United Kingdom Endpoint Management User Group

Hello all,

Could you please answer the following questions:

1.  What edition of WPS are you using?

2.  Are you using its repository as a software library either via a UNC connection, via the WISE Connector (6.x) or as a Data Provider (7.x)?

3.  As WPS has been EOL for a while now, are you looking at migrating to a different product, and if so, which one?

4.  What features and functionality do you believe a good packaging tool should have?

Thank you in advance,

SK.

You may want to clarify your target audience, as your question (2) refers to the ability to link WPS with Altiris Notification Server for distribution, which will not be evident to users who don't have Altiris NS/DS.

Also, do you have a target environment in mind when asking question (4) ?  The specification of a packaging tool would be very much determined by what technologies you are using in house. For example, a different tool may be required if your packaging requirements include App/V as well as MSI.

I am interested in comments from standalone WPS users too.

MSI & virtual packaging requirements are of interest.

Flexera's Installshield Adminstudio appears to be the most popular replacement for Wise as it has similar enterprise characteristics and also because Symantec are reselling it. As for linking into Altiris NS/DS its not too difficult to create XML files to allow apps to have their distribution jobs all set up automatically, either by reverse engineering the export XML files or by using the Altiris SDK.

There are of course various other tools available, and I too would be interested in finding out which are the most popular either for corporate use or for small developer use.  The free WIX toolset is also useful for the developer community (rather than the repackager community).

For MSI work, there is still quite a bit of mileage in WPS, although I find myself using ORCA predominantly for creating transforms to vendor MSI files.

I'm a newb to packaging but have enjoyed InstEd for simple stuff

http://www.instedit.com/

If you want to learn transferrable skills, InstallShield is the only choice. I have never seen a packaging role advertised that asked for anything other than Wise or IS. Knowledge of ORCA is a given since a packager needs to know their way around the tables.

1. WPS 8

2. We didn't use the repository.

3. We're migrating to AdminStudio (11.5 SP2) but there are major hurdles.We're a small group, most of the group can barely modify wisecript. Replacing wisescript means MSI custom actions in vbscript or something more difficult, not really much of an option. There is no "simple" replacement of wisescript for our group so we've been continuing to use the standalone wisescript editor added to AdminStudio. Unfortunately only AdminStudio licenses purchased through Symantec are valid for the wisescript editor, and we can't seem to purchase any more of these licenses.

For those that also have Altiris CMS, you will still have access to a licensed version of both Wise InstallTaylor and Wise Script.

I believe that the AdminStudio licenses are about twice as much as the Wise ones, which is another big hurdle for customers I imagine.

My feedback from users is that the version of Wisescript that was released for use with AdminStudio added a few new bugs to those already present.

Would I be right in thinking that the update was actually coded within Symantec rather than by the Flexera team?

I unfortunately cannot answer that question as I simply do not know; however, if there are bugs with the Wise add-on to AdminStudio, I strongly suggest that they are reported to Flexera so that they will hopefully be rectified.

1.  WPS 8 with Wise Server Version

2.  WISE Connector

3.  My company purchased IS 11.5 (Symantec Version), but I still use WPS8.

4.  I have been using WPS8 for about four years (Self-Taught/trained via Symantec learning portal and the Internet). As long as my company stays on the 32bit OS platform, I can still leverage WPS8 to create functional MSI packages.

What makes a good packaging tool? A GREAT community and a company support team, something fast, light, universal. Something that allows you to create and enforce variables that create consistency when developing and testing packages. Something that automatically documents what you are doing while you are designing or packaging. ...Something timeless.