Software Deployment Problem using GPO

[SteveCIS]

Hi all,
Has anyone experienced a system that was deploying software successfully using GPOs suddenly stop working for no apparent reason ?
The server OS is 2003, release 2, SP1 and all the clients are XP either SP2 or SP3. I have used GPOs to deploy many packages on our network, but not for the last few months. Now I come deploy Flash Player 10 and it refuses to work. I've spent a couple of days now trying to resolve it (created new install point, new GPOs, checked permissions etc etc) and failed. Just wondered if anyone else had experienced anything similar and solved it.
Thanks,
Steve.

[teejay]

In AD, do a Resultant Set of Policies (Planning) and also try right clicking on a machine in AD which is meant to get the policy and do a Reslutant Set of Policies (Logging) to make sure the GP is being seen.
Try running gpupdate /force on one of the machines.
Check the event log on one of the machines to see if the app is failing.
Also check the machine can see the share the msi is on.
Check using netdiag that your DC are communicating properly.

[sted]

with flash odds on its a problem removing the previus version stopping the new one installing. Its not unknown for me to have to go round and run flash uninstaller and ms cleanup tool to get rid of old versions of flash before a new one will succesfully deploy

[SteveCIS]

Thanks teejay, its good to have another perspective on it. I've already tried the gpupdate /force and checked the share could be seen from the workstation. What I hadn't tried is the logs on the client. Sure enough there are messages indicating the GPO has failed as it can't find the domain. Users and machines all authenticate ok and everyone has access to where they are supposed to so AD seems ok, apart from with GPOs. I think there may be some low level permission type problem. That's tomorrows job. Thanks again,Steve.

[SteveCIS]

Thanks sted, I've actually only got one workstation in the OU linked to the GPO to install Flash 10 at the moment while I try and sort out the problem and I've made sure the old version has been removed. Thanks, Steve.

[teejay]

If you are still stuck can you post the event error message.
It's either a permissions problem, your DC's aren't communicating properly or a dns/dhcp issue by the sounds of it.
You could try a Netdiag /v > c:\output.txt then scan through for errors. Look out for the section which lists communication with the DC's and see if it's having trouble with one of them. Netdiag is in the WIndows Support tools and you need to do a custom install to get netdiag, also make sure you download the correct version for your OS.

[SteveCIS]

Problem solved, thanks teejay,
I moved the workstation to a different part of the network, from a different switch and Flash10 installed straight away, just as it should. After a bit of investigation it seems the port on the original switch is faulty, although I don't understand why it appeares to allow some communications/protocols but not others. It's not a managed swirch, just a common or garden Netgear job. Anyway all's well, so thanks for the idea of checking the logs on the client, that's where the clues were.
Steve.

[morganw]

Are the Shockwave and Flash msi files from Adobe designed to install without any kind of transform? I'm new to software deployment via group policy and i've got a 3 policies set up for installation of NOD32, Flash, and Shockwave on computer startup. The NOD32 installation runs without any problems, it doesn't look like it even attempts to install the other two. I'm not using security groups as i'm only in a test OU at the moment, all the msi files are in the same installation share. I didn't get a chance to check the event logs before I left tonight but is there anything basic that i've missed? It's a new image so no old versions are installed, the network infrastructure must be running okay in order to complete imaging and install NOD32...

[sted]

yup the msi from adobe for shock and flash work out of the box

[morganw]

What about setting the autoupdate flag to stop it prompting for newer version? Or was that just on the older builds?

I've probably managed to get permissions wrong somewhere as they both fail with amazing speed...

[morganw]

Event viewer showed errors for Autoenrollment (Event ID:15) and Userenv (Event ID:1054). Basically complaining there wasn't a domain available.

I disabled PXE network booting, problem disappears. I hate these PCs.