Can I use SVS to distribute the same app to several machines?

Q:
Frank asked, "SVS appears to be an incredibly powerful tool. I'm thinking of using it to distribute applications to users on my network but what if an application requires a different license key on each computer I install to?"

A:
Good question, Frank. Thank you. This same issue comes up with imaging and with other centralized application distribution technologies, not just with SVS. I believe that vendors understand the customer's need for standardization and manageability. In many cases, deployment with the same key on each machine is acceptable as long as, in the case of a compliance audit, the customer can produce proof that they own the correct # of unique license keys.

But in the case where a vendor really does require that a different key be put on each machine, most vendors that cater to business customers provide the correct command line options to enable automated distribution and to still allow correct entry of their license key. Typically, you would install without a key, using the vendor supplied command line switch, then either populate the registry with the correct key via a script, or let the app prompt the user to enter the key prior to first use. Again, this would be an issue with any imaging or application distribution system, not just with SVS.