Using Unattended Installation Options for the Client

                 

 
Special Edition Using Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server
By Robert Ferguson

Table of Contents
Chapter 7.  Installation And Configuration


As an administrator, you have several options to choose from when it comes to installing the client components on many systems throughout your enterprise. Some of the options are listed below::

  • Using Client Components for SharePoint Portal Server setup wizard, which guides you through the installation process. This is a manual process and is normally used to install the client components on a small number of computers.

  • Using Systems Management Server to automatically install a client remotely on multiple computers in your organization. Microsoft System Management Server is a separate tool and requires an installation script to be created. The tool is just the push mechanism to deploy the software installation script as a package.

  • Windows Installer is another automated deployment tool. This is the tool that allows the installation process to be executed in an unattended manner by launching an executable. Windows Installer scripts can be deployed using SMS.

  • Active Directory service to control and enable the SharePoint Portal Server client setup program available to your users automatically in Control Panel under Add/Remove Programs. This process allows the user or administrator to publish and expose applications to groups of users through traditional Windows 2000 security.

Client Installation Failure

Ensure the client computer meets these installation requirements:

  • Internet Explorer 5 or later is required.

  • Outlook Express 5 or later is required.

  • The client components do not install on Windows 95.

  • Only Windows NT version 4.0, with SP6A or later, is acceptable.

  • You must be the administrator.

Recurring Installation Errors

If you experience recurring errors, a detailed log file can help you diagnose the problem.

To run setup with a detailed log file, perform these steps.

  1. Go to the directory containing setup.exe for the client components.

  2. On the taskbar, click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Command Prompt.

  3. Type setup /L*v " path_and_file_name_for_the_log_file " .

    For example, if you want to store the log file named clientsetup.log in the Client Setup directory on drive C, type setup /L*v "C:\Client Setup\clientsetup.log".

If you require assistance interpreting the information in the log file, you can call Microsoft Product Support Services.

Uninstalling or Repairing Client Components

You can uninstall or repair client components of SharePoint Portal Server by using Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel, or the command line.

To remove or repair the client components by using the command line

  1. On the taskbar, click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Command Prompt .

  2. Type " path \setup" switch " path \SPSClient.msi" where path is the path to the setup.exe and SPSClient.msi files. Use the /x switch to uninstall the client components. Use the /f switch to repair the client components.

    For example, to remove the client components, where setup.exe and SPSClient.msi are in E:\Client Files, you would type

     "E:\Client Files\setup" /x "E:\Client Files\SPSClient.msi" 

    To repair the components in the preceding example, you would type

     "E:\Client Files\setup" /f "E:\Client Files\SPSClient.msi" 

The User's Help (webfoldr.chm) file remains when you uninstall the client components. It replaces the original Web folders Help file.

If you have removed one or more of the installation prerequisites, you cannot uninstall or repair the client components unless you disable the prerequisite check.

This can be accomplished by adding DISABLEPREREQ=1 to the command line. To disable the prerequisite check in the preceding examples

  • When removing the client components, you would type

     "E:\Client Files\setup" /x "E:\Client Files\SPSClient.msi" DISABLEPREREQ=1 
  • When repairing the client components, you would type

     "E:\Client Files\setup" /f "E:\Client Files\SPSClient.msi" DISABLEPREREQ=1 

Using Systems Management Server (SMS)

To install the client components on multiple computers, SharePoint Portal Server provides a .pdf file that can be used with SMS. This file is called SPSClient.pdf and is located in the Client directory on the SharePoint Portal Server CD, and in Program Files\SharePoint Portal Server\ClientDrop\Languages\ Lang, where Lang corresponds to the language of the client.

For more information, see the SMS product documentation.

After you have installed the client components, you must add a Web folder that points to the workspace. The address of the workspace is http://server_name/workspace_name.

Using Windows Installer

Windows installer uses industry standard .msi files. Once the .msi files are created, you can manually launch an installation script from the command prompt. For example, let's assume that the SharePoint Portal Server client installation script was created as an .msi SPScleint.msi. To use Windows Installer, perform the following steps:

  1. Click Start, and then click Run .

  2. In Open , type msiexec /qn /I " path \SPSClient.msi" .

    The quotation marks are required only if the path contains spaces. For example, if SPSClient.msi is on a file share called ServerName\SharePoint Portal Server Client Setup, quotation marks are required because of the spaces in "SharePoint Portal Server Client Setup." You would type msiexec /qn /I \\\\ServerName\\SharePoint Portal Server Client Setup\\SPSClient.msi.

    NOTE

    If your operating system is Windows 98 and Windows Installer is present, include the path to msiexec.exe. For example, if msiexec.exe is located in C:\Windows\System, type C:\Windows\System\msiexec /qn /I "C:\SharePoint Portal Server Client\SPSClient.msi".

    You can also add the directory that contains msiexec.exe to the system path. Adding the directory to the local path will avoid having to type out the entire directory.

  3. Click OK. SharePoint Portal Server installs the client without displaying user interface messages. This is an unattended installation process.

  4. After you have installed the client components, you must add a Web folder that points to the workspace. The address of the workspace is http://server_name/workspace_name.

For more information about Windows Installer, including options other than unattended installations, see Windows Help on any computer on which Windows Installer is present.

Using Active Directory

To use Active Directory, follow these steps:

  1. On the domain controller computer, create a folder containing SPSClient.msi. You must share this folder.

    This file is called SPSClient.pdf and is located in the Client directory on the SharePoint Portal Server CD, and in Program Files\SharePoint Portal Server\ClientDrop\Languages\ Lang, where Lang corresponds to the language of the client.

  2. the Group Policy snap-in.

    1. On the taskbar, click Start, and then click Run .

    2. Type MMC and then click OK. The MMC console opens.

    3. On the Console menu, click Add/Remove Snap-in . The Add/Remove Snap-in dialog box appears.

    4. On the Standalone tab, click Add. The Standalone Snap-in dialog box appears.

    5. In Available Standalone Snap-ins, click Group Policy, and then click Add. The Select Group Policy Object dialog box appears.

    6. Click Browse. The Browse for a Group Policy Object dialog box appears.

    7. Click Default Domain Policy, click OK, and then click Finish.

    8. Click Close. The Group Policy snap-in now appears on the Standalone tab in the Add/Remove Snap-in dialog box.

    9. Click OK.

  3. the SharePoint Portal Server client package.

NOTE

Applying the package as stated will result in everyone within the domain receiving the package. You may want to add the package to a controlled group to limit who gets the package installed. If you are the SharePoint Portal Server Admin and do not have Domain Admin rights, you will need to work with the domain administrator to perform these tasks .


To complete the process for publication the package through Active Directory, perform the following tasks:

  1. Expand the Default Domain Policy node.

  2. Expand the User Configuration node.

  3. Expand the Software Settings node.

  4. Right-click Software installation, point to New, and then click Package.

  5. Browse to the folder you created in step 1, and double-click SPSClient.msi. The Deploy Software dialog box appears.

  6. Click Published, and then click OK .

At this point the package is enabled and the end user can simply install the client components through Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel.

NOTE

Remember, after installing the client components, you must add a Web folder that points to the workspace. The address of the workspace is http://server_name/workspace_name.



                 
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Special Edition Using Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server
Special Edition Using Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server
ISBN: 0789725703
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2002
Pages: 286

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