KACE Systems Management Appliance 13.2 Common Documents

Standard EXE example

Examples of common deployments on Windows

The most common Managed Installation package deployments are MSI, EXE, and ZIP files.

Standard MSI example

Using MSI files is an easy, self-contained way to deploy software to Windows devices. If your MSI file requires no special transformation or customization, the deployment is straightforward.

MSI files require a /i switch when using other switches with an install.

The appliance parameter line does not require the filename or msiexec syntax. Only the /* input is required:

/qn /I (Correct)

msiexec /I /qn (Incorrect)

NOTE: To use parameters with MSI files, all your target devices must have the same version of Windows Installer (available from Microsoft). Some switches might not be active on older versions. The most up-to-date version of Windows Installer can be distributed to devices from the appliance.

TIP: If you are using Windows Installer 3.0 or higher, you can identify the supported parameters by selecting the Run program available from the Start menu. Enter msiexec in the pop-up window. A window that shows the supported parameters list appears.

Standard EXE example

EXE files are similar to MSI files with one exception.

EXE files differ from MSI files as follows: /I is not required in the Run Parameters line when using an EXE file.

When using an executable file, it is often helpful to identify switch parameters for a quiet or silent installation. To switch parameters, specify /? in the Run Parameters field.

Create Managed Installations for ZIP files

Deploying software using a ZIP file is a convenient way to package software when multiple files are required to deploy a title.

For example, a software title might require a setup.exe file, configuration files, and data files. If you have a CD-ROM that contains a group of files required to install a particular application, you can package them together in a ZIP file and upload them to the appliance for deployment.

NOTE: The KACE Agent automatically runs deployment packages with MSI and EXE extensions.

NOTE: In addition, you can create a ZIP archive that contains many files and direct the appliance to unpack the archive and run a specific file. Place the name of the file that you want to run in the command (executable) field within the deployment package (for example, runthis.exe).

To distribute applications to managed devices, you must attach the digital assets, which are the files required for installation, to applications. In addition, you must select the supported operating systems for applications. See Attach digital assets to applications and select supported operating systems.

Browse to the location that contains the necessary installation files, select all the files and create a ZIP file using a utility such as WinZIP®.

Log in to the appliance Administrator Console, https://appliance_hostname/admin. Or, if the Show organization menu in admin header option is enabled in the appliance General Settings, select an organization in the drop-down list in the top-right corner of the page next to the login information.

Create an inventory item for the target deployment.

You can do this manually from the Inventory > Software page or by installing the package on a device that regularly connects to the appliance. See About the Software page.

Associate the ZIP file with the inventory item and upload it to the appliance:

On the left navigation bar, click Distribution, then click Managed Installations.

Select Choose Action > New.

Select the application title that the ZIP file is associated with from the Software drop-down list. To see all application titles, clear the check box Only display records with an associated file.

In the Run Parameters field, specify the complete command with arguments.

For example: setup.exe /qn

Specify additional settings as needed.

See Create Managed Installations for Windows devices.

Click Save.

Create Managed Installations for RPM files

You can create Managed Installations to deploy software on Linux-based devices using RPM files.

Go to the Managed Installation Detail page:

On the left navigation bar, click Distribution, then click Managed Installations.

Select Choose Action > New.

In the Software drop-down list, select a software title. To search for a title, begin typing in the Software field.

By default, the KACE Agent attempts to install the RPM file using the following command. In general, this command is sufficient to install a new package or update an existing one to a new version:

rpm -U packagename.rpm

If you select a ZIP, TGZ, or TAR.GZ file, the content is unpacked, and the root directory is searched for all RPM files. The installation command runs against each of these files. The appliance finds all RPM files at the top level of an archive automatically, so you can install more than one package at a time. You can also create an archive containing a shell script and then specify that script name as the full command. The appliance runs that command if it is found; otherwise, the appliance logs an error.

Default parameters are used unless you specify parameters in the Run Parameters field.

You can specify wildcards in the filenames you use. If the filename contains spaces, enclose it in single or double quotation marks. The files are extracted into a directory in /tmp and it becomes the current working directory of the command.

NOTE: On Red Hat Linux, if you only want to run your script, you do not need to include any other files in your archive.

If the path environment variable of your root account does not include the current working directory, and you want to run a shell script or other executable that you have included inside an archive, specify the relative path to the executable in the Full Command Line field. The command runs inside a directory alongside the files that have been extracted.

For example, to run a shell script called installThis.sh, package it alongside an RPM file, and then enter the command: ./installThis.sh in the Installation Command field. If you archive it inside another directory, the Installation Command field is:

./dir/filename.sh

Both these examples, as well as some other appliance functions, assume that sh is in the root's path. If you are using another scripting language, you might need to specify the full path to the command processor you want to run in the installation command, such as:

/bin/sh ./filename.sh

Include appropriate arguments for an unattended, batch script.

If you select the uninstall check box in the MI detail, the KACE Agent runs the following command on either your standalone RPM file or each RPM file it finds in the archive, removing the packages automatically:

//usr/sbin/rpm -e packagename.rpm

The package is removed only if the archive or package has been downloaded to the device. If you select the Uninstall Using Full Command Line check box, specify a full command line in the Installation Command field to ensure the correct removal command runs on the correct package. Because no package is downloaded in this case, specify the path in the installation database where the package receipt is stored.

If your package requires additional options, provide the following information:

Option

Description

Name

A name that identifies the Managed Installation. This name appears on the Managed Installations page.

Execution

Select the most appropriate time for this package to be deployed. For the Linux platform, the options are Anytime (next available) and Disabled.

Inventory

Indicate if you want to deploy the software title from Cataloged Software or all Software by selecting one of these options.

•

To search for a specific title, begin typing in the Software or Cataloged Software field.

NOTE: Reclaiming unused software licenses only. The name of the software that you want to uninstall appears in this field by default. For more information, see Reclaim unused software licenses.

•

If you want to display only the software that has one or more associated files, select Only Display Software With an Associated File.

Associated File

A Software and Cataloged Software title can have one or more files attached to them, as needed. Indicate if you want to select a specific file associated with the selected software title.

•

Choose associated file: Select this option if you want to associate a file. You can select a file in the list. If you know the file name, start typing it in the box, and select it from the available entries in the list.

•

Do not associate file: Select this option if you do not want to associate a file.

Alternate Location

Specify a location from which files can be downloaded for a specific Managed Installation.

Path: Enter the location where the KACE Agent can retrieve digital installation files.

Checksum: Enter an alternate checksum (MD5) that matches the MD5 checksum on the remote file share. If no checksum is entered, the digital asset on the file share must match the digital asset associated with the deployment package on the appliance. Also, the target path must include the complete filename (for example,\\fileserver_one\software\adobe.exe). You can create the checksum using any tool, including KDeploy.exe, which is installed with the KACE Agent.

To create the checksum using KDeploy.exe:

On a device with the KACE Agent installed, open a command prompt or terminal window.

Go to the Quest KACE installation directory. For example:

Windows 32-bit devices: C:\Program Files\Quest\KACE

Windows 64-bit devices: C:\Program Files (x86)\Quest\KACE

Mac OS X devices: /Library/Application Support/Quest/KACE/bin

Enter the following command: KDeploy -hash=filename

Where filename is the UNC path to the file. If the path contains spaces, enclose the entire path in double quotation marks.

Press Ctrl C or Command C to copy the MD5 checksum. You can then paste it into other files, such as Notepad.

Credential: The details of the service account required to connect to the device and run commands. Select existing credentials from the drop-down list, or select Add new credential to add credentials not already listed. See Add and edit User/Password credentials.

NOTE: If the target device is part of a replication label, the appliance does not fetch applications from the alternate download location. You can edit an existing label or create a label to specify the alternate location globally. Because that label cannot be specific to any Managed Installation, you cannot specify an alternate checksum that matches the checksum on the remote file share.

See Distributing packages from alternate download locations and Replication Shares and Add or edit manual labels.

Installation Command

Installation command options.

Default Installation

Select this option if you have an RPM file and you want the appliance to run the default installation command. Linux devices use: rpm [-U | Run Parameters] "packagename.tgz"

Run Parameters: (Optional) If you select Use Default, specify the parameters to use. Run parameters are not required if you have an RPM file.

Enter a value to override (Default -U default).

For example, if you set Run Parameters to: -ivh --replacepkgs, then the command that runs on the device is:

rpm -ivh –replacepkgs package.rpm

Override Default Installation

Select this option to specify the complete command line here. If you are using an archive file, this command runs against all of the RPM files it finds.

Uninstall

Remove the package from the device using the command line. If you specified a command in the Full Command Line field, the command runs. Otherwise, the KACE Agent attempts to run the command, which is generally expected to remove the package.

Run Command Only (do not download file)

Run the command only. This does not download the actual digital asset.

Delete Downloaded Files

Delete the files when the deployment is complete.

ITNinja

Deployment tips from ITNinja. These tips are available only if you share usage data. See Configure data sharing preferences.

Specify deployment settings:

Option

Description

All Devices

Deploy to all devices. Clear the check box to limit the deployment to specific labels or devices.

Labels

Limit deployment to devices that belong to specified labels. To select labels, click Edit, drag labels to the Limit Deployment to window, then click Save.

If you select a label that has a Replication Share or an alternate download location, the appliance copies digital assets from that Replication Share or alternate download location instead of downloading them directly from the appliance.

NOTE: The appliance uses a Replication Share before it uses the KACE Alt Location.

Devices

Limit deployment to specific devices. In the drop-down list, select the devices to which you want to deploy the application. To filter the list, type a few characters in the Devices field. The number next to the field indicates the number of devices available.

NOTE: Reclaiming unused software licenses only. Any devices from which you want to remove the applicable software are listed. You can edit the list of devices, as needed. To remove the software from all devices, simply select , as described above. For more information, see Reclaim unused software licenses.

Specify the user notification settings:

Option

Description

Alert user before run

Display a message on managed devices before installation. When you select this option, the following fields appear:

•

Message: The message that appears on managed devices before installation begins. It starts with snooze options that allow the user to run the managed install at a later time.

•

Timeout: The length of time, in minutes, during which the message appears.

•

Action: The action that takes place at the end of the Initial Message Timeout period. Options include Install later or Install now. Select Install now to install the application immediately, or select Install later to postpone the installation until a user responds. Install later is useful when you want to notify users of an installation or reboot before it occurs.

Initial Message

Display a message on managed devices before installation. When you select this option, the following fields appear:

•

Message: The message that appears on managed devices before installation begins.

•

Timeout: The length of time, in minutes, during which the message appears.

•

Completion Message

Display a message on managed devices after the installation is complete. When you select this option, the following fields appear:

•

Message: The message that appears on managed devices when the installation is complete.

•

Timeout: The length of time, in minutes, during which the message appears.

Select Schedule options:

The time, in 24-hour clock format, for package deployment to start and end. The Deployment Window time affects all Action options. Also, the run intervals defined in the appliance Settings interact with or override the deployment window of specific packages.

Order

The order in which to install or uninstall applications. The lowest value is deployed first. If an install action and an uninstall action both have the same order value, the uninstall action is performed first.

NOTE: Managed Installations are always deployed in order, regardless of whether their specified software packages come from the Software Catalog or the Software list. Managed Installations with a lower deploy order always prevent other Managed Installations from running until they are successfully installed or exceed the specified retry times.

Maximum Attempts

The maximum number of attempts, between 0 and 99, to indicate the number of times the appliance tries to install the package. If you specify 0, the appliance attempts to install the package indefinitely.

Click Save.

Create Managed Installations for TAR.GZ files

Deploying software using a TAR.GZ file is a convenient way to package software when more than one file is required to deploy a particular software title.

For example, some applications require several files, such as RPM, configuration, and data files, for deployment. You can package these files together in a TAR.GZ file, upload them to your appliance, and create Managed Installations that use the TAR.GZ files.

Use the following two commands to create a TAR.GZ file:

tar –cvf filename.tar packagename.rpm

gzip filename.tar

This creates filename.tar.gz

Create an inventory item for the target deployment.

You can do this manually from the Inventory > Software page, or by installing the package on a managed device that regularly connects to the appliance. See About the Software page.

Associate the TAR.GZ file with the inventory item, and upload it to the appliance:

On the left navigation bar, click Distribution, then click Managed Installations.

Select Choose Action > New.

Select the application title with which the TAR.GZ file is associated from the Software drop-down list.

During installation, the file is uncompressed and the installation command runs against each of the RPM packages.

If no Run Parameters are provided, -U is used.

You do not need to specify a full command line. The appliance runs the installation command by itself. The Linux device tries to install using:

rpm [-U | Run Parameters] "packagename.tgz"

Optional: If you have many files, create a ZIP archive that contains them, then direct the appliance to unpack the archive and run a specific file.

To do this, place the name of the file that you want to run in the command (executable) field within the deployment package (for example, runthis.exe). Provide additional package details. See Using Managed Installations.

Click Save.

The KACE Agent automatically runs deployment packages with RPM extensions.

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KACE Systems Management Appliance 13.2 Common Documents - Administrator Guide

Standard EXE example

Examples of common deployments on Windows

Standard MSI example

Standard EXE example

Create Managed Installations for ZIP files

Create Managed Installations for ZIP files

Create Managed Installations for RPM files

Create Managed Installations for RPM files

Create Managed Installations for TAR.GZ files

Create Managed Installations for TAR.GZ files