Installing MSN Messenger with RemoteScope

This is a step-by-step checklist for using RemoteScope to deploy the MSN Messenger program to Client systems. The procedure is substantially the same for installing any other product that uses the Microsoft Installer file MSIEXEC.EXE.

1. On the Console system, create a new folder in My Documents called Deploy.
2. Download MSN Messenger from Microsoft’s website, at http://messenger.msn.com/Download/, choosing the appropriate version for the Client PCs. Save the setup file to the TEMP folder.
3. Right-click the Messenger setup file, and choose Extract from the pop-up menu. Extract the files to the Deploy folder.
4. On the Windows installation disc, locate the file called MSIEXEC.EXE and copy it to the Deploy folder (MSIEXEC.EXE may also be found in the Windows System folder on the C drive). The deploy folder should now contain these files:

MSIEXEC.EXE

BOOTSTRAP.EXE

MSNMSGS.MSI

INSTMSIW.EXE

5. Note: If the same version of MSN Messenger is already installed on Client systems, uninstall it for the purpose of doing this demonstration, before proceeding.

• Log in to the RemoteScope Console.
• Pull down the Software Distribution menu and select Product Definition Edit.



Product Edit window

• In the Product Edit window, pull down the Product menu and select New Product Definition. This will open the New Product Definition window.



New Product Definition window

• Name the product MSN_Messenger. The Underscore is important; no spaces are allowed.
• Click OK to close the New Product Definition window. The Product Edit window now has the Product Edit display, with MSN_Messenger entered as the Product Name.



Product Edit display

• For Installation Type, pull down the list and select By Windows Installer. Leave Kit Path blank.
• Click the Add File button to open the Add Files and Folders window.



Add Files and Folders window

• In the left-hand box, navigate to the Deploy folder, and double-click it. Its contents should appear in the right-hand Files/Folders box.
• Click the Select All button, then click the Add button. Click OK for the prompt that the files were added successfully.
• Close the Add Files and Folders window, and confirm in the Product Edit window that the Messenger files were added to the Files/Folders box.
• Pull down the Product menu again and choose New Distribution Mode.



New Distribution Mode

• Type in Messenger for the Mode name and click OK. The Product Edit window will change to Mode Edit display.



Mode Edit display

• Click the button that says "Transfer files which are listed in Installation File List, and install." A mode description is optional, as are the check-boxes for which OS versions are supported by this mode.
• For the MSI File, browse to the Deploy folder and click on the MSNMSGS.MSI file.
• Click the Open button. The open window will close, and the path to MSNMSGS should appear in the Product Edit window’s MSI File box.
• Click the X to close the Product Edit window, and say Yes to save changes.

 

Setting up the Distribution Task

• Back in the main Console window, pull down the Software Distribution menu and select Distribute. The Software Distribution window will open.



Software Distribution window

• From the Product list, select MSN_Messenger, and from the Mode list, select Messenger.
• Check the boxes for each Client that will receive this distribution.
• Check the box to Save as a Task, and name the task MSN_Demo.
• Click Cancel to schedule the task for later. Clicking Distribute would start the deployment immediately, as described in Steps 35-41.
• At the Save Changes prompt, say Yes to save the Task configuration.

• In the Tree View of the main Console screen, expand Task Management by clicking the + sign to the left of the Task Management entry.
• Click on Task. The right-hand List View will show a list of all tasks that have been created. Highlight the MSN_Demo task.
• In Tree View, right-click on Schedule and select New Schedule from the pop-up menu. This opens the Schedule window.



Schedule window

• Give the Schedule a name. For this exercise, call it Demo.
• Make sure the Task name is MSN_Demo. If not, pull down the list and select the right one.
• Under Type, check the button for Once. For deployments other than a demo exercise, the other choices are: Daily, Weekly and Monthly.
• Under Select Date, enter the date for this demo to deploy. If the selected Type was something other than Once, a Start Date and End Date could be entered under Duration. The choices for Select Date would be different also.
• In the upper right corner of the window, check the box that says Enable Schedule, and the one that says Allow Delay to Execute.
• A description for the entry is optional. When done, click OK. The deployment is now set as a task to run automatically on schedule.

• To deploy a program immediately, first make sure that all Clients are connected that will be receiving this deployment. In the main Console screen, choose Connect All from the Client/Group menu.
• In the Tree View, expand Task Management and click on Task, then highlight the MSN_Demo task in List View and right-click it.
• Select Execute from the pop-up menu. The Software Distributing window will open and show the progress of the deployment.



Software Distributing window

• When the distribution is complete, the Software Distributing window will close and return you to the main Console screen. In Tree View, expand the History Record and click on Distribution Record to confirm the distribution data.