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Group Policy given me a headache

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13 replies

by mr gabby

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I'm attempting to install Office 2007 via Group Policy.

I have created a network install point, and created a policy object and
linked it to one computer in a test OU.

I rebooted that computer, and it came back up, and didn't even sniff the
network share that had office install on it. BUT, the GPO did register that
it had been deployed a grand total of once.

I can't understand why the package didn't install - Is there any guides
around that I can read or use in order to push out office 2007 to all the
client machines?

13 replies

by maniacman

Office has got to be one of the biggest annoyances and pain in the arse applications to every be deployed via GPOs'. Everytime I tried to deploy it, I always ran into some issues with it and simply gave up and made it a standard part of the desktop image which the desktop guys would blast out using Symantec Ghost. I find that if you don't have Installshield or some other packager tool, it's virtually impossible to deploy Office because it wants the CD-Key and whatever else.

by mr gabby

Usually I would use a solution like ghost, but this particular client, does not have, or is likely to buy a ghost license anytime soon. Besides, I need to install it on about 600 plus machines, and I don't have the time, will energy, or enough patience, to make images for all the different machines. I mean, usually I would, but I'm running out of places to bury the bodies of those annoying users, who think they know more than you, and ask questions like, why don't you just use a CD, like everyone else.

by mr gabby

... I'm sure I assigned it to a group of computers already?

by cg it

on the link provided.

Did you make a .msi package for the software?

did you create your answer file and include it as part of the .msi package?

did you put the package into an accessible network share?

did you link to the accessible network share the path for the .msi package?

did you publish or assign the application ?

by mr gabby

.. I think it is possible that I published the application,
instead of assigned it... but that I will have to check.

And what do you mean by link to the accessible network
share?

The package is Office 2007, and has an answer file
included. It is on an accessible network share, and can be
seen, and read by clients.

by cg it

your office 2007 should have a network version which is the .msi package.

the assign or publish only works with .msi packages.

if you store the package on a network share, users must have permission to access the share. Usually the default "everyone" group handles this but....

by maniacman

I have made it policy to use authenticated users instead of everyone because everyone allows non-authenticated users to access the share and is less secure.

by nimmo

Try something simple - select a package assign it to a PC/user, or publish to a user (remember publishing to a user wont automatically install the package)

Set full permissions (NTFS) on the network share (no restrictions) and deploy to a single machine (test lab style).

Make sure that you use a UNC path to the msi

by mr gabby

I'm doing this right now, I just came here to check up on any
new answers, and I find yours. Now I have the confidence to
go ahead - and do a test.

Why do we assign and publish?

by nimmo

Why assign or publish? well I guess it comes down to wheather or not the software package is necessary or not.

Have a read of this it explains the different ways to deploy software via the use of group policies.

http://www.windowsnetworking.com/articles_tutorials/Group-Policy-Deploy-Applications.html

In brief if you have mandatory software personally I would recommend that you assign it directly to the computer that way it is automatically installed without user interaction (if it is a quiet/unattended install).

If you have optional software you could just assign or publish to the user and have it show in the add/remove application or show a shortcut on the start menu so when clicked it will start the install.

Also if you have a package that needs user interaction to install because there is no options to create a fully unattended install you would go for assigning or publishing to a user.

(If you have to do this its good pratice to provide some documentation on how to do so, nice screen shots etc).

One thing that i think is very important in regards to how you want to do the deployment is:

1: What rights do your user have over the local system.

2: how computer literate are your users, some people will freak out over the msiexec utility when it pops up stating that it is doing an install, let alone how they go about following the install steps.

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