KACE Product Support

I'm not a huge fan of doing a network post installation task just because you never really know if your network is going to be in place. However, if you do it, you need to map the drive first then install. Another option would be to map the drive, copy the files locally and then install.
My favorite method is to map the network share and copy the files to the OS drive in the Kace\applications directory as a mid-level task. Then use a post installation task to run the installation from that directory. The benefit is that 1. you are positive that the files are there, 2. the files get cleaned up when kcleanup runs at the end of the process.

To map to a drive, you can either use a .bat file, combining in cmdhide so that the password isn't seen, but you still have a .bat file hanging around with a username/password, or I use AutoIT to create the map drive. AutoIT is a compiled .exe in which your password won't be shown.

Corey

Hi Corey :)

Thanks for the reply.
I wonder if there is a better way of getting the entire 6gb cs5.5 package down using the k2000 with out having multiple post install tasks splitting it up.
I'd appreciate your thoughts on this one.

If you don't have multiple post installation tasks, I don't think you can do it, you will need to stick with your original plan, which is not a bad idea, you just need to make sure that the network driver is loaded on those machines. I would still be cautious about mapping the drive letter in a .bat, unless its a read only share, etc.

CordlezToaster - If you wanted K2 to do it as a postinstall task you could export the file, edit the payload, then reimport.

Here's my concept on K1000; modify slightly for K2, but the concept is the same.

1.Upload a small file to the software record you want to ultimately have installed (Adobe CS5, AutoCAD, etc.)
2.Using the Resources tab on the 1000 (Settings & Resources), export the record to the samba share.
3.Download the file from \\k1000\client
4.Open it with 7zip
5.Locate the file within the ZIP that you uploaded to the K1000 in Software-##.kpkg\Software-#\PAYLOAD\
6.Add your ZIP of the large installer and remove the other file.
7.Save the package.
8.Upload the package to \\k1000\clientdrop
9.Import the modified file using the Resources tab on the K1000
10.Set up the MI as usual if a ZIP file is used (Configure manually, and provide full Command Line).

Note- Similar could be done with a script on the K1000, or Post Installation task on the K2000. For K2000 use “Package Management” (Previously “Export”) tab instead of “Resources”, Samba share on K2000 is \\K2000\Restore. The package is .PKG; and a sample path to the payload: \PO12_1307665883_1658.pkg\PO12_1307665883_1658\.\PAYLOAD\

We've done something similar to what OP wants in the past using a simply batch file. except we use it in the software library of the 2000 for self-serve or for Techs to install on one-off machines for whatever reasons.
@echo off
net use m: \\server\CS4\
"m:\setup.exe"
net use m: /delete /y

This will mount the drive and call the .exe and then delete then drive from being mapped on that machine. As Corey stated though this is dependant on the network, we usually see an average install time of about 20-30 minutes so it's going to add a significant time to your image process if it's a post install.

Here is the batch that we used as well that more or less does what Corey recommend by copying the files locally, however we copied to the C:\ drive and not to the KACE folder.

@echo off
md c:\cs4
net use o: \\server\cs4
echo Copying CS4 to Local Machine
Xcopy "o:\*.*" "c:\cs4" /e /y /k
echo Installing CS4
"c:\cs4\AdobeUberInstaller.exe"
echo Installation is complete....
net use o: /delete /y


This will copy the files to the CS4 folder and then run the installer locally, you can also add a line to delete the CS4 folder off the C: drive once that's done. But I'd recommend adding it Kace folder. This method also will do it one step as a post install task by copying the files and installing in one batch but it is dependent on the network card being functional on first boot like Corey also mentioned. Hope this helps and does what you want.

matiasm,

Great examples, I should have done the same:

As a mid level task you would do the following batch script:
@echo off
net use o: \\server\cs4 /user:username password
echo Copying CS4 to Local Machine
Xcopy "o:\*.*" "c:\kace\cs4" /e /y /k

no need to worry about network being present, as you are in KBE, so it is.
*note, the /user is only needed if there is no guest access, and you should be aware that this username/password would be seen in a command prompt.

Then a post installation batch file would be:
@echo off
echo Installing CS4
start /wait "c:\kace\cs4\AdobeUberInstaller.exe"
echo Installation is complete....