[wpkg-users] Installs from start to finish....

[K.E.Jones at bton.ac.uk]

Hiya,

> -----Original Message-----
> From: wpkg-users-bounces at lists.wpkg.org [mailto:wpkg-users-
> bounces at lists.wpkg.org] On Behalf Of Berge Schwebs Bjørlo
> Sent: 16 October 2008 11:03
> To: wpkg-users at lists.wpkg.org
> Subject: Re: [wpkg-users] Installs from start to finish....
> 
> On Wed, Oct 15, 2008 at 04:37:04PM -0400, Kevin Landers wrote:
> > I am curious as to whether or not wpkg could then be set to install,
> run
> > and install each application needed on that machine in turn. I would
> > imagine there would be a need for reboots. There would be multiple
> > applications such as office suite, virus scanner, firewalls, etc.
> 
> FWIW, we use a method similar to Rainer Meier's method, but started in
> a
> different way. We've made a (rather hackish, but effective) unattended
> Windows installation suite (which boots Linux off PXE, mounts an
> installation
> share, partitions disks and run Windows Setup in dosemu). Windows Setup
> is
> fed with a file called unattend.txt - among other things, it installs
> WPKG
> Client late in the process (with [UserParams] and UserExecute), but
> before
> the last reboot. Thus, WPKG runs at the last reboot and installs an
> office
> suite, virus scanner and other useful stuff.
> 

 and another similar (but probably convoluted!) method :-)

 I'm currently using a Win PE 2.0 bootable USB stick holding a WIM image
of a Sysprep'd XP installation (Inspired by the MS Desktop Deployment
solution). The Win PE 2.0 stick boots the machine to a command prompt
where a set of batch files allow you to partition the drives to the
the correct size. It then dumps a WIM (Windows Image file) of a XPSP3
sysprep'd image onto them and then shuts the computer down.
 (We sometimes just stack the systems for later/emergency use so
getting it to shutdown gets it ready for putting in our stock room)

 When rebooted the sysprep'd installation uses the alternative to
commandlines.txt in the sysprep.inf itself to run a hand-written .HTA file
which asks for domain details and joins the machine to an OU on the domain.
The script reboots the machine and gradually runs through multiple automated
reboots to ensure it picks up group policies and implements them.

 The GPO's handle things such as running WPKG.JS at computer start up but
we also have a number of Active Directory deployed bits of software to 
make it nice and messy :-)

 It was a colossal amount of work but it's got me to the point that I
(hopefully) only need to worry about the sysprep'd WIM image and keeping
that up to date for a few years. It should handle any MS OS from the Server
2003/XP era upwards I hope !
 
 I'd have probably gone the RIS route if our central IT folks would let
us local support folks run our own DHCP servers. 

 It's not a 100% perfect but it is fun when it goes wrong ;-)


> I can give you the details if you're interested.
> 
> -B
> 

 Likewise but you might fall asleep as I try to explain the intricate
detail ;-)

Keefy

> --
> Berge Schwebs Bjørlo
> Alegría!
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> --
> wpkg-users mailing list archives >>
> http://lists.wpkg.org/pipermail/wpkg-users/
> _______________________________________________
> wpkg-users mailing list
> wpkg-users at lists.wpkg.org
> http://lists.wpkg.org/mailman/listinfo/wpkg-users