[WDS] What do you image? (Apps wise)

[garethedmondson]

Hullo,

As we evaluate our image (again), I'm interested to know what people image. We have several GPO based MSI installations that I could use but I wonder sometimes whether I am better imaging them.

When I build my base image I put on the following:

Adobe Flash Player
Adobe Air
Adobe Authorware player
ShockWave Player
Reader 9 + Updates

There is other stuff that could be sent out via GPO.

Adobe CS3 is put on the image due to it being a git to install via GPO.

But what about things like Office - we have 2003. It is ready to be deployed via GPO and when we were RIS based this is how it went on. However am I better putting it on the image? Will I be able to update it with Office 2007 over Easter without any issues?

So just let me know what you guys put in your images. Everyone? Some things or nothing if it has an MSI.

Cheers

Gareth

[pritchardavid]

I dont install anything on our image

All software gets deployed with Group Policy

Best to do that, has if the program gets updated, you can remotely uninstall the old version and install the new one

Only thing I do with our image, is install the the update including netframework, directx, IE8, WMP11, all the updates that are out

Well thats for our domain image


I also make an workgroup image thats for staff laptops, I include on that everything

all updates, Flash, Shockwave, Java, Office 2007 With All Updates, VLC (XP Only) Foxit Reader, maybe a few others, cant think of any more at the moment

[garethedmondson]

What about things with no MSI?

Such as...... GanntProject or VLC Media Player

GJE

[aaronjwilkinson]

We deploy everything via msi apart from Sims (and thats only included on a few of out 15 or some RIS images)

[pritchardavid]

What about things with no MSI?

Such as...... GanntProject or VLC Media Player

GJE

I convert them with Admin Studio Repackager

[PiqueABoo]

So just let me know what you guys put in your images.

My baseline for XP is all the latest MS updates to anything that was already in the OS, plus a few bits I think should have been in the OS. New IE, WMP, latest-greatest post-SP3 hotfixes, GPP CSEs, csccmd and so on. I also add the dotNets. I'm reasonably confident I will never need to remove any of this stuff and if there are new versions and updates to any of it the MS install logic will just sort it out.

Everything else that I may want to remove at some point in future is put on later (via deployment stuff that can handle EXE installers - if I can preserve the original vendors installation logic by using those I'd much rather do that than turn them into MSIs).

[aaronjwilkinson]

My student machine images are just Windows XPSP2 off the disk. No other software, no windows updates or nothing.

Software is deployed though Msi's...all of it, including stuff like VLC, VNC, Flash/Shockwave Player, Acrobat etc

All updates done through WSUS



Works a treat, but was a long slog to get setup

[Michael]

Personally I get as much as I can on new images. Primarily the OS with the latest Service Pack and Security Updates, latest drivers and as many applications possible.

I then just worry about future Security Updates which are handled by WSUS and other updates such as Adobe Reader 9.3.0 I deploy using an MSI. It also keeps traffic down to a minimum.

When installing Office 2007 the default behaviour is to uninstall the older (if any) Office software, however I have seen on these very forums admins upgrading from Office 2003 + Office 2007 Compatibility Pack to Office 2007 and experiencing problems. I would recommend you create an admin installation point, as this allows you to tweak specific settings and include updates.

I would also say with the 'popularity' of wireless, deploying applications just doesn't work very well and brings everything to a crawl.

[DMcCoy]

Images contain:

Windows, Patches to the build date
Some local policy settings
Office 2007
Open Office
CS4 (Inc Acrobat)
Flash
Shockwave
Java
Quicktime
Kaspersky (not management agent as it generates a unique ID and deploys fine with AD)
VLC
Audacity


Other apps are made available with App-V, virtually nothing is AD now as it's just not reliable enough when using 802.1x, although this may no longer be the case with Vista/7).

I was quite conservative with our Vista roll out as I'd been burnt badly the previous year using the GPOs for Java, Quicktime, Flash, Adobe Reader and shockwave. The would usually install but not always work correctly (some users had PDFs associated, others didn't even though they were the same mandatory profile.


CS4 is certainly one to build into the image as it has a number of tweaks and changes to stop various updaters and things from running.

[garethedmondson]

Thanks guys for all the posts. I think I'll stick with the original list and when I sit down and teach myself Advanced Installer - which I have purchased - I will move to transform .exe files into msi format.

I think then the plan will be to create one image every year.

Cheers everyone,

Gareth

[sparkeh]

Our XP image contains nothing except being patched up to date the FOG client. Apps are installed by GPO which isn't great, hence I am about to evaluate SCCM which should prove more flexible (or all sorts of reasons)

What about things with no MSI?

I make my own msi with WinInstall LE and Orca.

Personally I like to separate the images and software, I just like to have more control, by GPO, of what's out there.

Realistically though you have to pay somewhere and its either larger images that take longer to deploy or smaller quicker images followed by network traffic and time to install apps.

[PiqueABoo]

Just to add - I've been happy enough using the (free, easy) "Windows Installer Wrapper Wizard" to bundle CMDs, EXEs and a mix of them into MSIs. [Would link to it but the site doesn't work].

Not sure what they use but some vendor MSIs are like that, for instance the corporate Flash MSI is wrapper around an EXE installer.

[sparkeh]

Also, lots of exes extract an msi to a temp location that you can pick up and use. If I remember JRE and Quicktime do this (among others I can't remember now).

[sted]

Also, lots of exes extract an msi to a temp location that you can pick up and use. If I remember JRE and Quicktime do this (among others I can't remember now).

yup both of them are exe wrappers for msi

i tend to use msi where possible (usually only if it deploys vanilla or like office 03 / smart 10 has a management tool or like java is simple enough to use orca on. Next preference is scripted install usually a quick batch file that goes does file x exist if not run installer. followed by ghost packages again where possible script installed (lea router tends to kill the net as it perceives ghost as a broadcast storm if i fire out from the console whatever options ive tried and they wont changer the config) then manual install (usually create a quick user with a logon script that runs the setup (rm maths springs to mind pos software). My base images ghost or wds (i use both but atm mainly ghost as im used to it supose i ought to get used to wds more esp with win 7 but the one school i have atm with win 7 laptops the server keels over if i apply sp2 so thats a no go) are windows updates and usually msn exploder and outlook express removed as on a domain they are useless(what does msn explorer do anyway?). I only install software in a base image as a last resort

[simonpeterch]

What about things with no MSI?

Such as...... GanntProject or VLC Media Player

GJE

May I know this how about being MSI will it be always platform dependent or user friendly can it provide the levels of flexibility like plug and play.

Thanks,
Simon.

.
olympic bar | 20kg olympic bar