings, right-click Software installation, and then select New from the context menu. Click Package.
  6. In the Open dialog box, click the Word97 folder.
  7. You need to substitute the folder for the software you are going to deploy, from the software distribution point you created earlier.
  8. Click Open. Click Word, and click Open. In the Deploy Software dialog, click Assigned, and then click OK.

Note: > If you are going to deploy a Windows Installer package with a transform, you have to select Configure package properties in the Deploy Software dialog so that you can associate the transform with the package. Make any other changes to the properties at this point, before you press OK to either assign or publish the software.

The application is added to the Software Installation snap-in as assigned. After the application is assigned, you can right-click the application entry in the details pane to view the assigned applications property pages.

The application is assigned to all the users managed by the Headquarters GPO.

Verifying the Effect of Assigning Word

To verify the effect of assigning Word 97 to the Headquarters GPO, you can log on to Windows 2000 Professional as a user who is managed by the Headquarters OU. (If you are using the common infrastructure, you could log on to the client as elizabeth@reskit.com, for example.)

When you log on to Windows 2000 Professional, you should see a Microsoft Word icon on the Start menu.

If you select Word, the Windows Installer installs Word for you. While the installation is proceeding, you should see a progress indicator from the Windows Installer. When the installation is complete, Word starts and you can edit a document.

If the software installation becomes damaged, then the next time the user selects Word from the Start menu, if all the key files as defined in the Windows Installer package for Word are present, Word starts. If a key file is missing or damaged, the Windows Installer repairs Word and then starts it.

Publishing Legacy Excel

To publish Excel 97 without repackaging it for the Windows Installer, you must first create a .zap file for Excel. Use the .zap file example in the appendix as a model. You also need to create a folder for Excel97 in the software distribution point you created earlier.

Open the Software Installation snap-in saved previously, and edit the Headquarters GPO. (See the steps in the preceding section.) When you are ready to publish Excel 97, the snap-in should look like it did when you assigned Word 97 in the previous section.

To publish Excel:

  1. In the SIM Tool console, double-click Active Directory Users and Computers, double-click reskit.com, and then double-click Accounts.
  2. Right-click Headquarters, and click Properties.
  3. In the Headquarters Properties dialog box, click the Group Policy tab, click the HQ Policy GPO, and then click Edit to open the Group Policy snap-in.

In the Group Policy snap-in console tree, under User Configuration, double-click Software Settings, right-click Software installation, and then select New from the context menu. Click Package.

  1. In the Open dialog box, click the Excel97 folder, and click Open.

In the Files of type combo box, click the down arrow, and then click ZAW Down-level applications package (*.zap). Click Excel97, and click Open.

  1. In the Deploy Software dialog box, the Publish option is already selected, click OK.

Excel 97 is published to the users managed by the Headquarters GPO.

Because a ZAP file publishes the existing Setup, the Setup will not run with elevated privileges. Therefore, you will need to supply administrative privileges during the Setup. This can be done by using the Install Program as Other User dialog box. Accessing this dialog is controlled by policy. A policy called Request credentials for network installations is available in the Group Policy snap-in, under User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Windows Explorer. If enabled,this policy displays the Install Program As Other User dialog box even when a program is being installed from files on a network computer across a local area network. For more information, see the Explain tab on this policy property page.

To set the Request Credentials for network installations policy:

  1. In the SIM Tool console, navigate to the Headquarters OU, and then right-click Headquarters and click Properties.
  2. In the Headquarters Properties dialog box, double-click the HQ Policy GPO to open the Group Policy snap-in.
  3. In the Group Policy snap-in, under User Configuration, click the + next to Administrative Templates.
  4. In the Request credentials for network installations dialog box, click Enabled, and click OK. Close the Group Policy snap-in
  5. In the Headquarters Properties dialog box, click OK.
  6. In the SIM Tool console, click Save on the Console menu. Click Exit on the Console menu.

Verifying the Effects of Publishing Excel 97

To verify the effect of publishing Excel 97 to the Headquarters GPO, first log on to Windows 2000 Professional as a user who is managed by the Headquarters OU. (If you are using the common infrastructure, you could log on as elizabeth@reskit.com, for example.)

To confirm the effects of publishing Excel 97:

  1. Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Add/Remove Programs.
  2. In the Add/Remove Programs dialog box shown in Figure 4 below, click Add New Programs.

Note: > Word 97, which was assigned, is listed in the Add/Remove Programs dialog box. This is so that users can add or remove the assigned program if they need to. Even if a user removes the assigned application, it is available for installation again the next time the user logs on.


Figure 4. Add/Remove Excel 97

  1. Select Microsoft Excel 97 from the Add programs from your network list, and click Add.

    You should see the Install Program As Other User dialog box shown in Figure 5 below because you are installing a non-Windows Installer based application.


    Figure 5. Install Program as Other User
  2. In the Install Program As Other User dialog box, click Run the program as the following user, type Administrator in the User Name text box, and type the domain name (reskit) in the Domain box. If you have an Administrator password set for this computer, you must enter this as well.
  3. Click OK.

    Excel now installs using the original Setup program. You should follow the instructions in the original Setup UI to complete the installation. After you have installed Excel, you can close the application.
  4. Close Add/Remove Programs, and then close Control Panel.
  5. Log off Windows 2000 Professional.

To remove Excel 97:

  1. In the SIM Tool console, double-click Active Directory Users and Computers, double-click reskit.com, and then double-click Accounts.
  2. Right-click Headquarters, and click Properties.
  3. In the Headquarters Properties dialog box, click the Group Policy tab, click the HQ Policy GPO, and then click Edit to open the Group Policy snap-in.
  4. In the details pane, right-click Microsoft Excel 97, and select All Tasks from the context menu.
  5. Click Remove.
  6. In the Remove Package dialog box, click Yes.

    Note: > Because Excel 97 was installed using a .zap file, you do not have the option to force the removal as you would with a Windows Installer file.

    Microsoft Excel 97 no longer appears in the details pane.
  7. Log on to the Windows 2000 Professional as the Local Administrator (remember, Excel was installed as Administrator in the preceding scenario).
  8. Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Add/Remove Programs.
  9. In the Add/Remove Programs dialog box, click the Microsoft Excel 97 entry in the Change or Remove Programs frame, and then click Change/Remove.
  10. The Excel 97 Setup program starts. In the Microsoft Excel 97 Setup dialog box, click Remove All.
  11. When Setup prompts you about removing Microsoft Excel 97, click Yes. Click OK.
  12. Close Add/Remove Programs, and then close Control Panel. Log off Windows 2000 Professional.

Upgrade Microsoft Word 97 to Office 2000 With a Transform

Office 2000 comes with a Windows Installer package natively authored. Before performing this upgrade, use the Office 2000 Customization Wizard to create a transform. You must substitute the name of your transform in this scenario.

This procedure assumes that you have placed the necessary files (.msi, .mst, and so on) in a folder called Office in the software distribution point.

To upgrade Word 97 to Office 2000

  1. In the SIM Tool console, double-click Active Directory Users and Computers, double-click reskit.com, and then double-click Accounts.
  2. Right-click Headquarters, and click Properties.
  3. In the Headquarters Properties dialog box, click the Group Policy tab, click the HQ Policy GPO, and then click Edit to open the Group Policy snap-in.
  4. In the Group Policy snap-in, under User Configuration, double-click Software Settings, right-click Software installation, click New, and then click Package.
  5. In the Open dialog box, click the Office folder, and click Open. Select the Office 2000 Windows Installer package (data1.msi), and click Open.
  6. In the Deploy Software dialog box, click Advanced published or assigned, and click OK.
  7. In the Microsoft Office 2000 Properties dialog box, click the Modifications tab, and click Add.
  8. In the Open dialog box, click Office, and then click Open. Select the Office 2000 transform (.mst), and click Open.

Note: > It is important that you do not click OK until you have set all the options for the modifications.

  1. In the Microsoft Office 2000 Properties dialog box, click the Upgrades tab, and click Add.
  2. In the Add Upgrade Package dialog box, Microsoft Word 97 should be highlighted in the Package to Upgrade list box. If not, click it to select it. Click Uninstall the existing package, then install the upgrade package, and then click OK.
  3. In the Microsoft Office 2000 Properties dialog box, click the Required Upgrade for existing packages checkbox. Do not click OK yet.
  4. In the Microsoft Office 2000 Properties dialog box, click the Deployment tab, click Assigned in the Deployment type field, and accept the default option (Basic) in the Installation user interface options field.

    Review all the tabs to make sure you have edited all the properties and you are ready to assign the upgrade. Click OK.

Office 2000 with the transform is added to the Software Installation snap-in. The snap-in should now show Office 2000 as assigned, and it should show an upgrade relationship between Word 97 and Office 2000.

At this point, if you log on to Windows 2000 as a user in the HQ Policy GPO, you should see Word 97 being removed, the start of the upgrade. When you select any of the Office icons from the Start menu, you install Office 2000 to complete the upgrade.

Assigning Windows 2000 to a Computer Upgrading Windows 2000

You can upgrade Windows 2000 to the release version.

Note: > The operating system build being upgraded must be older than the build you are upgrading to.

If you completed the Group Policy guide before this, you may have turned off applying Group Policy to computers. If this is the case, you need to change this before this Software Installation policy can be applied on the computers.

In this scenario, you assign the upgrade of Windows 2000 to computers managed by a policy created for the Desktops OU under Resources. You could just as easily publish it for users.

The RES-WKS-01 computer should be in the Desktops OU. If it is not, you need to move it to one of the OUs under the Resources OU. You can move the computer by highlighting it in the details pane of the Active Directory Users and Computers Snap-in and then selecting Move from the context menu.

Note: > To deploy the Winnt32.msi package, you need to modify the Unattend.txt file to include the Windows 2000 CD key information. Otherwise, the Setup program would ask for this information in a non-interactive desktop and wait indefinitely.

  1. Open the SIM Tool console you created earlier.
  2. Double-click Active Directory Users and Computers, double-click reskit.com, and then double-click Resources.
  3. Right-click Desktops, and click Properties.
  4. Click the Group Policy tab, click New, and type Desktop OS Upgrades. Press Enter. Click Edit.
  5. In the Group Policy snap-in, under Computer Configuration, double-click Software Settings.
  6. Right-click Software installation, click New, and then click Package.
  7. Browse to the network to the software distribution point that has the Windows 2000 files.

Note: > You may want to place the Windows 2000 CD in the CD drive of the server, and share the CD-ROM drive as the software distribution point for these files. This saves having to copy all the files to the software distribution point, although if the CD-ROM drive is not fast, the install may take longer.

  1. Click the i386 folder, click Open, click WINNT32 (.msi file), and then click Open.
  2. In the Deploy Software dialog box, the Assigned option on the Deploy Software dialog box is already selected. Click OK.
  3. Close the Group Policy snap-in, then in the Desktop Properties dialog box, click Close in the Group Policy page.
  4. In the SIM Tool console, click Save on the Console menu, and then click Exit on the Console menu.

At this point you should restart the RES-WKS-01 computer. When you do, the normal shutdown and startup messages are displayed.

Eventually, in the Windows 2000 Professional startup dialogs you should see the following messages:

Applying Software Installation settings_

Followed by:

Windows Installer installing managed software Windows 2000 Professional_

The computer restarts and continues the upgrade.

Important Notes

The example company, organization, products, people, and events depicted in these guides are fictitious. No association with any real company, organization, product, person, or event is intended or should be inferred.

This common infrastructure is designed for use on a private network. The fictitious company name and DNS name used in the common infrastructure are not registered for use on the Internet. Please do not use this name on a public network or Internet.

The Microsoft Active DirectoryTM structure for this common infrastructure is designed to show how Microsoft Windows 2000 Change and Configuration Management works and functions with the Active Directory. It was not designed as a model for configuring an Active Directory for any organization—for such information see the Active Directory documentation.

Appendix – An Excel 97 .Zap File

Below is an example .zap file for Microsoft Excel 97.

Use notepad to create the following text file and save it as excel.zap in the network folder that contains the Excel 97 setup program. The comments (any line that starts with ';') explain what each entry in the file is for.

The underscore ( _ ) is a continuation symbol, these lines should appear together on one line.

While the following example shows all of the possible entries in a ZAP file, note that many of these entries are optional.  The smallest possible ZAP file to publish Excel 97 using the existing setup would be:

[Application]
FriendlyName = "Microsoft Excel 97"
SetupProgram = \\servername\sharename\Excel 97\setup.exe

; ZAP file for Microsoft Excel 97

[Application]

; Only FriendlyName and SetupCommand are required,

; everything else is optional

 

; FriendlyName is the name of the application that

; will appear in the software installation snap-in

; and the Add/Remove Programs Control Panel.

; REQUIRED

FriendlyName = "Microsoft Excel 97"

 

; SetupCommand is the command line that we use to

; Run the application setup. If it is a relative

; path, it is assumed to be relative to the

; location of the ZAP file.

; Long file name paths need to be quoted. For example:

; SetupCommand = "long folder\setup.exe" /unattend

; or

; SetupCommand = "\\server\share\long _

; folder\setup.exe" /unattend

; REQUIRED

 

SetupCommand = setup.exe

; Version of the application that will appear

; in the software installation snap-in and the

; Add/Remove Programs Control Panel.

; OPTIONAL

DisplayVersion = 8.0

 

; Manufacturer of the application that will appear

; in the Software Installation Snap-in and the

; Add/Remove Programs Control Panel.

; OPTIONAL

Publisher = Microsoft

 

; URL for application information that will appear

; in the Software Installation Snap-in and the

; Add/Remove Programs Control Panel.;

; OPTIONAL

URL = http://www.microsoft.com/office

 

; Language for the application, in this case US

; English.

; OPTIONAL

LCID = 1033

 

; Architecture, in this case, Intel.

; OPTIONAL

Architecture = intel

 

; the [ext] [CLSIDs] and [progIDs] sections are

; all optional

 

[ext]

; File extensions for which this application ; will "auto-install". They are not required if you

; do not want the application to auto-install. This

; entire section is OPTIONAL.

 

; Note: You can put a dot in front of the file

; extension. Text > after the first = is optional and

; ignored, but the first = is required (or the whole

; line will be ignored).

XLS=

XLA=

XLB=

XLC=

XLM=

XLV=

XLW=

 

[CLSIDs]

; CLSIDs that this application will "auto-install"

; for. This entire section is OPTIONAL.

; Format is CLSID with LocalServer32,

; InprocServer32, and/or InprocHandler32 (in a

; comma separated list) after the =.

 

{00024500-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}=LocalServer32

{00020821-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}=LocalServer32

{00020811-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}=LocalServer32

{00020810-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}=LocalServer32

{00020820-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}=LocalServer32

{00020820-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}=LocalServer32

 

[progIDs]

; progIDs that this application will "auto-install"

; for. This entire section is OPTIONAL.

 

; format is a CLSID, with the corresponding progid

; listed after the = sign

{00024500-0000-0000-C000- _

000000000046}=Excel.Application

{00024500-0000-0000-C000- _

000000000046}=Excel.Application.8

{00020821-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}=Excel.Chart

{00020811-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}=Excel.Chart.5

{00020821-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}=Excel.Chart.8

{00020810-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}=Excel.Sheet.5

{00020820-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}=Excel.Sheet.8

{00020820-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}=Excel.Sheet

{00020820-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}=Excel.Template

{00020820-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}=Excel.Workspace

This feature information was obtained from the Microsoft Windows 2000 website at http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000 and are linked from ActiveWin.com for your convenience and is subject to Microsoft's copyright. For the most accurate information please visit the official site.


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