contink Posted October 3, 2006 Posted October 3, 2006 4 weeks later after: - repackaging or debugging every software package used in the school - fixing problems a la Granada Learning (and not killing anyone) - fixing permissions and missing file issues that plagued us for the last 2 years. - getting GPO to actually install everything in order - fixing the [expletive] issue with IE proxy setting and folder redirects - figuring out how to deploy shortcuts successfully to ALL USERS - fending off "is it safe to use everything yet?" queries without death a calling - surviving a major power surge I rebooted a clean machine, joined it to the net, and watched with baited breath as it installed everything as it should. I can now say that I need a drink... but damn that learning curve was steep... Anyone else need some abused mental mountaineering kit?
StewartKnight Posted October 3, 2006 Posted October 3, 2006 I always find that the one you test works fine...... it's the ones you don't test that go wrong!
ChrisH Posted October 3, 2006 Posted October 3, 2006 You do know of course something else will break with the next bout of updates dont you ?
contink Posted October 3, 2006 Author Posted October 3, 2006 Your confidence is awe inspiring... Thanks guys.. and yes I posted that deliberately to encourage the lurking gremlins to come out to play... and lo... Granada Learning sodware (yes that's deliberate! ) has come out trumps with their Logo stuff... Oh how I lurv it so...
contink Posted October 3, 2006 Author Posted October 3, 2006 Is that a CC3 or Vanilla network? WinServer 2003 SP1 vanilla... Until now it's been a case of locally installed software, ghosted and then permission fixes applied.. but that was taking forever especially when trying to install new software at various times so we're now able to deploy everything to a fresh nilla XP install. Havent' worked out the joys of RIS yet but that's next on the list.
webman Posted October 3, 2006 Posted October 3, 2006 Is that a CC3 or Vanilla network? WinServer 2003 SP1 vanilla... Until now it's been a case of locally installed software, ghosted and then permission fixes applied.. but that was taking forever especially when trying to install new software at various times so we're now able to deploy everything to a fresh nilla XP install. Ah right, OK... glad we have CC3 Havent' worked out the joys of RIS yet but that's next on the list. Hehe, good luck
wesleyw Posted October 3, 2006 Posted October 3, 2006 We moved away from CC3 this summer but with Ghost, Deepfreeze and WinInstall LE I can do everything and more than the CC3 system did however sometimes it was nice to be able to say its RMs fault something isn't working instead of mine lol! Having said that the hardware support from RM was fantastic (still is we have two RM servers left that are now doing the imaging!) Logo? You could use MSW Logo until you've sorted out the Granada software it's already in MSI format I believe? Wes
Geoff Posted October 3, 2006 Posted October 3, 2006 MSWLogo is discontinued though isn't it? The team started a new project called FMSLogo, which you can get from sourceforge. http://fmslogo.sourceforge.net/ http://sourceforge.net/projects/fmslogo
wesleyw Posted October 3, 2006 Posted October 3, 2006 There was still a place to download it. But I'll certainly have a look at FMSLogo! Thanks Wes
contink Posted October 3, 2006 Author Posted October 3, 2006 We moved away from CC3 this summer but with Ghost, Deepfreeze and WinInstall LE I can do everything and more than the CC3 system did however sometimes it was nice to be able to say its RMs fault something isn't working instead of mine lol! Having said that the hardware support from RM was fantastic (still is we have two RM servers left that are now doing the imaging!) heh heh... Yeah it is nice to be able to pass the buck but then it's also nice not to have to wait on someone else to pull their thumb (or is that their head?!) out of their butt and fix an issue. Logo? You could use MSW Logo until you've sorted out the Granada software it's already in MSI format I believe? As it goes that's not my major problem now... what's caused the upset is that Logo and Draw both require the Java 1.3 runtime which my experiments to date seem to indicate doesn't work too well when it's installed along with Java 1.5 RT... Given that GL aren't going to update their software ([irony]I know, I was shocked too... [/irony]) I may just go for a scripted install with silent switches to be done with it rather than an MSI repack which just isn't playing nice. Thanks for the other Logo suggestion though... Now if only we could find a textease replacement and I'd be laughing..
wesleyw Posted October 3, 2006 Posted October 3, 2006 What's textease? ....ahh right found it (the wonders of google lol) Openoffice, Movie maker2, audacity and a few serif packages would be an equivalent? Wes
ajbritton Posted October 3, 2006 Posted October 3, 2006 I seem to remember repackaging Textease without any problems...
contink Posted October 3, 2006 Author Posted October 3, 2006 I seem to remember repackaging Textease without any problems... ROFLMAO... Ah the problem there wasn't the repackaging it was the jaw dropping, floor removing, and budget trashing figure that Softease want for a site license... In short, £1k was way over the limit for something that quite frankly isn't THAT good!
john Posted October 3, 2006 Posted October 3, 2006 Well done my man, I enjoy GPO deployment its so much fun and less hassle than CD installs, but I don't have the time to re-package everything, although I should learn I suppose as it would be a good skill to have.
MkII Posted October 3, 2006 Posted October 3, 2006 Congratulations! - getting GPO to actually install everything in order How do you do that - has it been discussed already?
contink Posted October 3, 2006 Author Posted October 3, 2006 Congratulations! - getting GPO to actually install everything in order How do you do that - has it been discussed already? The tip I can offer is that GPO's will be applied according to the usual precedence that is covered in windoze docs (ie: forest, domain, etc... ) but what isn't mentioned is that at a specific level (eg: GPO - "school computers" all the GPO's will be applied starting at the link number HIGHEST first, with last being '1'. Didn't realise that at first so I had all my library gpo managed installs (java, flash, etc..) being applied last and screwing up my ordering system and with them the MSI's that were getting stuck because the libs weren't where they should have been.
MkII Posted October 3, 2006 Posted October 3, 2006 Thanks for that - how do you know the link number?
contink Posted October 3, 2006 Author Posted October 3, 2006 Thanks for that - how do you know the link number? I don't have a GPO console up in front of me but when you are looking at an OU (Organisational unit) in the GPMC you will see what GPO's are applied/linked to your OU and next to that is a number. I'd recommend you get Mark Minasi's book on win server 2003 though as it is a {deity} send... Add to that I'm no GPO tech whiz so I'd ask this question again as a new topic so you can get some answers from others who aren't just looking at the original topic header
ajbritton Posted October 4, 2006 Posted October 4, 2006 And of course there's always ASSM (Assigned Software Sequence Manager) to change the order of installs within a particular GPO.
bossman Posted October 4, 2006 Posted October 4, 2006 I don't have that problem all i have to do is edit certain ini files which the install manager uses and hey presto it even tells me where the dependancies lie excellent CC3 and now with vcd version 7 nothing could be easier streaming dvd's and other media from database of titles which is just an install on dedicated media server. I can also edit the gpo structure as i please and it all functions famously life just gets better and better now i have the best of both worlds. I think people forget that RM CC3 is just a blanket over 2k or 23k and can be manipulated to suit. No detriment to a vanilla or ranger system but i find that it works and that will do for me.
webman Posted October 4, 2006 Posted October 4, 2006 No detriment to a vanilla or ranger system but i find that it works .... Not forgetting that it works well! 8)
contink Posted October 4, 2006 Author Posted October 4, 2006 Not forgetting that it works well! 8) Not forgetting that it costs a fortune either But yeah I do take your point that it saves a LOT of time... From my own point of view I'm: a) a masochist b) like to know what is going on under the hood c) work for schools with very little in the way of cash d) did I mention that I must have done something seriously bad in a previous life..
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