Deployment Solution

Hello
Our IT execs are asking for our group to create standards for our packaging processes.  This is to ensure we are all on the same track with packaging.  My questions, that I would like to know are:

- What packaging tools are you using
- Do you use AutoIt
- What do you use when having to capture an app because it won't install with any switches, as silent install
- Where do you keep source files?
- When packaging msi's do you copy those files down to the user's machine first then kick off install?
- Any tips and tricks we could use to get organized would be grateful

Currently we have had Wise and Admin Studio as our tools and also a Landesk shop so we can also use Package Builder from landesk to snapshot the apps.  Our company is trying to cut costs and making sure we are following proper practices at the same time.

We are somewhat knowledgeable with packaging a few of us only having minimal training and learning as we go.

Hmm, good question. Hard to answer, as "best practices" will vary based on environment. Here are some of the things that we do, and our costs have been very minimal thus far.

- What packaging tools are you using?All we are using is the WISE tool that comes with DS. Otherwise, we use scripted installs for all other .MSI based products (using MST and MSP files for MS products, and the Adobe customization tools for Adobe products. So far, that has been just fine.

- Do you use AutoIt? No
- What do you use when having to capture an app because it won't install with any switches, as silent install? We use the WISE Setup capture tool that comes with DS. It has been quirky at time, but we've only had one app that it did not work for.
- Where do you keep source files? We keep these in shared folders on both of our DS's (which are located in two different areas of the country). Permissions are set to read only for everyone, and r/w for admins and our Altiris service account. We have a scripted job that updates the changes made to these folders to our package servers, which are located in 2 other geographical sites.
- When packaging msi's do you copy those files down to the user's machine first then kick off install? Yes. We have about 15% of our user base located off-site, whose only access to us is via a VPN connection. This allows us to send a job or task to their laptop or pc, and to install only when all files have been received.
- Any tips and tricks we could use to get organized would be grateful. A good practice we have here is to create an uninstall for whatever app we are creating the install for. We also slipstream app updates into the packages.

Hope this helps you out at least a little bit.