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Effective Large-Scale Distribution of Wildfire and Other Large Tools
by Israel Pabón, Raytheon
Your typical default Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 2.0 and Pro/INTRALINK 3.3 installation takes anywhere from 800Mb to 1Gb of space, depending on selected options. If you have only a couple of workstations to update, you might be able to update one at a time. If you want to use your time better, you can use a simple command line script to perform a serial XCOPY process via a network to automate and simplify the process. But what happens when you have hundreds of workstations to update?
Quality distribution of software application packages to multiple users is a challenging and demanding task. Delivering such tools with close to zero errors is the goal. Is it a nearly impossible task? Not if you learn to harvest the power of MS Windows Server 2003 Policies and Active Directory. In this article you will learn how to distribute a software tool image (such as a Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire and Pro/INTRALINK package) in a short period of time with minimum negative impact. Using this approach to large-scale application distribution will help you keep downtime to a minimum.
Server Policies Approach
Before you even begin working with the Server Policies, you must first create and identify a quality build to package. Start with at least a basic list of operations that are critical to you and to verify them using any given build or release of the tool. You don’t need a Q/A department—only a clear understanding of what the minimum quality level should be and that the application meets it. Once you have selected the best possible version of the product, you can decide how to package it for distribution.
Packaging an application can be as simple as creating a self-extracting zip file that will decompress all image files in the default preferred path. You can use such tools as WinZip (www.winzip.com) or WinRAR (www.rarlabs.com) for this. You can also use more complex install tools such as Install Shield (www.installshield.com) to prepare detailed deployment images. These packages offer much more flexibility on what to do with the applications.
What are Server Group Policies? They are an administrative feature in Windows Server 2003 that automate tasks by creating actions (or policies) that will be applied to a given group of users. They allow both minimal intervention and a high level of control.
A note of warning: Only administrators can use Group Policies to restrict or allow access to specific tasks. This applies in a network where Group Policy has been configured using Active Directory. (For more information, search for Active Directories and Group Policies at the Microsoft website www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/).
Distribution Process
In the following example, we’re going to distribute an MSI image. The MSI file contains the distribution image of applications we tested and will place such applications at a predefined target location in each user’s workstation. (Note: There are different tools to create MSI files. Check Install Shield’s “Package for the Web” tool at http://www.installshield.com/downloads. While it doesn’t matter which one you use, keep in mind that this is the preferred method for Microsoft applications.)
- Download and install the Group Policy Management Console with Service Pack 1 from Microsoft at http://download.microsoft.com/download/a/d/b/adb5177d-01a7-4f04-bfcc-cb7cea8b5bb7/gpmc.msi
Figure 1
- After installation, launch the application from the start Menu >Programs > Administrative Tools. Look for Group Policy Management.
Figure 2
- Note that the Group Policy Management dialog has a typical tree structure where your active directory forest is displayed at the top level. If available, look for your domain and then your proper group or organization unit. Right-click the object you want to deploy software to and then click Create and Link GPO Here.
Figure 3
- Assign a name to your new Group Policy Object (GPO) and click OK.
Figure 4
- Double-click on the name of your new GPO.
Figure 5
- Click OK on next dialog box.
Figure 6
- Right-click on your new GPO and select Edit.
Figure 7
- Expand the Software Settings folder found in Computer Configuration, then right-click Software Installation and choose New > Package.
Figure 8
- Browse to the location of your MSI package, select it, and click Open.
Figure 9
- Remember that MSI packages can be created with tools such as Install Shield. MSI compressed files are the default choice for the MS Windows Server 2003 policy usage method. Select Assigned for deployment method, and then click OK.
Figure 10
- Upon next logon for users/and or computers, within the organizational unit (OU) specified above, the application will appear in the start menu. To install, simply launch the application from its icon located within the start menu.
Figure 11
As you can see, once you’ve done some initial homework and you have your MSI image, it doesn’t really matter if you have 10 or a 1,000 users in your group. As long as they’re in the group, you can apply the policy and they will get the image you created. The best part is that this happens at the OS level, which means everyone will get it.
More Tips for Updates
Here are some additional tips to keep in mind when doing updates:
- Automate as much as you can to simplify your management work. Make sure you have access to all the systems and tools you’re going to work with. (You’d be amazed at how much not having the appropriate admin rights affects a process.) Check with the people handling your facilities. You don’t want to start an automatic update when they’ve scheduled a “lights out” in your buildings.
- Follow a strict Q/A process to filter any defective releases or builds. Once a “qualified” application has been selected, you can use an appropriate and efficient delivery method.
- Consider how users are going to be affected. Updating tools is not just a technical task. What might look wonderful to you might be a nightmare for users. Keep in mind that clear communications and constant attention to customer feedback help to ensure eventless deployments.
- Test and verify the method you’re going to use. Don’t wait until the last minute to find out the scripts were wrongly configured or something doesn’t work. It’s very healthy to have redundant delivery methods and a proven “back out” strategy. In fact, you should always have a way to back things up the way there were before, just in case. This preparation allows for a more stable process and will give you some peace of mind.
Large applications can be effectively distributed simultaneously to multiple sites and hundreds of users in a short period of time, using custom scripts and customized applications. For example, we have been able to deploy a full Pro/ENGINEER package to almost 500 workstations in less than 15 minutes! Explore and experiment with different options. There’s no magic bullet. Find what fits you best and get the most out of it. 
Israel Pabón is a senior mechanical and applications engineer for Raytheon in Sudbury, MA. He can be reached by email at i_pabon@yahoo.com.
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