deploying application to teaching machines only

[PEO]

Alright gang

 

Just followed zerohour's tutorial for creating a Activstudio3.msi file with the relevent information added to it.

 

I know how to push software out using group policy but was wondering is it possible for me to just install activstudio3 to only the teaching machines with out taking the teaching machines out of there OU's and in to a seperate OU for deployment.

 

does that make sense?

 

cheers

[DSapseid]

Create a group in AD and add all relevant machines to that group, then create a new GPO and you can apply it to the group rather than an OU. I do it all the time for subject specific software (eg. maths software on maths laptops only.)

 

Hope this makes sense.

[PEO]

Cheers DSapseid

 

Think i was thinking about it too hard to see light at the end of the tunnel. Nice easy solution.

 

cheers

[plexer]

Or use a wmi filter.

 

Ben

[PEO]

Hi ben. never used wmi filter. Think this is a good time to try

 

can you please either explain how to do this or point me in the right direction?

 

cheers

[plexer]

Some info for you:

 

http://technet2.microsoft.com/windowsserver/en/library/adbc0b04-2595-48a4-ade5-6cdb6a018e381033.mspx?mfr=true

 

http://grouppolicy.editme.com/WMIFilters

 

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555253

 

http://technet2.microsoft.com/windowsserver/en/library/6237b9b2-4a21-425e-8976-2065d28b31471033.mspx?mfr=true

 

Ben

[ajbritton]

Create a group in AD and add all relevant machines to that group, then create a new GPO and you can apply it to the group rather than an OU. I do it all the time for subject specific software (eg. maths software on maths laptops only.)

 

Hope this makes sense.

 

Technically or course you cannot link a GPO to a group. What you are doing here is filtering which computer accounts are able to apply the policy.

[PEO]

does anyone know how to do a computer name query using wmi? I'm finding this a little tough to take in.

[ajbritton]

WMI query for computername does not sound like a good way to go for targeting software installs.

 

1 - If you are targeting for a single PC it might just about make sense, but if you need to target for more than one, a group would very quickly save you time.

 

2 - Assuming you decide to roll out several bits of software to ad-hoc collections of PCs, it will be a lot easier to see which PCs should get which software by looking at group memberships rather than digging through WMI queries.

 

3 - Any changes to group membership are very difficult to get wrong. Any incorrect change to a WMI query could cause the whole WMI query to fail and software to be uninstalled from PCs