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Local Installation: Deploying e/pop via a software "push" distribution utility
Technote: Q00011
Last Reviewed:
June 6, 2002
The information in this article applies to:
All e/pop clients including e/pop Professional, Basic, Remote and Alert
e/pop customers and evaluators planning large-scale client deployments
IT organizations that use electronic deployment (sometimes called software
"push")
Leading Electronic Distribution Utilities:
Tivoli
Microsoft SMS
Marimba
Others: including products by CA, Intel (LANDesk), Novell (Zen Works), etc.
SUMMARY
e/pop software supports local ("drive C") and shared client installations (executable on a fileserver). For local installations, the e/pop Control Panel can be used to create an executable "image" that can be "pushed" out to 100's or 1,000's of workstations automatically.
For customers that already have an established electronic distribution process, WiredRed recommends this as the preferred method of client software installation. Using the e/pop control panel, an executable image is created and then handed off to the distribution utility of choice. For customers without electronic distribution, shared installations, and, of course, desk-side visits are available.
The Electronic Deployment Process
Step 1. Install e/pop server, walk through the wizard and document the server IP address
Step 2. Using your software deployment utility, take a ‘before snapshot' of the PC prior to installing e/pop client.
Step 3. Install e/pop client on one PC, walk through the connection wizard and connect to the server
Step 4. Customize the e/pop client via the e/pop Control Panel to the desired settings
Step 5. Delete the myidentity.idx and myidentity.dat files in the e/pop client directory
Step 6. Create a e/pop software deployment package
Step 7. Deploy the package to users
Important Details for Each Step
1. The first step in the deployment process is to install the e/pop server on a Windows server PC (NT4, 2000 or XP). Select all the default options during the install and set e/pop server to run as a service (recommended option). Document the IP address the wizard returns because it will be used in the next step.
2. Using a software deployment utility take a ‘before snapshot' of the PC that you intend to install e/pop.
3. In step 3 you will install the e/pop client and configure it to connect to the e/pop server. Run the client setup program and walk through the connection wizard. Enter the IP address you documented in Step 1 and test the connection. If the test is successful, e/pop will create a set of mylocation.dat and mylocation.idx files with the correct IP address and store them in users personal directory. If the test fails, insure you entered the correct server IP address or PING the server to insure the server is reachable.
4. Step 4 is where a custom e/pop executable file is created using the e/pop control panel program. This step is essential because it determines the features users have access to. To prevent configuration errors, WiredRed recommends reviewing the control panel section in the Administrators Guide before proceeding.
You can use any one of the following methods to access the e/pop control panel program:
- The Help menu in e/pop,
- Windows start menu - Start>Programs>ePop>ePop Control Panel
- Running epopcp.exe from the e/pop directory.
Once all the options in the Control Panel are set, save the changes (NOTE: You must close the e/pop client to save changes) and verify the changes by running e/pop.
5. In step 4, the myidentity files in the e/pop directory are deleted. This is an important step because failure to do so will result in users running e/pop that reference the same user object in the ‘User' directory. Example: Let say user ‘John Doe' and ‘Jane Smith' run e/pop with the same myidentity files. When John Doe runs e/pop first thing in the morning, he appears in the directory as normal. Later that morning, Jane Smith runs e/pop, connects to the server and she expect to see John in the directory. Since Jane is using the exact same identity files as John, she replaces John's user object with her own.
Again, to prevent this error, you must delete the identity files in the e/pop directory prior to deploying e/pop.
6. Using your software deployment utility take an ‘after snapshot' of the PC with e/pop installed and pre-configured.
7. Deploy the software package to each PC.
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