Re: Best practice for installing software with group policy?
- From: cellardoor <cellardoor@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 3 Apr 2008 04:20:01 -0700
Cheers for that. I was really impressed with DFS. It works perfectly with
software deployment. I'm surprised it's not recommended more in books and
articles where GP software installation is talked about (I stumbled upon it
by complete chance).
The way I see it. I could do one of the following...
Method 1. Create 1 Software GP and add 5 programs to this. Apply this GP to
each office location OU eg. SoftwareGP.
Benefits: One GP. Less work to setup. In some ways easier to control.
Potential Problems: If you want to add another program to this later on, you
don't necessarily want to install it to everywhere at once (risky?).
Method 2. Create a separate Software GP for each office location and add the
same 5 programs to these eg. SoftwareSwindonGP. Apply individual GPs to the
corresponding office location OUs.
Benefits: Can make changes to individual office software GPs and can add new
programs in a staged process without effecting other offices.
Potential Problems: More GPs. A bit more work to set-up and with more GPs
more things to manage.
Method 3. Create 1 Software GP for each program and apply this to each
office location OU eg. SoftwareFlash9GP.
Benefits: Making 1 GP for each program allows you to stage the install by
applying it at individual office OUs when you're ready to. So no issue with
introducing new programs later on.
Potential Problems: However, what if you need to re-install it or upgrade it
once its been applied everywhere. Again, you don't necessarily want to
install it to everywhere at once (risky?).
Method 4. Create 1 Software GP for each program for each office eg.
SoftwareFlash9SwindonGP.
Benefits: Can install programs in a staged way and can re-deploy, uninstall
programs in a staged way.
Potential Problems: A Lot more GPs. Harder to manage. Potential for mistakes
and keeping things consistent.
Would the way you do it be method 4?
Appreciate your comments.
Cheers,
Cellardoor
"Florian Frommherz [MVP]" wrote:
Howdie!.
cellardoor schrieb:
At my company we have recently migrated all our offices in to one big
domain. I'm now looking for the best way to deploy software to all the
computers in this domain at multiple sites, for example DNA software we use
to collect inventory info. Now, I think I've got the first step cracked in
that I've set-up a DFS namespace to act as a distribution point in each
office and this works great in testing.
Using DFS is really a good choice. It actually takes some problems away
that I've seen smaller shops encounter when the only one distribution
points gets replaced.
For example, if I add a new
program to my software group policy at a later date, I don't necessarily want
to install it everywhere at once. The paranoid me, even after lab testing
would still want to do a pilot install to one office first.
I'm just wondering how you guys tackle software deployment with group policy
in a large organisation. Do you just use multiple GPs?
I try to seperate things as much as possible. Software that can go
together, will be grouped as far as the deployment scenario allows it
(departments relying on the same pieces of software for example). But
never more than two or three packages per GPO. More than that takes away
your ability to easily update, uninstall and re-deploy packages on a
simple basis. Your effort should be: try to place every package into its
own Group Policy.
The fact that you seem not to be able to tell in which order packages
within a Group Policy are installed on a client is another indicator for
seperating the packages into multiple Group Policy. There doesn't seem
to be an order or logic behind it - at least I haven't found that, yet.
So if you need to asure that package A gets installed prior to package
B, seperate those in different GPs and order them accordingly in GPMC.
My boss is keen on using a single VBscript that installs software\printers
etc depending on what gateway the computer has. I'm not sure this is the most
efficient way to do it. Especially considering we have active directory and
GP.
As for printer deployment, I really don't like the "printer deployment"
part that came with Windows Server 2003 R2. It lacks some basic
functionality like setting the default one and so on. What's really cool
is Preference - that makes printer deployment easier. You could have a
look at it. But that would involve you in deploying the CSEs on all
clients first... maybe not really an option for you right now.
There's nothing wrong with deploying printers using scripts - I favorize
that (if Preference is not an option). For Software Installation, I tend
to use the Group Policy Software Installation feature and try to
re-package installers if they're not in MSI format prior to scripting
the installation. But I guess that one's really up to everyone's taste
(and a little bit of skills - since re-packaging, testing and
customizing those installers is sometimes quite difficult).
cheers,
Florian
--
Microsoft MVP - Windows Server - Group Policy.
eMail: prename [at] frickelsoft [dot] net.
blog: http://www.frickelsoft.net/blog.
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