Using Wpi With Multiple Computers And Network

[Mango]

Hello, this is my first post here so I'll try to be clear

I currently got a network with alot of PC's (around 150), and I'm using a Windows2000sp4 with RIS to install WindowsXPpro on the clients.

I'm currently still testing the installation with vmware on my client comp, wich is proceeding nicely. So far I got WPI working too and it's installing a few freeware/shareware as test (I still need to know the applications being used for the 'real' clients). After the GUI installation of windows, I execute a .cmd file wich maps to the applications directory on the network (ie. X:\%servername%\applications).

The thing is, almost every computer is using different kinds of software. This software is listed per computer, so somewhere on the server there's a directory structure wich looks like this:

\epc001\office
            \app01
            \app02
\epc002\app02
            \app44
\epcxxx\etc.

'epcxxx' is the clients computername. Inside that directory is the list of software to be installed (maybe just a textfile or reference to the software to be installed(you don't want to have 150x an office installation on your server ).

What I want to know, is there an (easy) way to get a config file at the first login per client -with- the right settings for each application for that client checked and ready to install within 30 secs or so.

Thank you for reading this

[broman]

like me know if any repsond to you on this please

[hasi001]

Hi.

I dunno RIS a have nothing to do with remote installs, so the following could be completely wrong.

You could make a seperate config.js for each of your machines.

If it's possible in RIS - connect client-install-share to let's say drive Q: before running WPI. Reconfigure WPI's sources to load config.js from Q:...

So each machine would get it's own config.

If that was a silly answer don't blame me. I just got to this when thinking about how a user logs on to a domain. There a logonskript could map specific drives... - if that's possible with RIS - good so. If not - forget the above and the answer would be: NO - wpi isn't designed for that.

[Mango]

Well I figured out a way, tho I'm still tinkering with it a bit. I still need to good a good test (luckily I have a client I can use freely for it).

At the moment I'm doing things like this:

- At first boot, I map a network-drive to the application directory ie. X:

- On that drive there is a directory with the directories of all the computers, something like:

\000\PC01
      \PC02
      \PC03 etc.

Inside each directory, I place a modified config.js file. In that file I place a "dflt[pn]=['yes']" for each application I want to install (so that it's checked by default when WPI starts up).

- What I do on first boot after I made the network mapping is the following, I copy the config.js file for that computer into the %systemdrive%\install\wpi\wpiscripts\ directory. the syntax looks a bit like this:

xcopy /Y X:\000\%computername%\config.js %systemdrive%\install\wpi\wpiscripts\

All this (the networkmapping and the xcopy is executed in a .cmd file -before- wpi.cmd is executed.

I need to test a bit more if it works smoothly.

Also I'm looking for an easier way to somehow check the default applications for each computer. If someone has an idea, please reply

I hope this helps you.

[Mango]

lol hasi001, didn't notice your reply, I was in the middle of mine Thanks for replying tho

[Telenut]

I don't create a new config.js for each computer. The networkdrive is different for every computer, and the software is in that drive. So in WPI you can check (ifexist) if the software is there or not. When it's not, you can nog select it.... So problem solved :-) (or not?)

[djbe]

how about giving wpi some parameter to tell it wich config file to use (lets say you have 3 configs) and if it doesn't find it maybe fallback on a default config...

[Mango]

I don't create a new config.js for each computer. The networkdrive is different for every computer, and the software is in that drive. So in WPI you can check (ifexist) if the software is there or not. When it's not, you can nog select it.... So problem solved :-) (or not?)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well I just create a temporary network drive at first boot wich is the same for every comp (X:), that's where all the applications are.

I'd love to have a textfile per comp wich lists the software for that comp only, but I'm not much of a programmer to get that to work with javascripting (I don't know anything about it lol).

So the thing i'm doing now is, instead of a textfile, just have a config.js with "dflt[pn]=['yes']" added to the programs I want (I understand that much of the java being used ). I just don't really have the time on my hands to begin studying java and everything, so maybe someone could help me out?