Hi there,

Unfortunately, the remote Client Install tool is hardcoded to use the C$ share. I would advise making a group policy to run the client.msi to install the client. Here is an article on setting up the msiexec command line:

 How to silently install Symantec Ghost

Unfortunately I have no access to implement group policy, that is above my pay-grade. As I said I got the client installed on a few dozen machines during this testing phase, and I have run into another issue. I needed to reimage the server running the Ghost Console for reasons not associated with GSS, and now that I bring it back up to same static IP and hostname, clients installed on the workstations will not connect back. I have a suspicion that this is pubkey.crt related, but as I said all of the particulars for the console machine are the same.

There is a tool for redistributing the pubkey.crt to existing clients. Here is a link to an article and the download:

 How to distribute the "pubkey.crt" file to multiple client computers

Thank you for your attention to our questions Randall.

The link you posted is broken, but I have updated to 2266 and need to update clients anyway, so I have decided to not fight city hall on this.

I am building our new stock images and will include in them a batch file to create a C$ at startup. This will allow management of active workstations, and yesterday I configured a console client PXE image so that nonfunctional ones will respond as well. This pretty much covers the bases, but I am running into another issue concerning deployment of the correct client version to existing machines. The idea is that we need to get the client on all current machines, pull user data, apply the images to new hardware coming in, and then restore user data from console to the new machines.

So I read up on the msiexec install method for the client and came up with this:

@echo off
if exist "C:\program files\symantec\ghost\ngctw32.exe" goto uninstall_first

echo Installing the new client...
Msiexec /q /i "\\xxx.xxx.xx.xx\Client\Client.msi" GHOSTINSTALLTYPE="Client" GHOSTCONSOLESERVERNAME="xxx.xxx.xx.xx"
echo Success
goto exit
 
:uninstall_first
echo Uninstalling the old client...
Msiexec /q /x "\\xxx.xxx.xx.xx\Client\Client.msi"
echo Success
echo.
echo.
echo Installing the new client...
Msiexec /q /i "\\xxx.xxx.xx.xx\Client\Client.msi" GHOSTINSTALLTYPE="Client" GHOSTCONSOLESERVERNAME="xxx.xxx.xx.xx"
echo Success
goto exit
 
:exit
echo.
echo.
echo Finished
pause

The problem is that the GHOSTCONSOLESERVERNAME argument appears to do nothing, the client will uninstall no problem, install no problem, and then proceeds to search for a server, which in my environment is not acceptable. It does not take an IP (preferred) value, the computer name, full hostname, anything. This is supposed to work, any ideas why it isn't?

Hello,

I believe the GHOSTCONSOLESERVERNAME takes an argument without quotes... have you tried that?

Thank you,

Randy

Yeah I have tried with quotes, without, examples of whitespace and no whitespace, everything uninstalls/installs no problem but it appears that the GHOSTCONSOLESERVERNAME argument performs no action. I have tried without the silent install flag, and manual entry of the same values is flawless, instant connection to the console.

Well, I am sort of at my wits end with this silent installer. The ghostconsoleservername refuses to work. It installs and searches for the first server it can find, which is always the wrong one. If I allow the install to run with user interaction and enter the IP myself at the prompt it instantly connects to my console server. I have tried every variation of possible syntax I can think of on multiple machines and it just doesnt pull the value. It is as if it isnt reading the argument at all.
I cannot find anyone else who seems to have this issue, so I am wondering if there is anything systemic in my environment that might be preventing client.msi from evaluating ghostconsoleservername?

Property(S): CURRENTDIRECTORY = C:\Documents and Settings\userwashere
Property(S): GHOSTCONSOLESERVERNAME = xxx.xxx.xx.xx
Property(S): PackagecodeChanging = 1
Property(S): ProductState = -1
Property(S): PackageCode = {codewashere}
MSI (s) (1C:88) [10:51:40:109]: Product: Symantec Ghost Console Client -- Installation operation completed successfully.

=== Logging stopped: 3/25/2010  10:51:40 ===

used /l* msiexec flag to produce this log. seems that it is taking that IP, but not applying it.

Further up there is also:

Property(S): SecureCustomProperties = GHOSTCONSOLE;GHOSTSERVER;GHOSTPERSONAL;GHOSTTRIALWARE;GHOSTLATERVERSIONINSTALLED;GHOST70;GHOST75;GHOSTOLDCLIENTUPGRADE;GHOSTCLIENTUPGRADE;GHOSTUSEEXISTINGCRT;GHOSTINSTALLTYPE;GHOSTPRODUCTNAME;COMPANYNAME;USERNAME;GHOSTPRODUCTEDITION;IE5INSTALLED;GHOSTUNDOLOGFILE;GHOSTUPGRADE;GHOSTOLDUPGRADE

Note there it has GHOSTINSTALLTYPE but does not use GHOSTCONSOLESERVERNAME. I am wondering if using GHOSTCONSOLE or GHOSTSERVER in the argument might be something to do.

in ngctw32.log:

Checking for Sysprep. Process id: 4892, name: \DEVICE\HARDDISKVOLUME1\PROGRAM FILES\SYMANTEC\GHOST\NGCTW32.EXE
11:34:34 AM xxx.xxx.xx.xx:1346 polling for any server
11:34:44 AM xxx.xxx.xx.xx:1346 polling for any server
11:35:24 AM xxx.xxx.xx.xx:1346 polling for any server
#\Locate{ Product = Ghost, Component = Config_Server, Name = (), Challenge = blah, IPADDRESS = 3464111195U, Response = blah, Modulus = blah, Generator = blah, Public = blah, Session = blah, Have = (Session), Signature = blah, Host = mmondloch, Certificate = blah, Address = 1347 }
11:35:26 AM xxx.xxx.xx.xx:1346 sending status to  148.92.148.106:1347
11:37:26 AM xxx.xxx.xx.xx:1346 sending status to  148.92.148.106:1347
11:39:26 AM xxx.xxx.xx.xx:1346 sending status to  148.92.148.106:1347
11:41:26 AM xxx.xxx.xx.xx:1346 lost contact with  148.92.148.106:1347
11:41:26 AM xxx.xxx.xx.xx:1346 polling for bound server mmondloch
#\Locate{ Product = Ghost, Component = Config_Server, Name = blahblah, Host = mmondloch, Description = mmondloch, Challenge = blah, IPADDRESS = 3464111195U, Response = blah, Certificate = (), Session = blahblah, Have = (Session), Signature = blahblah, Address = 1347 }
11:41:28 AM xxx.xxx.xx.xx:1346 sending status to  148.92.148.106:1347
11:43:28 AM xxx.xxx.xx.xx:1346 sending status to  148.92.148.106:1347
11:45:28 AM xxx.xxx.xx.xx:1346 sending status to  148.92.148.106:1347

long address strings reduced to "blah" and "blahblah"

so one log has the value captured, this log shows no indication of any prebound server

this is 2266 client