Running Office 2007 from a network Share

[BKGarry]

Hello everyone,

 

The new network manger want office 2007 installed so that it runs from a network share "like office should in a school", don't ask he wants it there then install it to the local machines at the next image, crazy if you ask me.

 

But when I run setup.exe /admin i cannot find any network share options, does anyone know what i have to do to get this working?

 

Thanks

Gaz

[GrumbleDook]

erm ... you *never* run it from a share ... you may install from a share (admin install) and have shared resources and templates (clip art) but the applications run from the local machine ...

 

Or maybe he is talking about Citrix or other terminal / thin client solutions?

[plexer]

You can't have office itself actually run from a share for the workstations it has to be installed and I'm sorry but he sounds like a numpty to me for suggesting this.

 

Create your admin installation and install it via a gpo.

 

Ben

[Midget]

you've now got me wondering if its possible. Surely by installing it on the PC as normal, but to a mapped network share and taking an msi of the changes it could be made to work.

 

won't be very bw friendly, but it should work as all the dlls and ocxs will be installed on the host PC.

 

But then, if you are doing that you may as well install fully (unless HDD space is a problem)

[GrumbleDook]

but it is not installed on the share ... from the way the OP mentions it I have a horrible feeling that the NM thinks that by putting it on the network to make it run all you would have to do would be to map in the drive ...

 

A scary thought.

[BKGarry]

Don't even go there, its all one way communication, and he doesn't believe that i have set up this network here from scratch. Made the forest, domain GPOs Profiles, images. but that isn't good enough.

 

I think he is on about what your could do with 2k and 2k+3 where you created a custom setup so it runs common components of a network share. But i cant even find how to customise the msi for deployment, i cannot create a MST by the looks of things.

 

Who has the ideas about deploying it for no user interface, full installation and full removal of office 2003?

 

I would prefer to install to the local machines, i think it is suicide to run it from a network share

 

Gaz

[Midget]

have you considered Novell?

[BKGarry]

Lol,

 

yeah i might get that oneday. I was thinking of doing it through the Symantec Ghost AI tools, but i havent actually used them at all, Shame i need to learn how to use the consol proplerly aswell, i have been making images with sysprep and boot CDs

 

Gaz

[Quackers]

everything you should need should be on this site, http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/office/ork/default.mspx

 

You need the Office 2007 Resource Kit.

[CyberNerd]

He must be talking about Portable Office which doesn't require installation on the PC

[tosca925]

Office 2007 uses .MSP files now instead of .MST

[BKGarry]

Which means you cannot add them into the AD, GRRR, Anyone know what the right config on the xml shouw be for it to uninstall the previous versions, install everything, don't need the code i have that hehe. and also run with basic user interface for the Professional Plus version.

 

Thanks

Gaz

[m25man]

Office 2007 no longer supports network installation (setup /a)

 

It has been designed to install through group policy in an unattended fashion from a cached copy on the local machines hard disk.

 

The deployment whitepapers refer to the copying of the installation files to a network CID, however this is purely so that it can be copied onto the various workstations HDD's and the installation be scripted to copy from cached copy to program files.

 

The cached copy can be purged from the HDD when installation is complete.

 

This is all covered in detail in the MS BDD kit which includes Vista and Office 2007 deployment tools and the replacement for RIS - WDS Windows Deployment Services.

 

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/desktopdeployment/default.mspx

 

This also includes the Microsoft Disk Imaging application.

[HodgeHi]

So does this mean all the apps that have been deployed in schools via AD will now need to be re-created again just to use the new services and imaging technique?

 

PS haven't read the link yet?

[Uraken]

i have an idea your 'network manager' is employed to manage the network right? get him to show you how to install office to a network share, if he thinks it can be done lets learn from him .........

[BKGarry]

Yeah lets not start on that one, but he is here to Manage us and prioritise not for technican superiority, i would beat him hands down there