Deployment Solution

I'd like to have the 7.1 agent as part of my normal client build in 6.9 DS.  Is it as simple as just making a script to run AeXNSAgent.exe located on the 7.1 server or is there more to it than that?

Right now I'm installing the agents in 7.1 by going to actions, agent, push agents, then selecting the computers I want to install to, then clicking install.  I know you can set up an automated task to check for machines and do this but I would rather have it as part of my scripted OS install in 6.9.

I copy the AeXNSc,exe file locally then install from there. Works like a charm.

If you do it as part of the build you mght want to stop the Agent after install so it doesn't start downloading plug-ins and tying up the Windows Installer service or failing on a reboot.

Hey edwinb

As andy has said, it works like a charm.
http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=HOWTO1567

Here you have the commandlines for the installation. :)

I also agree with andy, you might want to put the installation at the end of the install, this way you don't have to worry about installation errors (assuming you have a windows update script in there somewhere which does that part of the installation.

Kind Regards
Morten Leth

My 7.1 server is also running the inventory plug in.  I need to install the inventory agent along with the regular NS agent as well correct?

1/ Script the install after the Symantec Management Agent install as part of the build. Then, whenever you update the software on your NS you'll need to change the install job on the DS.

2/ Use the plug in install policy on the NS to install the plug in after the machine is built.

And don't forget the other plug-ins, Software Management, Patch Management etc.

Maybe I'll just have 7.1 scan for machines without agents and autoinstall them.  Seems easier than having to run all of these manually.  How would I set that up to exclude specific OU's in AD?

Hi edwimb

Well, it's really doesn't matter how you install it, you have the "update" problem either way.

http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=HOWTO10261
This link here can help you finding all the agents you need to install.

There is another way ;) - but i cannot remember the exact share.
If you link directly into your nscap share, you don't need to upgrade your install script every time you upgrade your solution, simply because those are the exe files which also gets upgraded.

And if you use this article, you can see the folder which gets used for every install, that folder is most likely shared ;) - this share, does not get updatet every time the solution gets upgraded.
In that way you don't need to worry that much about things.

The scan isn't without problems either, you need to ensure the solution can access your computers (meaning firewall etc. doesn't block the requests) and so forth.

/Morten

 

You can do this fairly easily as part of the build time jobs in DS 6.9

As part of an image deployment we create a folder on C: called Altiris and copy the relevant agents in to place to install as part of Sysprep in XP and part of the unattend in W7. This way i can always deploy the up to date agent and dont have to let it update.

In my xp sysprep i use this section in my sysprep file to install the agents:

[GuiRunOnce]
    Command0="C:\altiris\aclient.exe c:\altiris\aclient.inp -install"
    Command1="C:\altiris\AeXNSC.exe /s /install /ns=SERVERNAME.DOMAIN.COM"

I use this step after i've imaged to copy the files and sysprep file:

@Echo on
REM Token Replacement Task for Sysprep.inf
REM Replacetokens .\Deploy\scripts\SYSPREP.INF .\temp\%ID%.INF

Echo Copying Updated Sysprep.inf
.\Rdeploy\Windows\firm.exe copy .\temp\%ID%.INF prod:sysprep\sysprep.inf

Echo Copy NS Agent
.\Rdeploy\Windows\firm.exe copy I:\Packages\Altiris\CMS7.1\AEXNSC.EXE prod:altiris\AeXNSC.exe

Echo Copy SVS Installer
:Exit

 

In Windows 7 i copy the agents i need to C:\Windows\Source\ and use this for my Microsoft-Windows-Deployment Section in my specialize pass:

        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Deployment" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
            <ExtendOSPartition>
                <Extend>true</Extend>
            </ExtendOSPartition>
            <RunSynchronous>
                <RunSynchronousCommand wcm:action="add">
                    <Order>1</Order>
                    <Path>net user administrator /active:yes</Path>
                </RunSynchronousCommand>
    <RunSynchronousCommand wcm:action="add">
                    <Description>Installs DS Agent</Description>
                    <Order>2</Order>
                    <Path>C:\WINDOWS\Source\dagent.bat</Path>
                </RunSynchronousCommand>
    <RunSynchronousCommand wcm:action="add">
                    <Description>Installs NS Agent</Description>
                    <Order>3</Order>
                    <WillReboot>Always</WillReboot>
                    <Path>C:\WINDOWS\Source\AeXNSC.exe /s /install /ns=SERVERNAME.DOMAIN.COM</Path>
                </RunSynchronousCommand>
            </RunSynchronous>
        </component>

and i use the following to copy the agent and unattend scripts:

REM Replace tokens in sysprep and copy DAgent files
REM Replacetokens .\Deploy\scripts\UNATTENDW7X64.xml .\temp\%ID%.INF

Echo Copy Sysprep in to Place
.\Rdeploy\Windows\x64\firm.exe copy ".\temp\%ID%.inf" "D:\Windows\Panther\Unattend.xml"

Echo Copy NS Agent
.\Rdeploy\Windows\x64\firm.exe copy I:\Packages\Altiris\CMS7.1\AEXNSC.EXE D:\Windows\Source\AeXNSC.exe

Echo Copy DS Agent
.\Rdeploy\Windows\x64\firm.exe copy "I:\Packages\Altiris\DAgent\dagent.inp" "D:\Windows\Source\aclient.inp"
.\Rdeploy\Windows\x64\firm.exe copy "I:\Packages\Altiris\DAgent\dagent.bat" "D:\Windows\Source\dagent.bat"
.\Rdeploy\Windows\x64\firm.exe copy "I:\Packages\Altiris\DAgent\dagent_x64.msi" "D:\Windows\Source\dagent.msi"

But i know some people do it other ways. This definately works for me.

 







Hi Jim,

After thinking about this I need to have these installs as part of the build.  Our laptop users would be a pain to deploy the agent to using the other method.

We do scripted OS installs.  I already have the DS agents working in the build for XP and 7.  Funny thing about the DS agent for 7 is it just kind of automatically installs somehow.  I'm not even sure how it's working but it is.  The XP one I have some issues getting my INP file to apply as the guy before me wrote his own INP into the build.  For whatever reason my INP doesn't override his.  We are moving away from XP anyway so I figured I would just leave that the way it is.

For the 7.1 agent I need to know what I need to install manually to emulate what the 7.1 push symantec agent action does.  I need this to work on x86 XP and x64 7.  We have seperate scripted OS installs for each so I just need to know what to run with what switches.

On a XP client that had the 7.1 agent pushed to it via the push it has aclient 6.9, Altiris Base Task Handlers 7.1, Altiris Client Task Agent 7.1, Altiris inventory agent 7.1, Altiris inventory rule agent 7.1, software management framework agent 7.1, and symantec managemtn agent 7.1.  What do I need to run and with what switches to get these to work on 7 x64 and XP x32?

Would it just be:

'Altiris Agent
\\server name and path\aexnsc.exe –s –a ns="server name" /s

Do I need to run another install for any other agents?

 

Hi Edwimb,

For the scripted OS Installs i would add a run script step after the scripted OS Install step in your job.

The job should basically be abit like this:

REM Install Altiris NS Agent
net use z: /d /yes
REM Connect to Depot
net use Z: \\DSSERVERNAME\SHARENAME
z:
cd \PATH-TO-NSAGENT\
AeXNSC.exe /s /install /ns=SERVERNAME.DOMAIN.COM

or as you put:

"\\DSSERVERNAME\SHARENAME\PATH-TO-NSAGENT\AeXNSC.exe" /s /install /ns=SERVERNAME.DOMAIN.COM

Remember whatever account that the run script is run as will need to have read permissions to the share and full path to the NS Agent install location / Files.

You won't need to run anything else to install the additional agents or plugins. You will need to enable the Agent install / upgrade policies however by going to your NS Console and clicking Settings > All Settings > Agents/Plugins:

From here you will need to go to each agent section you need and enable the policies there. It's worth going over the configurations as you go too. I'm guessing as you've been playing with NS anyways that alot of these will already been turned on.

 

Also relating to the INP.

you can get around alot of those settings easily by going to your Deployment console 6.9 and selecting Tools and Options. From here you can select Agent Settings and force new agents to take these default settings. Then you can go through and change the default settings.

This may be what your previous colleague did.

I just ran it on a win 7 x64 client for a test and I show the service as running, but the tray icon isn't showing.  I rebooted, still not showing.  I'd like for it to show, as when you do this via the push in the console it makes the icon show and I have most of my machines like that already.

Are there any other switches I need to enable to make it just like the console push?

The switch to turn it off is NOTRAYICON:

http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO1567

You might need to set the "notification area" options in Windows 7 (right-click taskbar > Properties to see if that's the problem)

Edit: See "Known Issue: Altiris Agent icon may not appear in the system tray"

http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH44034

If you go back to the agent settings location. the section for Symantec management agent.. go to the configurations there and there is an option to show icon. I would go through the agent settings thoroughly to ensure the agent is setup right. I would also look for the installing and configuring cms 7.1 best practices guide to ensure your agent settings are appropriate for your environment. It's worth taking the time to have a read and possibly watch the getting started videos on the first time portal.

I may have deployed this to a non clean machine.  I think it may have had a 6.9 agent on it, and our 6.9 agents were set to hide the tray icon.  Trying again. 

what you may want to do is do a uninstall step as part of the install agent 7.1 job.

literally do a go through and clean out all old 6.9 agents other than the Aclient or Dagent. Then you always know its going on to a clean device.

 

Jim, I am uninstalling the old agents.  I just happen to run this test on a machine that still had one on it.

I believe my agent install script will work fine, but I'm having really strange issues with the rest of my build now.  It seems to fail randomly. 

I'll make a new thread for this.