Caching for offline installs

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Caching for offline installs

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All Forums >> [Management Products] >> System Center Products >> System Center Configuration Manager >> Caching for offline installs

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Caching for offline installs - 6/3/2008 5:59:30 PM

MhermanNBME

Posts: 63
Score: 3
Joined: 4/4/2007
Status: offline

Does anybody setup certian installs so users can run them offline? For example, we would like our users (without admin rights) to be able to install our VPN software if they are at home and it isn't working correctly.

In sms2003, i set it up with two programs, one that was a one-time push to copy the install files locally, the 2nd was to all users to initiate the installer through "Run Advertised Programs". I had it working, then it wasn't, but i'm going to try to get it working with sccm now, but...

I was wondering if there is a better way to do it? Can i set up the package and advertisement so once it gets the advertisement, it downloads to cache, stays there (i think i have that part), but it doesn't actually run until a users initiates it?

Here is what I've got so far:
Package: contains install files, "persistant content in client cache" is checked, everything else is default
Program: launches the msi, normal view, admin rights, allow users to interact
Advertisement: no start time, allow users to run independant, and download to cache
I also tried having the advertisement with a future start date

I'm waiting to see if it downloads into cache without any of my interferance, and it doesn't look like it's going to.

any ideas appreciated

Post #: 1

RE: Caching for offline installs - 6/3/2008 6:09:21 PM

jnelson993

Posts: 805
Score: 113
Joined: 2/18/2005
From: Minneapolis, MN
Status: offline

You want the start time to be now or earlier, not in the future...that indicates when the client sees and downloads the content, it's the mandatory assignment that you don't necessarily need or can be in the future.

Make sure you have the program rerun behavior set to Always rerun, or Rerun if failed previous attempt,(if that works better for you).

Make sure you have it set to "Download content from distribution point and run locally"

That should be enough. Then they can go to add/remove programs or the Run Advertised Programs applet.

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Post #: 2

RE: Caching for offline installs - 6/3/2008 6:10:00 PM

skissinger

Posts: 1992
Score: 129
Joined: 9/13/2001
From: Sherry Kissinger
Status: offline

If it's optional, it won't download to cache until the user initiates it.

Suggestion (although I've never tested this, it sounds plausible). Create another program that does nothing; like a vbscript that just does wscript.quit. If it's in the same package, and you make that program mandatory, it should download to cache to run the nothing program. But then the package for the real program you care about has been downloaded to cache. .... Like I said; it sounds plausible. Not sure if it will work 100%, and if will stay persisted in local cache over the long term.

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Microsoft MVP - ConfigMgr

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Post #: 3

RE: Caching for offline installs - 6/3/2008 6:47:35 PM

MhermanNBME

Posts: 63
Score: 3
Joined: 4/4/2007
Status: offline

Thanks for the quick response guys. skissinger was right, it wasn't cacheing, but i tried the dummy program ("echo hi"), and that downloaded the cache and i was able to run the advert without being online. I'm not sure if it's better than having a batch file copy the files over locally. Only because it almost the same amout of work to setup, but i'm not sure how much I trust the cache to stay there, or if i want to take up the limit of the cache size (of course, I could just raise it...).

Nice tip though.

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Post #: 4

RE: Caching for offline installs - 6/3/2008 6:54:48 PM

jnelson993

Posts: 805
Score: 113
Joined: 2/18/2005
From: Minneapolis, MN
Status: offline

Yeah, Sherry is the bomb!

You know...I believe if you were using 1e's Nomad Enterprise (awesome, by the way), you'd be able to prestage packages on the clients and also be able to check a box indicating a package shouldn't get removed from the cache when new packages come in. Kindof a way to make them sticky. Plus then you'd get some awesome peer-to-peer downloading and be able to remove/repurpose some distribution points :)

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Post #: 5

RE: Caching for offline installs - 6/6/2008 9:29:53 AM

MhermanNBME

Posts: 63
Score: 3
Joined: 4/4/2007
Status: offline

Uh oh... I found a bit of a wrench... When a computer shuts down, and boots up offline, the client says there is no available programs on the network. Any ideas?

(in reply to jnelson993)

Post #: 6

RE: Caching for offline installs - 6/6/2008 1:35:08 PM

MhermanNBME

Posts: 63
Score: 3
Joined: 4/4/2007
Status: offline

My bad, there is just a delay, you can hit f5 or just wait....

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Post #: 7