What Standard Programs do you deploy with Active Directoy?

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SJConsultant

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As the title states, I am interested in seeing what standard program(s) admins have deployed using only Group Policies and .MSI files.

As for my clients typically I deploy:

Freeware Software

1. Latest Service packs for Windows 2000 or XP
2. ISA Firewall client for SBS installs
3. Sun Java Runtime Environment
4. Microsoft UPHClean
5. Microsoft Volume Shadow Client
6. Macromedia Flash & Shockwave
7. Acrobat Reader 6

Paid Software (As long as client has license for such software)

1. Microsoft Office (various versions)
 
Well I don't use AD to do it directly (using SBS app deployment) but I do:

Latest Service packs for Windows 2000 or XP
Acrobat Reader 6
Outlook
Quickbooks

I am looking into internet fax services right now, so I may add the faxing client to the list if I pick one with software that needs to be installed. Right now the SBS install is fairly basic (just a side project I did to help my parent's small business) so I am also interested to see what other people are doing.
 
Don't do OS updates via GPO's as I use an SUS server.

I use GPO's for:
Office
Acrobat Reader 7
Autodesk products (Autocad, ADT, etc)
and various other hand crafted .msi packages (Antivirus comm client for Panda, and about a dozen others)
 
Use SUS for updates.

Our 'standard' SBS package -

ISA Firewall client
Sun Java
Acrobat Reader 6
Microsoft Antispyware
Autodesk DWF viewer
Calc98
Lookout (Outlook search engine)

Microsoft Office
Microsoft Project
Microsoft Infopath
Trendmicro Client
Winzip
 
A few questions...:

1) How do you go about making the .MSI files?
2) Does the GPO run every time or is there some kind of 'run once' GPO?
3) When the installer runs does it run in the background as an administrative process? I have all of my users as limited accounts.
 
mike2323 said:
A few questions...:

1) How do you go about making the .MSI files?
2) Does the GPO run every time or is there some kind of 'run once' GPO?
3) When the installer runs does it run in the background as an administrative process? I have all of my users as limited accounts.
Click to expand...

Some programs are already packaged as an MSI, others require you to manually create it. There are freeware and paid MSI packagers out there and quite a few references to how its done, google should be able to provide you with some decent information.

The GPO runs everytime, if the software is already installed, then nothing happens, else the software is installed on the workstation. There are GPO settings that you can change to elevate the users privileges *temporarily* to allow installation.

Depending on if your deploying software via user or computer configuration depends on when the software gets installed. If you use the Computer section, the software is deployed before the user logs in. If you use the user section, then the software is deployed after the user logs in.
 
mike2323 said:
A few questions...:

1) How do you go about making the .MSI files?
2) Does the GPO run every time or is there some kind of 'run once' GPO?
3) When the installer runs does it run in the background as an administrative process? I have all of my users as limited accounts.
Click to expand...


www.appdeploy.com has a ton of great info for creating packages, deploying and all the goodness.
 
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