[Intel Navigation Header]

    LANDesk(R) Management Suite: Installing MS Windows using Distribution

    
    

    INSTALLING MICROSOFT WINDOWS* USING DISTRIBUTION

    
       Overview
    
    
    
       Installing Microsoft Windows* is beyond the intentional use of
    
       LANDesk(R) Management Suite (v2.01x) Distribute since it requires
    
       modifying the operating system that Distribute itself relies on.  With
    
       some extra effort on the part of the administrator, Windows 3.1 can be
    
       installed. There will be some limitations.  Specifically, the Windows
    
       permanent swap file will not be properly configured.  Additionally, the
    
       target machines will all use the default settings associated with
    
       hardware.
    
    
    
       Problems
    
    
    
       The file C:\386SPART.PAR is used by Windows as a permanent swap file. 
    
       It will typically not be detected on your administration console by
    
       Distribute because it is a hidden, system file (and already exists on
    
       your system).  In addition, it is prohibitively large (~50M), making it
    
       undesirable to be included with the package.  Attempting to include the
    
       file by 'attrib'ing it won't work either; Windows, upon invocation, will
    
       simply report it as a corrupt swap file.  This is also what happens when
    
       a swap file is not distributed.
    
    
    
       After the distribution, the configuration of the permanent swap file
    
       remains to be done by the user (using the Control Panel | 386 Enhanced 
    
       | Virtual Memory) .  Alternatively, you could configure the Windows
    
       installation with no swap file, which gets rid of the error message. 
    
       You would probably still want to somehow configure all of the targets
    
       for performance reasons.
    
    
    
       Process
    
    
    
       A.   Editing SDPKG.INI (called FILEFILT.INI in LANDesk Management Suite
    
       2.0)
    
    
    
       The file SDPKG.INI is a configuration file for Distribute's package
    
       building engine.  Building a package to install MS Windows requires
    
       changes to several settings.  This is because we normally treat certain
    
       files differently during the regular package building process.  For
    
       example, the registration database is given special parsing treatment,
    
       rather than just copying it wholesale as we do in this example.  It is
    
       important that these entries be returned to their normal settings after
    
       the MS Windows package is built.
    
    
    
       Under the section
    
    
    
            [ExcludeFilesExceptions]
    
    
    
       add the lines:
    
    
    
             WinCom=win.com
    
             RegDat=reg.dat
    
             SysDrv=system.drv
    
             WinCmf=win.cnf
    
    
    
       Under the section:
    
    
    
            [IniExclude]
    
    
    
       Comment out all entries.
    
    
    
       B.   Personality File Path macros
    
    
    
       Personality File Path macros must be created before the package building
    
       process.  Create a macro called "NEWWIN" that maps the source directory
    
       to the destination directory.  These directories should be the same.
    
    
    
       C.   Preparing your workstation
    
    
    
       In order for Distribute to detect the changes that Windows would
    
       normally make to your system files, you will have to regress your system
    
       files to appear as though Windows had not been installed. 
    
       (Alternatively, you could add these commands to the script by hand, but
    
       that is more difficult).  Not all of these changes may be required, but
    
       they will allow the Windows setup program to make all possible changes.
    
    
    
         1. In AUTOEXEC.BAT, remove (or comment out) the reference to
    
            SMARTDRV.EXE.  Remove Windows from your path statement.
    
    
    
         2. In CONFIG.SYS,  remove (or comment out) any references to HIMEM.SYS
    
            and EMM386.EXE.  Remove the STACKS= statement.
    
    
    
       D.   Steps to building package
    
    
    
         1. Choose Step 1 as normal.
    
    
    
           a.  When prompted for the name of the installation package, choose
    
              PROGMAN.INI. 
    
    
    
           b.  Exit from Windows.
    
    
    
           c.  Run Windows setup, installing to the directory for which you
    
              have created a macro.
    
    
    
           d.  Choose the generic default settings, including standard VGA
    
              video.  
    
    
    
         2. If the Windows environment is to be configured for NetWare*, next
    
            run Novell's install program, specifying the new Windows directory.
    
    
    
         3. Launch Windows and ensure that the groups are organized as you
    
            would like them to be.
    
    
    
         4. Choose Step 2 and complete the package build.  Carefully edit the
    
            script to ensure that no unneeded files were included, particularly
    
            from your original Windows directories.
    
    

    Trademark information