Distribution Phase

After you have established your plan for software management and acquired the software and licenses for the software that you want to deploy, prepared package formats for the software, and performed any customization on the packages, the next step is to copy the software and your Windows Installer packages to software distribution points.

Software Distribution Points

Software distribution points are network locations from which users are able to get the software that they need.

The main task of the distribution phase is to get the software to the software distribution points. Figure 23.1 illustrates this process.

Enlarge figure

Figure 23.1 Distribution Phase of Installation Process

To copy software to a software distribution point

1. Create the folders for the software on the file server that is going to be the software distribution point, and make the folders network shares. For example:

   \\<servername>\<sharename>

2. Replicate the software to the software distribution points by placing or copying all necessary files and components to a distribution share or shares. Place each application (the package and all related installation files) in a separate folder on the software distribution point.



Note

Some software supports an administrative setup by using special commands to facilitate the creation of a software distribution point, which you can use to enter the software key once for all users and the server and share name for the software distribution point to which the files are copied.

3. Set permissions on the folders so that only administrators have read and write permissions, and users can only read the files from the software distribution point folders and shares.

Note

Windows 2000 software installation and maintenance does not address the distribution phase directly; however, you can choose to use other Windows 2000 services, such as the Distributed file system (Dfs), to manage the software distribution points during the distribution phase. For more information about managing software distributions points by using Dfs, see "Distributed File System" in this book.

Important

Software licenses are required for software that is written by independent software vendors and distributed by using software distribution points. It is your responsibility to limit the number of users who can gain access to software through software distribution points to the number of licenses that you have on hand. It is also your responsibility to verify that you are working within the guidelines that are provided by each independent software vendor.

Distributing Windows Installer Packages

Because Windows Installer is an operating system–based service, it does not matter how you actually get Windows Installer packages to the client computer. For example, if you want to distribute your application on a CD, you can burn a CD that contains the Windows Installer package, the necessary files for the software, and an Autoplay.inf file to call Windows Installer to determine whether the software is already installed. If the software is not found, it is installed from the CD.

If you are deploying software to many users in a large organization that is using Windows 2000 Server and Active Directory, and all of the workstations are using Windows 2000 Professional, you can use the software installation and maintenance feature of Windows 2000 to deploy the Windows Installer–based software. You can also use a combination of software installation and Systems Management Server to enable large-scale deployments. Table 23.5 illustrates what each method can do.

Table 23.5 Microsoft Systems Management Server and Microsoft Windows 2000 Software Distribution

Deploying Software by Using Software Installation

Windows 2000 software installation uses a pull model for software deployment, which makes software available to users as it is needed. Applications are fully installed, when a user selects a file by choosing the file name extension of an application or chooses to use a user-assigned application for the first time. However, for a satisfactory end-user experience software installation and maintenance usually requires a high-speed local area network (LAN) connection between the client computer and the distribution server where the installable software is held.

Deploying Software by Using Microsoft Systems Management Server

Microsoft® Systems Management Server version 2.0 supports a robust distribution model that you can use with Windows 2000 software installation and maintenance. You can use SMS to analyze your network infrastructure for the distribution phase and then use Windows 2000 software installation and maintenance for the targeting and installation phases of software installation.

Systems Management Server is a particularly useful tool if you are deploying software to many users in a large organization. It includes desktop management and software distribution features that significantly automate the task of upgrading software on client computers.

Systems Management Server uses a push model for software deployment, which you can use to coordinate and schedule software deployments, even arranging for off-hours distribution and installation, and to plan a single or multiple-phase rollout of software. It provides you with the ability to control and synchronize software deployments over multiple sites, helping to reduce compatibility issues that might otherwise occur.

The following are some of the areas where you might want to supplement software installation and maintenance by using Systems Management Server.

Use Systems Management Server for Non-Windows 2000–based Clients   Systems Management Server can distribute Windows Installer–based software to Windows 2000 Professional, Windows NT version 4.0, Microsoft® Windows NT® version 3.51, Windows 98, and Windows 95. You cannot centrally manage the non-Windows 2000–based computers with Group Policy settings; but with Systems Management Server, these computers benefit from the capabilities that are built into Windows Installer, such as self-repairing applications.

Use Systems Management Server to Deploy Software over Slow Links   By default, software installation and maintenance does not operate over slow network or dial-up connections. If you need to deploy software to users who can connect only over slow network links, such as mobile users, Systems Management Server provides options for doing this.

Use Systems Management Server for Software Licensing and Metering   Software installation and maintenance technology does not have the ability to license or meter software.

Use Systems Management Server to Identify Computer Configurations   Before you distribute a managed application, you can use Systems Management Server to determine current computer configurations to make sure that the appropriate computers have the necessary system requirements to run the application.

Note

Systems Management Server and Software Installation are not intended to be used in isolation. Organizations with large change and configuration management issues might want to consider a combination of both products to address their needs.

Using Remote OS Installation

The Remote OS Installation feature of Windows 2000 is designed specifically to deploy Windows 2000 Professional. It can also be used to deploy a Windows 2000 Professional operating system with preinstalled software, such as a company's standard Windows 2000 Professional–based desktop image and its base applications. Remote OS Installation can be used to install or reinstall the operating system or desktop image on computers for which the configuration is unknown or even nonoperational.

Remote Installation Services (RIS) is the software service that allows a user to install Windows 2000 Professional from a RIS server with minimal interaction. RIS servers can provide unattended system setup, as well as fast recovery and configuration of remote-boot Preboot Execution Environment (PXE)–enabled network-compatible client computers.

By using IntelliMirror and Remote OS Installation together, you can reduce the costs incurred in setting up new computers that are running Windows 2000 Professional or you can provide disaster recovery from computer failures. You can provide dynamic configuration and repair, making it easy for users to log on anywhere in the network and have access to their applications and data.

For more information about setting up a Remote Installation Services Server, see "Remote OS Installation" in this book. For more information about IntelliMirror, see "Introduction to Desktop Management" in this book.

Remote OS Installation, software installation and maintenance, and Systems Management Server each perform a complementary range of change and configuration management tasks. Table 23.6 shows how each can be used separately or in combination in order to provide specific management functions:

Table 23.6 Management Function and the Deployment Service to Use

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