Software Deployment

I'm here with you on that.
I downloaded several specops tools. After just installing & poaking around with the consoles, I encountered several errors. They seem to be useful tools, but until stable, I'll be reluctant to recommend.

I'm using the 3.0 version of SpecOps Deploy in a Academic Library setting and it works wonderful for us here!

I'm deploying a mix of MSI installs and legacy setup.exe kind of stuff. So far, I haven't had any problems with it and I've been using it for over a year now.

--Bill

I'm demo-ing version 3.1 now, and I think it seems to be nice software package.

Did you make a new GPO for Specops Deploy or just add it on to the existing objects? I made the mistake of making a test GPO, and now I can't get the export feature to work right. I may need to re-define the packages I've created so far.

Just wanted to say that we purchased Specops Deploy 3.1 and are really impressed with the product. Its a simple distribution product. It's really just GPO based installs (RIS) on steroids. The reporting is really good, and the legacy applications support is awesome. Very flexible. The only slight disadvantage is that your installs happen based on Group Policy refresh times. Not a major issue, but it does force you into install "windows", meaning that you can't schedule installs to happen at exactly 5:00pm. Installs are more like 5:00pm approved, all PCs will install within 2hrs.

Great Product, priced awesome! Great support too!

Yeah, I made NEW GPOs just for SpecOps Deploy... So I have one for one type of computers (applied in their OU.) and one for the other types of PCs that need different software, and they are in a different OU.
then I made one higher in teh tree for common stuff for both.

It's one of the many things that made spec ops deploy so flexible for us.

What i've done is set my group policy refresh cycle to 30 minutes. Other thing I do is push stuff out days in advanced, but tell it not to install before like 8:00am on the day I want it.
Therefore, they get it whenever, but when 8:00am rolls around, they get that install.

You mean you set it to pre-download? I didn't think you could do that. You mean to say that the software gets downloaded to the hard drive, but doesn't execute until the time you said? In my testing it wouldn't download until the time had passed.