Application Deployment - Vanilla Network

[rlculver]

Hi,

 

I have been speaking to some people who find the Application Deployment feature in Windows 2003 Server a little basic / not very good. Is this true?

 

If so, are their any other tools we can purchase to help with the deployment of packages to client machines?

 

Thanks

 

Robert

[robknowles]

Hello,

 

The built in Software Deployment is ok, but lacks any reporting features (i.e, to see failed packages), lacks the ability to finely control packages (i.e allocated a package to certain workstations - unless you create specific GPO's but you will end up with loads), and also installs software when the workstation starts up (unless you allocated software per user), which can mean a workstation is out of action until it's completed - so on our 100 or so staff wireless laptops would have been a nightmare.

 

What we have is something called SMS 2003 Server from Microsoft for software deployment - quite useful with reporting, fine control of package allocation, scheduling packages and also for it to download the package locally before installing (great for wireless laptops etc). Microsoft have just released System Centre Essentials which supports upto 500 workstations for software deployment and looks quite good. The upgrade to SMS 2003, named System Centre Configuration Manager is released within the next few months.

 

There's others - SpecOp's Deploy, Altris I think do something, as do Ondemand software (WinInstall).

 

Rob

[srochford]

We use the 2003 system to deploy software - as Rob says, reporting is limited (we collect data about installed software separately so that's not too much of an issue)

 

One of the ways of coping with the fact that it pushes out everything simultaneously is to use security groups - set up the GPO to deploy your package but instead of letting everyone deploy it, target it at a particular security group and add computers to this a few at a time - whatever number you think your infrastructure can cope with (start low - much easier to increase if you find it's OK then to pull things out!)

 

If you're on a limited budget (eg zero!) then look at Microsoft Desktop Deployment - http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/desktopdeployment/default.aspx When you've done that, please can you let me know what you think :-) I haven't got very far with this yet but it is "the future" for MS deployments and, as I understand it, is designed to cope with limited bandwidth for pushing out packages (and even if you're not wireless, you still have limited bandwidth!)

[Geoff]

If you want to 'upgrade' beyond what the basic AD stuff allows you to do. The next step up is SMS Server.

 

http://www.microsoft.com/smserver/default.mspx

[cookie_monster]

How much does SMS cost for education licensing?

[Geoff]

Pugh has prices listed on their website.

 

http://www.pugh.co.uk/Products/microsoft/smsserver-2003.htm