As companies today are focusing more on reducing the total cost of owning and managing their distributed PC environments, it is critical for any software package to provide ways to automate common management tasks. Internet Explorer 4.0 includes several features to assist companies in software deployment, configuration, and desktop management.

The Internet Explorer 4.0 complete set of administration tools includes:

• Active Setup
• Internet Explorer Administration Kit
• ActiveX Control Viewer
• Automatic Proxy Configuration

Active Setup

The Active Setup engine is a way for administrators to both ease the burden of installation and also assist in the management of software once it is installed on their users’ computers.

Key Features of Active Setup

• Efficient, modular setup engine. Active Setup optimizes network connection time by downloading only the initial install engine and identifying any potential problems (such as insufficient disk space) before downloading any application components. Administrators can create a single Internet Explorer 4.0 installation disk that contains only the install engine, which will then download application components from a network server.
  
  
• Hands-free setup. Administrators can deliver scripted installations that do not require user input, automatically installing preselected application components and configuration settings.
  
  
• Automatic migration of existing configurations. During setup, Internet Explorer 4.0 will import proxy settings, favorites/bookmarks, and cookies from a previous Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator installation.
  
  
• Enhanced logging features. Active Setup records a transaction log during the installation process, allowing users and administrators to troubleshoot any installation problems that may occur.
  
  
• Multiple download site switching. During installation, if there is a problem on the server side of the process, Active Setup enables the client to switch to a new server automatically, continuing the installation seamlessly.

How does Active Setup Work?

Efficient, modular setup engine

Internet Explorer 4.0 installation occurs as follows:

First, the user chooses between minimal, typical, or full installations. At that point, the base Active Setup engine (approximately 200K) is downloaded. Active Setup then checks the available disk space for the appropriate installation option, and then downloads and installs Internet Explorer 4.0 only from the download site. Finally, Active Setup downloads and installs additional components from the download site.

Enhanced Logging Features

During the setup process, Active Setup creates a number of log files that can pinpoint any issues that may occur. The following log files are created in the Windows folder:

• Active Setup Log.txt – Logs all actions during the Active Setup wizard or component install phases of setup. Use this log if selected Internet Explorer 4.0 components do not get installed properly.
  
  
• RunOnceEx Log.txt – Logs all actions during the Dynamic Link Library registration phase. Use this log if you receive a message stating that a specific DLL did not register properly, or if any unexpected dialog box appears during the final setup phase.

Automatic Multiple Download Site Switching

Most Web sites force users to select the site from which they download products or components. In this model, the user runs a risk of download failure if their connection to that specific server fails. Active Setup automatically selects the download server and manages which components come from which sites. This architecture allows installations to be split into multiple packages for easier download and smart recovery if setup fails.