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Obsolete Releases => SME Server 8.x => Topic started by: newburns on January 29, 2013, 07:12:28 AM

Title: Group Policies and msi
Post by: newburns on January 29, 2013, 07:12:28 AM

Is it possible to install .msi files using group policy if SME 8.0 is my main Domain Controller?

Basically, I want to silent install Spark, preconfigured. I need it to do everything so that users won't know what's happening until the screen is ready for use.

Title: Re: Group Policies and msi
Post by: mmccarn on January 29, 2013, 02:09:10 PM

This is not a direct answer, but...

I don't know if SME 8 provides group policy support to windows clients, but you should be able to write a script that remotely installs whatever you need using psexec from the sysinternals pstools (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896649.aspx) suite.

Title: Re: Group Policies and msi
Post by: Stefano on January 29, 2013, 02:44:47 PM

Quote from: newburns on January 29, 2013, 07:12:28 AM

Is it possible to install .msi files using group policy if SME 8.0 is my main Domain Controller?

Basically, I want to silent install Spark, preconfigured. I need it to do everything so that users won't know what's happening until the screen is ready for use.

you have 2 questions here:
- does SME8 support group policy (for windows client)?
- how can I use SME8 to (silently and in background) install msi packages on SME8 DC domain clients?

first answer: as long as your clients are xp or older (i.e. not vista, W7, W8), you can use poledit to create group plicy (search the forums, you'll find more info)

second answer: take a look at wpkg (http://wpkg.org)

NOTE: never tested on SME, should work.. if you manage to make it run on SME, please report here (preferably in the wiki) your how to, thank you