Win 2003 distribution function to reduce the network management

In the LAN, the huge workload caused by the endless software installation, upgrade, maintenance, and deletion of the workstation, and the possible security problems have always been Network management headaches. If you are also a webmaster, then you may wish to use this article to feel the magical "burden reduction" charm brought by the software distribution function. Simply put, the distribution function is the function of sending software distributions to workstations. In the past, many network administrators adopted a shared approach, but the security risks caused by sharing often became the pain of the network administrator. At this point, if you try to use the distribution feature, you will be pleasantly surprised to find that the software installation of the workstation will be easy and safe.
Suppose now that a network administrator wants to distribute the "Windows Server 2003 Management Toolkit" program "Adminpak.msi" in the shyzhong.com domain to all workstations, then the following settings should be made.

First, set the shared directory

In order to maximize the management of access rights, you should first create a new directory in the disk using NTFS partition format, and named it "Tools$", then Copy the Adminpak.msi program from the "I386 directory" of the Windows Server 2003 installation CD to the "Tools$" directory. Then set the share permissions for this directory, the "Authenticated Users" group is readable, and the "Administrator" group is fully controlled.

Tip: The distributed software must be MSI package file. If you want to package non-MSI format files into MSI files, you can use InstallShield and other tools to complete this conversion operation.

Second, set the group policy

Log in to the DC (domain controller) as a domain administrator, and then click the "Start → Programs → Administrative Tools → Active Directory Users and Computers" menu item. Right-click shyzhong.com in the pop-up window and select Properties from the pop-up menu. Click the "New" button in the "Properties" window and name the newly created Group Policy object "Software".

Then select Software and click the "Edit" button below, in the "Group Policy Editor" window that opens, click "User Configuration → Software Settings → Software Installation". Then right-click on "Software Installation" and select "Properties" from the pop-up menu. In the Software Installation Properties dialog box, manually enter \\\\computername\\shared file name, and then select Show Deployment Software Dialog and Basic (see figure).

After clicking the "OK" button to return to the "Group Policy Editor", right-click the "Software Installation" item and select "New → Package" from the shortcut menu that pops up. In the subsequent "Open" dialog box, select the "Adminpak.msi" file in the Tools$ directory and click the "Open" button. After selecting the "Published" option in the "Deploy Software" dialog that pops up, click the "OK" button. The Group Policy dialog can now be closed. Then open a command prompt window, enter the "Gpupdate" command and press Enter, this will refresh the group policy, so that the above settings take effect immediately.

Third, install the software in the workstation

After the above settings in the DC (domain controller), the software will be distributed to all workstations in the shyzhong.com domain. In the workstation, when the user logs in to the domain, simply click the "Add New Program" button in the "Add/Remove Programs" window and it will be listed in the "Add Programs from Network" list from the DC (Domain Controller). The "Adminpak.msi" program was distributed. Click the "Add" button to install the program immediately.

Using the above software installation method in the workstation, the "passive download" of the sharing mode can be changed to the "active delivery" of the software distribution. In this way, the management function of the domain becomes more powerful, and the burden of the network management is also reduced.

Tips: MSI files and Windows Installer

Windows Installer can implement software installation, deletion, recovery and other functions. But to use these features, you must use the Windows Installer package - MSI file. MSI is the file format necessary to implement software distribution functions. MSI files usually contain the environment information required to install the built-in program and the instructions and data needed to install or uninstall the program. When the user double-clicks the MSI file, a file Msiexec.exe of the Windows Installer associated with it will be called, which will use Msi.dll to read the package file (.msi) and the application conversion file (.mst) for the purpose of proceeding. The next step.