Atempo (was Storactiv) LiveBackup
I'd like to hear from anyone out there who is repackaging the client application for Atempo LiveBackup. (Before Atempo absorbed them, the company was Storactiv.) The application is a continuous data protection, or backup, solution. The 2.93 installer is an .MSI created with InstallShield, but not using any ISScript*.dll that I can tell. (It comes with a Setup.exe, but the documentation says it is not needed.)
The problem is that the program wants to be installed as an AdminUser, which is not an unfamiliar problem in these forums (e.g., Flash Player). The installation works fine when the user is a member of the Administrators group, but not when it is run under an account with LocalSystem privileges. (I'm deploying with Novell ZENworks 6.5.1, so it's the NALNTSrv service that does the distribution. This is not a ZENworks problem; NALNTSrv does what it's supposed to with every application I've ever repackaged, except the Oracle clients.)
I can see the offending AdminUser entry in the .MSI LaunchCondition table and remove it, but then I get another error:
Error 25501.Setup cannot open Service Manager. Error code is 00000005.
Yes, the LiveBackup installation does install 3 services (and 2 programs to run at Startup). But I know that LocalSystem privileges should be sufficient to handle this. And I've repackaged a couple of other applications that install services, which run just fine for non-Admin users (letting NALNTSrv work).
Taking a different approach, I tried the AlwaysInstallElevated registry settings (HKLM & HKCU Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Installer), but that had no effect. (Do you have to reboot to make those effective, or do they work right away?) I also tried the InstallShield ISSETUPDRIVEN and ISALWAYSINSTALLELEVATED MSI public properties, with no change. I don't have any idea of what else I can try.
LiveBackup's technical support is useless at this level. Their documentation specifically says the .MSI installation will work, but doesn't even mention the idea of the installer's privilege level. If they don't even mention the term "Windows Administrator", they're not ready to help me repackage their installer.
But you folks have the repackaging expertise. Can anyone help me? Sande
The problem is that the program wants to be installed as an AdminUser, which is not an unfamiliar problem in these forums (e.g., Flash Player). The installation works fine when the user is a member of the Administrators group, but not when it is run under an account with LocalSystem privileges. (I'm deploying with Novell ZENworks 6.5.1, so it's the NALNTSrv service that does the distribution. This is not a ZENworks problem; NALNTSrv does what it's supposed to with every application I've ever repackaged, except the Oracle clients.)
I can see the offending AdminUser entry in the .MSI LaunchCondition table and remove it, but then I get another error:
Error 25501.Setup cannot open Service Manager. Error code is 00000005.
Yes, the LiveBackup installation does install 3 services (and 2 programs to run at Startup). But I know that LocalSystem privileges should be sufficient to handle this. And I've repackaged a couple of other applications that install services, which run just fine for non-Admin users (letting NALNTSrv work).
Taking a different approach, I tried the AlwaysInstallElevated registry settings (HKLM & HKCU Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Installer), but that had no effect. (Do you have to reboot to make those effective, or do they work right away?) I also tried the InstallShield ISSETUPDRIVEN and ISALWAYSINSTALLELEVATED MSI public properties, with no change. I don't have any idea of what else I can try.
LiveBackup's technical support is useless at this level. Their documentation specifically says the .MSI installation will work, but doesn't even mention the idea of the installer's privilege level. If they don't even mention the term "Windows Administrator", they're not ready to help me repackage their installer.
But you folks have the repackaging expertise. Can anyone help me? Sande
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Posted by:
snissen
17 years ago
I found a solution. The manuals for LiveBackup describe the deployment options in some detail, advising that you use the Client.msi and not the interactive Setup.exe. (Except the manual never even mentions the question of user privileges!)
But when I was describing to a colleague what the LiveBackup installation does, he commented that it sounded a little like McAfee VirusScan, which we already have.
And that's the key: I have to treat it just like McAfee VirusScan, which means copying all the installation files to a temporary directory tree on the local hard drive, then running from there:
Setup.exe /S /v"parameters to pass to Client.msi"
For example:
%TEMP%\lbtemp\Setup.exe /S /v"LBSERVER=our.server.edu /qb+"
With ZENworks Desktop Management ability to "Run as unsecure user", this now works for all users.
I hope someone out there can benefit from my little adventure. Sande
But when I was describing to a colleague what the LiveBackup installation does, he commented that it sounded a little like McAfee VirusScan, which we already have.
And that's the key: I have to treat it just like McAfee VirusScan, which means copying all the installation files to a temporary directory tree on the local hard drive, then running from there:
Setup.exe /S /v"parameters to pass to Client.msi"
For example:
%TEMP%\lbtemp\Setup.exe /S /v"LBSERVER=our.server.edu /qb+"
With ZENworks Desktop Management ability to "Run as unsecure user", this now works for all users.
I hope someone out there can benefit from my little adventure. Sande
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