Network deployment

[Anonymous]

Hi,

I posted a question about deploying AutoCAD 2009 via SMS recently. I have done a bit more digging and testing and I am sure that the issue is the same as a batch file not waiting for setup.exe to finish before running patches etc.

What is the best way most people have found to deploy AutoCAD, Revit Arch, MEP, STR automatically? Do you use the setup.exe created from the network deployment wizard or do most set up a script?

My deployment works like this: I run the base software package (setup.exe /I inifile) then I need to run an MSI afterwards which installs the tutorials and help files as well as a modified keyboardshortcuts.txt to the PC. The problem is the system thinks that setup.exe is finished installing about 5sec into the install and then kicks off the additional MSI. In reality setup.exe is still installing and an error appears because 2 installations are occurring at once.

Has anyone had to deal with this issue?

[Anonymous]

On Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:46:03 +0000, padfoot <> wrote:

>Hi,
>
>I posted a question about deploying AutoCAD 2009 via SMS recently. I have done a bit more digging and testing and I am sure that the issue is the same as a batch file not waiting for setup.exe to finish before running patches etc.
>
>What is the best way most people have found to deploy AutoCAD, Revit Arch, MEP, STR automatically? Do you use the setup.exe created from the network deployment wizard or do most set up a script?

I create scripts (simple DOS batch files) which include a "setup.exe /inifile"
call. I usually create several batch files that are run in order and do this:

01 Uninstall Old ACA (AutoCAD)
02 Prep PC
03 Create User
04 Install New ACA (AutoCAD)
05 Post Install Tasks

>My deployment works like this: I run the base software package (setup.exe /I inifile) then I need to run an MSI afterwards which installs the tutorials and help files as well as a modified keyboardshortcuts.txt to the PC. The problem is the system thinks that setup.exe is finished installing about 5sec into the install and then kicks off the additional MSI. In reality setup.exe is still installing and an error appears because 2 installations are occurring at once.

I'm not sure why you need a separate MSI to install tutorials and help files...
You can set up the Deployment to install those components (as well as Express
Tools). The installation of AutoCAD is pretty much a one-click affair.

>Has anyone had to deal with this issue?

You might want to look into the DOS START /WAIT command, which will spin off a
program and wait for it to finish before proceeding. I haven't tried it yet but
will do so in my next rollout.

Either that, or split your deployment strategy into separate processes as
inidcated above. I do this for my company (about 50 installations of ACA across
four offices). This works wellenough, and with each process separated out, I can
halt and diagnose the process when a glitch occurs, instead of the installation
blindly rolling on and crashing.

The only downside is that it's much more hands-on than a more automated
approach, but with installations being as finicky as they are, it's pretty much
the only way I can perform complex rollouts.

Matt
mstachoni@verizon.net
mstachoni@bhhtait.com

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the reply.

I will have to look into the tutorials bit, perhaps I don't need a 2nd MSI. I had all the users come to me to say that they were having to download them and if I could send it to their PC's without the need to download hence the 2nd MSI. I unfortunately know very little about AutoCAD as I am work in desktop support and never even used the app. It doesn't help having all the drafters jumping up and down to get this done asap. Haven't had the time to to really understand the deployment at all.

I think I may have found the reason for the system to think the setup has completed before it actually has. If you watch the task list for setup.exe when it is first executed you may notice that after about 5 secs (just as it begins Design Review 2009 installation) the "setup.exe" task finishes and then restarts again a split second later. It is at this point, when the first setup.exe stops that the system registers a "completion" or "cancellation"

Thanks again for your help, I am going to split the deployment up.