Symantec Management Platform (Notification Server)

Hello all.

Using Notification server 6.0.6074

I tried to install Acrobar reader 9.1.1 using msiexec /i "AcroRead.msi" /qb-! TRANSFORMS=AcroRead.mst PATCH="\\server\path\AdbeRdrUpd911_all_incr.msp" ALLUSERS=1 REBOOT=ReallySuppress

Package is source is "access package from an existing UNC"

This gives error that installer can't read patch (error 1635).

same without UNC in PATCH property and with or witout quotation marks.

Same command run manually from command line using user that has access to server share works fine.

What's up?

Why don't you copy the PATCH to the source folder and try installing. Try the following command after you copy the PATCH to the source folder:

MSIEXEC /I AcroRead.msi TRANSFORMS=AcroRead.mst PATCH=AdbeRdrUpd911_all_incr.msp /QB-!  ALLUSERS=1 REBOOT=ReallySuppress

 

Tried, doesn't work.

Funny thing is that plain patch -installation does work (msiexec /p AdbeRdrUpd911_all_incr.msp)

Do the credentials in the software program tab in the Altiris software package have access to the share? I'll be honest, I've never tried installing a software and a patch in the same command line. A final question is why you wouldn't just use the fully patched version (if this a fresh install)?

I think you are in the right direction in finding where the problem lies. PATCH  property needs full path to the patch file, and apparently msiexec process does not see the share. It can be run from local cache, but that can't be determined before install (just for fun I added cache-directory that in command line as a full path for that msp and it works). Does that cache use same name always, or does it change if I make some change in package? I'm guessing not, because that uses same cache directory name as package GUID.

Reason why I don't use patched version is that that doesn't exist (yet). Adobe has only reader versions 9.1.0 which has severe security hole and patch to 9.1.1 which fixes that hole.

When we've chained patches into an install we used msiexec.exe /i myfile.msi TRANSFORMS=mytrans.mst /p thepatch.msp /qb-! REBOOT=ReallySuppress
As far as I remember, this worked fine.  The other option would be to wrap the install with a script and dynamically determine the full path to the MSI, MSP and MST files and insert those on the command line.  You can get the source dir (sScriptDir in my example) like this:

Dim oFSO, sScriptDir
Set oFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")

sScriptDir = oFSO.GetParentFolderName(WScript.ScriptFullName)
If Right(sScriptDir,1) <> "\" Then sScriptDir = sScriptDir & "\"

As far as I know /i and /p can't be used together. If I try it it just gives me option help. /update needs full path just like PATCH -property. This might be installer version dependant. We use installer version 3.01.4001.5512.

Dynamically determining directory could be useful. Thank you for that.