Client Installation

When clients receive the advertisement, the program they execute sets up the client so that the application can be run from the distribution point. When you install client-side scripts, the following happens:

Clients run the advertised client setup program.

Each client must run the client setup program, either as an assignment or at the user’s initiation. This setup program or set of dependent programs should perform all the client-side modifications required by the application.

The distribution point used to execute the client-side setup program is selected by using one of three methods provided by SMS 2.0. For more information, see “Choosing Distribution Points” earlier in this chapter.

Clients run the application from the distribution points.

The icons and shortcuts for the application resolve directly to the program’s executables on the distribution point. They usually use uniform naming convention (UNC), such as \\Myserver\Program or, if the program requires it, a drive mapping such as I:\ that corresponds to the UNC entry, so SMS is not involved in the further execution of the program. Therefore, if the program requires a drive letter connection to the distribution point, the connections must be maintained outside of SMS. However, setting the proper drive mode properties in the program allows SMS to assist by specifying that the initial connections to the distribution point created to run the setup program should be marked as persistent. Persistent drive connections will be re-established by Windows each time the user logs on.

You set the drive mode for a program in the Environment tab of the Program Properties dialog box for the program by selecting the drive mode you want to use.