Migrating PGC Applications

When you upgrade from SMS 1.2 to SMS 2.0, all packages except the PGC packages (called packages set up for sharing in SMS 1.2) are automatically migrated to SMS 2.0 format. Because the PGC packages are more complicated, they are not automatically migrated. This added complexity stems from the fact that SMS 1.2 handles the following tasks:

Keeps the server list for the shared application.
Provides shortcuts and desktop icons for clients that point to the server in order to run the program.
Handles necessary registry keys on the client.
Automatically installs and removes the applications based on the user group membership of the logged-on user.

When upgrade from SMS 1.2 to SMS 2.0, you can use the PGC Migration Wizard or the Setstart client installation script to provide similar or better solutions with SMS 2.0.

There are three categories of PGC applications that you can migrate:

Category 1

Category 1 applications, such as Microsoft Office 4.2, rely on SMS to handle server lists, registry keys, and desktop shortcuts.

When you upgrade your site server and database from SMS 1.2 to SMS 2.0, Category 1 applications become nonfunctional and the desktop icons disappear. This happens because in SMS 1.2, PGC provides the shortcuts and interacts with the execution of each application.

For Category 1 applications, you need to distribute a client installation script to all clients that use the application, but you might not need to replicate the application image to all the distribution points, because some of the distribution points may already contain the server application. There is no need to re-distribute the application image if there are no changes. However, you should be sure the Setstart client installation script is in the directory where you want the application to run, if you plan to use Setstart to recreate shortcuts to these applications.

For Category 1 applications, migration must include replacing the shortcuts on the client desktops, replacing registry keys, and handling server lists. Often this requires the use of repackaging tools such as SMS Installer.

Category 2

Category 2 applications, such as Microsoft Office 97, handle their own installation, server lists, registry keys, and desktop shortcuts.

Category 2 applications continue to function as normal after an upgrade.

For a Category 2 application, you do not need to distribute a client installation script to existing clients, but you should create one to advertise to new clients. You only need a server program for new distribution points or for distribution points in need of repair. If you have a copy of the application image on the site server, you can use it to refresh the package source files.

For Category 2 applications, migration consists of handling new clients and servers as they are added to the site, and preparing for new versions of applications and new installation technology (such as Microsoft Office 2000 and Windows Installer).

Category 3

Category 3 applications are repackaged applications that handle their own installation, but let PGC manage the program shortcuts.

When you upgrade, Category 3 applications become hidden to the users because PGC is not there to create the shortcuts, but these applications are still configured on the computer.

Category 3 applications should migrate to SMS 2.0 with few changes.

When you upgrade from SMS 1.2 to SMS 2.0, you can migrate all of your PGC applications using one of the following methods:

Use the Program Group Control (PGC) Migration Wizard shipped with this Resource Kit. This method is best for low risk applications such as Category 2 and Category 3 applications.
Use the PGC Migration Wizard in addition to repackaging tools to bundle the application into a form that does not rely on an SMS 1.2 wrapper program. (A wrapper program is a script that performs administrative tasks and then calls the original program.) This method is best for high risk applications such as Category 1 applications.
Use the Setstart client installation script provided on the Microsoft BackOffice 4.5 Resource Kit CD-ROM and modify it for your installation. This method is best for certain applications that have minimal dependencies on the SMS 1.2 wrapper programs.

Or, you can recreate your shared applications in SMS 2.0 rather than migrating them from SMS 1.2. For example, if you migrate the application, and the resulting package does not run successfully, you might prefer to simply recreate the installation package in SMS 2.0 rather than troubleshoot the failed migration.

Note Because many of the features and methods described for supporting shared applications are not supported on 16-bit clients, this chapter considers only 32-bit clients. For information about the level of support that SMS 2.0 provides for 16-bit software distribution, see Chapter 12, “Distributing Software,” in the SMS 2.0 Administrator’s Guide.

After you have migrated the packages, you may need to distribute a new application image or new programs to clients and servers in your site. Whether or not you need to do this depends on the nature of your application, as explained earlier. If you place packages on the SMS 2.0 distribution points prior to an upgrade to SMS 2.0, they will still be available for clients to access, provided the clients have the appropriate shortcuts.