Wise Package Studio, Part 6: Building an XP Client Packaging Machine

In the previous articles of the series Wise Package Studio 7, we built several MSIs and VSAs on our server. But that is not really the way to go. Especially MSI's are preferable packaged on the same operating system that we use for deployment. Most MSIs are in one or the other way operating system dependent. Even if we build them on a different operating system, and we know that they work it is better to do it on the operating system that is used where we deploy the software, especially when a software package contains drivers and/or services it can be very helpful and will prevent you from getting errors eventually.

In practice most companies are not migrating to Vista. They keep Windows XP in until a full new release because they find Vista heavy. Computers with only 1 GB of memory will not perform very well with Vista. On the other hand, most of employees also use XP right now. Vista is not very well adapted. (All my articles are written on a Vista machine.)

Because most companies still work on Windows XP, we need to build a Wise Package Studio 7 machine on a client so that the packages are ready on our operating system.

In this article I show you how to install and configure the Windows XP packaging machine.

When you also want to do this on Vista, the configuration is identical. That will not stop you from doing it.

First step is to make sure the client has enough memory. This will prevent you from getting "not enough space available to perform this action" errors.

Log on the client with a domain administrator account. During the installation we need to make a domain admin mapping to the Wise Package Studio server. It is very difficult to do this when you have no rights on the mapping. In this case I use the C$ mapping.

If you are using another account that does not have full admin privileges, you can go to the server and create a mapping on c:\Program Files Altiris\ Wise Package Studio. Give the mapping enough permissions to let the account you are using read and write on the folder.

When you have checked these steps, then you can go further and start building your Wise Package Studio client.

Start the Wise Package Studio 7 installation.

Click to view.

Click next to confirm the Welcome screen and to start the configuration and installation.

Click to view.

Confirm the license agreement and click Next to continue.

Click to view.

Now you have to give in the license number or select install evaluation version.

Click Next to continue.

Click to view.

Now we select the Client install. This will only install the parts needed for a client and all other will be obtained from the server. Click Next to continue

Click to view.

Now we select Network client. I do not want the whole suite on the client. Only the necessary parts will be installed. Click Next to continue.

Click to view.

Use the browse button to go to the Wise directory that we created during the installation of the Wise server components. Click Next to continue.

For our next step we have to create a share to the C$ disk on the Wise package server. This will help you to use the server files instead of installing them local on the client.

Click to view.

You could use the drive letter and then the path of the server. I preferred to use the UNC notification. Just browse to the correct directory, and then change the drive letter in the UNC notification \\servername\c$ When you do this, it will keep the drive letter free for you. In a while you will see that you use the drive letter for other things, and then you may get problems because you use the X as a steady notification. With the UNC path it will make you more flexible.

Make sure you select the correct directory on the server.

Click next to continue.

Click to view.

Now you have configured the settings and the installation is ready to go.

Click Next to start the installation.

When the installation is finished, it is best practice to reboot the client.

After the reboot our client is ready for packaging, but we want our packages to be clean and we also want our client to be very clean.

So we have to do a task to remove garbage from our client.

Go to My computer and select the C drive. Give a right mouse click and select Properties.

Click to view.

Click on the button Disk Cleanup.

Click to view.

Now you can select what you want to get cleaned.

I always clean up:

• Ø Downloaded Program Files
• Ø Temporary Internet Files
• Ø Offline Web pages
• Ø Recycle Bin
• Ø Temporary files
• Ø Temporary Offline Files
• Ø Offline Files
• Ø Compress old files.

This will not only give you some more disk space, but it will remove a lot of garbage on your disk and it will help you to keep your packages clean.

Click OK to let the process go through the selected actions.

Our Next task is to build a Virtual OS package for Windows XP.

On the client computer where we installed Wise Package Studio on, go to start and select Run. Give in the path to your Wise Studio Package server like the path in my environment:
\\dvssvr03\c$\program files\altiris\Wise Package Studio\Workbench\virtualos.exe

Click OK.

Click to view.

Store the image that you are creating into the same location where the Windows 2003 image is on the Wise Share Point. Give the WOS file a name that gives you the operating system, service pack if you like and in this case No OFFICE.

This image can be shared among all the team members that also build packages, and it makes it much easier if you have a way to identify the images.

In a situation environment as the one I use, there will be several images residing so I'm able to package for almost every OS I have.

• Windows XP No Office
• Windows XP Office 2003
• Windows XP Office 2007
• Windows Vista no Office
• Windows Vista Office 2003
• Windows Vista Office 2007
• Windows 2003 no Office
• Windows 2003 Office 2003
• Windows 2003 Office 2007

Every package that I know build can be built on their own Virtual OS.

Again all the Virtual OSs are shared among all the other members of your team. Communicate to other team members that they should only use the appropriate image.

If you would like to have every team member build their own virtual OS, then let them always do this on the Share Point in the directory Virtual OS, and then in a directory that reflects the name of the team member.

If a team member leaves the Office, the Virtual OS will stay in the Office. That will help you to support packages that the team member builded on one his Virtual OS's without the need to rebuild the whole package because you lost the Virtual OS.

It is also very wise to create a document or report of the packaging process where the used Virtual OS is listed. This will greatly help you identify the correct virtual OS when you need to update a package or you need to change something inside the package.

Now you have configured a client Wise Package Studio computer for Windows XP. If you now start Wise Package Studio you will see that it uses the same configuration, database and settings as the server that we previously build.

Every package you now build will get stored into the Projects directory on the Wise Share Point. When you build a package you will also be able to store it in the Software Manager database, and then you can build a conflict report.

It is very good practice to perform the steps above on two clients.

The first one is a Windows XP client with no software on it. The second one is the same client, but now we install our Office version on it.

When you build a repackaged version of a software package that has dependencies in Office we build this package on the computer where Office is installed. This will make sure all the settings that the package need for the Office integration are repackaged also.

You would not be the first one that repackages a software package and then gets problems because there is no Office integration.

Wise Package Studio, Part 5: Package Dot NET Framework 2.0

Wise Package Studio, Part 7: Use Install Tailor to Create a Transform File