Deploying from SCCM over WAN

[wwhiteP568A]

Greetings all and thanks in advance,

I know this question has been brought up several times, but I just can't seem to find the correct answer.  Difficulty factor:  Multiple sites.  Historically, we've generated multiple Autodesk-Deployments for each individual site.  This can be tedious with 15 or more sites.  Even more tedious is that our CAD team then manually installs that deployment on each and every computer and with better than 500 endpoints needing some variation of this product...well you see where this is going.  We are able to successfully deploy several other apps, including stand alone apps like TrueView 2018 and Bluebeam eXtreme (leveraging .mst Transforms files), via this mechanism, but struggle with the bundles from Autodesk.  We want/need to deploy BDSP via SCCM 2012.  We know we cannot use the Autodesk-Deployments as they are site specific....I mean we could if I wanted to create 15 or more different SCCM instances.

Commands like this found in the Autodesk-Deployment I believe are only relevant to deploying the Autodesk-Deployment:  .\Img\Setup.exe /W /q /I Img\BDSP-MEP.ini /language en-us

Is there any sort of walkthrough for this scenario?

I've tried for starters, just to install AutoCAD from the .msi found here:  \BDSP_2019_Win_64bit_dlm\x64\acad, but it wants me to "Run setup.exe to install AutoCAD 2019".  If I try and build an SCCM package and I need to specify a Command Line, what would/could I use?

Thank you for any insight.

Willis

[TravisNave]

I haven't tested it myself yet, but Autodesk now supposedly supports SCCM after you create a deployment first.  After the successful creation of an Autodesk deployment you will find tailored SCCM scripts for your system and network located here:

<deployment location>/SMS_SCCM scripts/

[m_latz]

Okay, just to find a start point:

You say you could create deployments (autodesk), but there are some settings "site specific" so you had to create a deployment for each site.

What is different for each site ? License server ? You know you could define this "variable" like a lot of other settings.

regards

Markus

[natasha.l]

Hello @wwhiteP568A, 

The best way to accomplish what you are trying to do is to use a 3rd party deployment software like SCCM to deploy the Autodesk software to your sites. You can contact the 3rd party deployment software company for suggestions & review the information below. With this method, I would test this deployment package on a local computer before deploying to multiple computers. 

Best Practices for creating a deployment

How To create an SCCM Software Installation Package

You can find instructions for SCCM 2012 at  http://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/17234.how-to-deploy-autocad-products-usin....

Please "Accept Solution" if a reply or replies have helped resolve the issue or answered your question, to help others in the community.

[wwhiteP568A]

Thanks for the post m.latz

Great question.  The main difference between the sites would be the location of the source files.  The Autodesk-Deployment will path to the local file source so files aren't pulled from locations over a slow WAN.  I'm not completely sure how it works, but If you build an SCCM application/program using the one Autodesk-Deployment, everywhere would pull from that one location, rather than the shared distribution point offered by SCCM.

Willis

[wwhiteP568A]

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Thank you for the post Natasha,

The TechNet article is one I have seen before and is exactly how I've tried.  I have the same issue as this guy:

Gold Goldfish 14 Oct 2013 1:12 PM

If I have multiple DPs all over the world, do I need to modify the AdminImagex64.ini ?

Specifically under the Global MSI Properties, a key is called ADMIN_IMAGE_LOCATION, what would I put in there if a client can be installing from different DP sources and I want to localize it to the DP in their region if it's in other countries.

@natasha.l wrote:

Hello @wwhiteP568A, 

The best way to accomplish what you are trying to do is to use a 3rd party deployment software like SCCM to deploy the Autodesk software to your sites. You can contact the 3rd party deployment software company for suggestions & review the information below. With this method, I would test this deployment package on a local computer before deploying to multiple computers. 

Best Practices for creating a deployment

How To create an SCCM Software Installation Package

You can find instructions for SCCM 2012 at  http://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/17234.how-to-deploy-autocad-products-usin....

Please "Accept Solution" if a reply or replies have helped resolve the issue or answered your question, to help others in the community.

---

[natasha.l]

Hello @wwhiteP568A, 

I will reach out to our Enterprise Support team who can help offer some input. 

The pathing will cause some issues & doing this over WAN as well. 

[natasha.l · Accepted solution]

Hello @wwhiteP568A, 

I haven't heard anything yet but take a look at this Announcing: Autodesk SCCM Deployment Guide (BETA) It has a link to a pdf guide, I scanned through it I don't see anything about setting this up over WAN but you may find a method that works for you. 

Please "Accept Solution" if a reply or replies have helped resolve the issue or answered your question, to help others in the community.

[wwhiteP568A]

Hi Natasha,

Great article.  Like you said, nothing about WAN or MST (transforms), but I'll take a deep dive and see if anything can be applied.

Thank you,

[m_latz]

We work with a customer, which has a lot of sites around the world and also uses SCCM.

We prepare the "deployments" and the customer put these "deployments" into his SCCM.

What we prepare is something similar to an autodesk deployment and compress all in a self-extracting archive. The customer "SCCM" downloads this autodesk deployment to the client pc, uncompress there and install.

The advantage is, that the transfer of one huge file is much faster, than to transfer thousands of files. And  because the deployment is executed locally on the pc, the deployment is on all sites the same.

The disadvantage is, that the client pc temporarily needs more disk space.

The deployments are "multi-language" and include multiple editions (i.e Autodesk Navisworks Manage, Simulate and Freedom in seven languages). Such a compressed archive to deploy in SCCM has approx. 2.2 GB. And it is also possible in SCCM to have one package that is controlled by "parameter" to install different editions and languages.

So my knowledge is about modify/build msi packages, create transforms, etc., if you have questions let me know.

According the <deployment>.ini and different distribution points, what I know is, that all necessary parts in the ini file for the installation are relative, if you can start the setup.exe everything should work.

But you can test this easy, create a deployment on your local pc i.e. C:\Deploy. Then rename to "DeployXX". The only thing you have to modify, that the installation works is the shortcut to call the setup.exe and it is also possible to pass the ini file with a relative path. Try it.

regards

Markus

[natasha.l · Accepted solution]

Hello @wwhiteP568A, 

Enterprise Priority support responded & said to utilize the guide in the post already provided & included this bit of information below on pathing: 

" For the Specific question on path

Normally they don’t need to make changes to .ini file and  ADMIN_IMAGE_LOCATION. This is mainly for image modification, log file etc.

If they wish to change the file of “ADMIN_IMAGE_LOCATION”, they could use “.” Which would be current working directory of install source

As long as command line starts with . it should take the source from Local SCCM cache or Distribution point as defined in the Application configuration

 .\Img\Setup.exe /W /q /I Img\BDSP-MEP.ini /language en-us  " 

Update from the Enterprise Priority Support staff regarding doing this over WAN: 

"WAN file transfer is handled by SCCM.  The file transfer is done using SCCM’s package transfer tools. It is not advised to run deployment directly through WAN.

Once the files are in a Distribution point, it can be run directly from the Distribution point(if Local) or local cache (e.g.c:\Windows\CCMcache)

We recommend to run from Location cache."

Thank you for your patience. 

Please "Accept Solution" if a reply or replies have helped resolve the issue or answered your question, to help others in the community.

[natasha.l]

Hello @wwhiteP568A, 

I wanted to provide you with an update from the Enterprise Priority Support staff regarding doing this over WAN. Please take a look at my previous reply above. Thank you. 

Please "Accept Solution" if a reply or replies have helped resolve the issue or answered your question, to help others in the community.

[wwhiteP568A]

Hi Natasha,

I'm now back from vacation.  While on vacation, I had a chance to review beta document you and your team provided and I can re-affirm that it is a well put together document.  For me, I believe the preferred solution will be the Hybrid method.

So if I couple the Hybrid config with the additional information from Enterprise Priority, where I modify the "admin_Image_Location"

**from:  \\server\share\path

**to:  .\Img\Setup.exe /W /q /I Img\BDSP-MEP.ini /language en-us  " 

Then I should be able to use the one deployment for all of my branches.

For now, I will mark two posts as the answers as I believe this is the winning process.

Thank you,

Willis

[natasha.l]

Hello @wwhiteP568A, 

We appreciate you coming back to the forum to let us know. Thank you. 

[wwhiteP568A]

Hi Everyone,

I'm finally getting a chance to implement, but now have an error.  

"This installation package could not be opened. Contact the application vendor to verify that this is a valid Windows Installer package".

*As noted on page 61 of the guide, I did test the deployment and it worked.

*When I made my cmd file as noted on page 51 & 52, steps 3 & 4 show two different commands; with and without the leading "."  I've tried them both with no difference

    -".\Img\Setup.exe /W /q /I Img\AutoCAD.ini /language en-us"

    -"\Img\Setup.exe /W /q /I Img\AutoCAD.ini /language en-us"

Within the AutoCAD.ini file, the ADMIN_IMAGE path was modified per instructions from the Enterprise Priority Support Staff

**original version of ADMIN_IMAGE:  ADMIN_IMAGE_LOCATION=\\rchprg\Prog\SIP\AutoDesk\2019\AutoCAD\

**modified version of ADMIN_IMAGE:  .

Any advice would be welcome.

Thank you,

Willis

[wwhiteP568A]

Update:  

So I build my application in SCCM and get it distributed and deployed to Software Center.  On the workstation, the process starts downloading the content to the local drive and fails as it goes to install with the error posted in the previous post.

From:  c:\Windows\ccmcache I ensure the autocad.ini file in the \Img folder has this edit: 

ADMIN_IMAGE_LOCATION=.

It does.

I ran the .cmd file from c:\Windows\ccmcache\1z, 

Boom:  Prompted for admin credentials  (should not have to enter credentials)

Provided credentials and the installation completes.

The man in the middle appears to be a credential issue.

More to come.

[Anonymous]

I am having the same issue with trying to install AutoCAD 2019 by using Powershell Deployment Kit.  I created an Admin Image which creates a link that will install the application.  After the image was created I used the following syntax to install the application.  Invoke-Item -Path "$dirFiles\64-bit\AutoCAD_2019_64bit.lnk".  This appeared to work, but I did get some pop ups stating that the installation started, then failed,  then completed.  After the popups the installation continued.  .  It appears to have installed. 

I tried using this syntax

Execute-Process -Path "$dirFiles\64-bit\AutoCAD_2019_English_Win_64bit_dlm\Setup.exe" -Parameters "/t /qb /w /language en_us"

THis will call the setup.exe from the source directory but this will fail stating it cannot find SetupRes.dll.

So I am thinking that using the link is the best way to go.  I just need to figure out the popups.

[Anonymous]

Hi,  I have created the deployment or Administrative Img, and I have looked at the SMS_SCCM scripts, but I am still having issue with installing AutoCAD 2019.  I have read for text files for deployment using SCCM but the command line does not work.  .\Img\Setup.exe /W /Q /I .\Img\<deployment name>.ini /language en-us This is the command line it state, but I am putting this command line in a PowerShell Script that will generate an exe file from the PS Deployment Tool Kit.  This is what it looks like in my script:

Execute-Process -Path "$dirFiles\64-bit\Img\Setup.exe" -Parameters '/W /Q /I "$dirFiles\64-bit\Img\AutoCAD_2019-64bit.ini"  /language en_us'

This will fail with exit code [1603]

My issue is translating this command line to be in a PowerShell script.  I cannot find any documentation pointing me the right direction.  It would be nice if some has already done this from the Autodesk forum instead of me having to go to Microsoft for Powershell.

[wwhiteP568A]

---

@wwhiteP568A wrote:

Update:  

So I build my application in SCCM and get it distributed and deployed to Software Center.  On the workstation, the process starts downloading the content to the local drive and fails as it goes to install with the error posted in the previous post.

From:  c:\Windows\ccmcache I ensure the autocad.ini file in the \Img folder has this edit: 

ADMIN_IMAGE_LOCATION=.

It does.

I ran the .cmd file from c:\Windows\ccmcache\1z, 

Boom:  Prompted for admin credentials  (should not have to enter credentials)

Provided credentials and the installation completes.

The man in the middle appears to be a credential issue.

More to come.

---

Admin credentials was not the issue.  I eventually gave my user admin rights just for testing.  Did not resolve.

Then I noticed that the UAC (User Access Control) might be getting in the way.  So I manually disabled that as well for testing purposes.  Did not resolve.

😞

[natasha.l]

Hello @wwhiteP568A, 

 I am sorry to hear that. You can try to test each component to determine the issue. 

 If you specify a folder location that has Read Only permission at the user level according to the Microsoft Windows User Access Control, then Autodesk software may become unstable. To avoid this, ensure that you have Write permission on your Microsoft Windows machine when creating your deployment with the Custom Folder option.

For Click Licensing/Sign-in it is recommended to use the serial number to create the deployment otherwise user credentials will be requested. 

Please "Accept Solution" if a reply or replies have helped resolve the issue or answered your question, to help others in the community.