HOWTO: Installation in a multi-user Windows environment

[wgi]

[nicclark]

Hi,

To a point that way does work!

We run Ooo at a primary school, on a windows 2000 network and have managed to get it to work OKish by installing it on each machine and copyingthe shortcuts. On windows 2000 and xp pro you need to change the permissions,too and copy the sversion.ini file.

We then found that file association didn't work for anyone else, so had to take the registry file out and put it into the all users area in there.

After all that was done, it did work and still does but there are some problems with it not recognising the user files properly (since this way is essentially fooling it).

If you read about version 2 coming in march, you will be very excited to learn that all this is done away with and the program willl generate all user stuff as it goes (like M$ office does) so we will have no more problems cos it will install for all users! I even downloaded a developer copy to find out if it was really true - and it does work! I wonder it there are any plans to release an interim version - PLEASE!

[sproutlord]

Well, two to be correct.

1. The -alluser option looks good - although I presume that this gives all users the same profile. In our school we're using mysql as a db solution through OO - and they're building queries etc, which are held in their user profile (M$ throughout). As it's a domain enviornment though, they move from machine to machine, hence needing true 'roaming' profiles, so the -alluser option is no good for me. I've had to go code-frenzy with Kixtart, getting it to both create the correct connections in DataAccess.xcu and also create the correct registry ODBC entries for the mysql ODBC connection strings. I'm counting the days til a 'simple' multi-user roll out occurs.

2. Due to speed of network in our place, I've areas that run OO fine, and more 'remote' locations where speed appears to be an issue, and OO won't display some large documents correctly - has a difficulty in re-creating graphics etc. If the same user logs onto a PC nearer to the OO -net server, then the document works fine. My question, therefore, revolves around having more than one OO -net server at our site.

With a couple of changes in config files and shared startmenus, I wouldn't have a problem in dropping another Win2K server in to the remote room and get that to serve all the OO requirements, but money is an issue unfortunatly.

So, I'm thinking about the theory of putting a Linux box to do the same thing, with SAMBA installed on it. Would this work? Am I merely confusing matters? If I installed OO -net onto this , would it ever work if I tried it with
a) Linux Binaries
b) Windows exe
... on the Linux system, expecting the Windows systems to cope with it.

Er ... ideas anyone?
Ta
Ash
_________________
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Ash Green
Senior ICT Technician
Lathom High School
UK
***********************

[nicclark]

Hi,

I might be getting a little our of my depth here as I don't know how mysql works in detail, but I've worked out how the new version installs:

It uses an MSI package that I have installed on a couple of test machines - this is a full install on the machine rather than a network install. I don't know if one of them exists or will exist or weather it can just be installed from a share.

It generates user data (3mb) and adds it to the individual profile (we use mandatory profiles so I will set it up in there and then lock it) so each user does have their own settings, but it only stores essential stuff. I think this is the way the MS office installs but I've not used it for a while so can't really remember!

Once it is insatlled and the user has accepted the licence, preferences are saved into their profile.

Nic Clark

Bisham School
Marlow, UK

[markf]

I seem to be putting an update on a rather old thread, but nobody seems to have mentioned this yet, and perhaps someone reading this thread might find this info of benefit:

Open Office 2.0 (currently at the time of writing at preview release 1.9m65) handles this issue much better.

Basically, during installation it asks you whether the installation should apply to all users, or just the user doing the install. In other words, it seems to behave the way we want it to. In short: problem solved. Looks like the development guys were listening!

You can download snapshots here:

http://download.openoffice.org/680/index.html

Note: if you come across this message at some time in the future, it may be that the full version of 2.0 (or later) is released, in this case please check for a later version first.

[johncee53]

I need to install OpenOffice for a BUNCH of users, but can't get the response file figured out to do this. Here's my setup so far:

I have OpenOffice ZIP file extracted to a network share.
I want to run the setup from that location.
I want to do a standalone install on each workstation.
I DON'T want the users to have to input anything.
The first part of my response file is here:

[Environment]
InstallationMode=Install_Normal
installationType=Standard
DestinationPath=c:\program files\open office\
LanguageList=01

I never get anything but Exit Code 3 for this, which is an illegal installation mode. If anyone has already done this type of install, I'd appreciate (A LOT!) a copy of your response file that worked! I'm on a short time constraint, and I'm running out of time!

HELP!

Thanks in advance for any help with this!

[gwyn779]

[markf]

[gwyn779]

[Willtur]

We use zenworks for our rollouts which basically removes some steps and saves you the trouble with syntax on command lines but it is really similar. Openoffice doesnt save the info in registry keys so we made it couple all the files needed in the profile.(if you just try to copy the setup.xcu it will give you missing file errors). We made it copy all the needed files after a silent install. We also specify it to force run per user by always having it run unless a registry key exist under the local user profile. This makes the copy folders to profile always run once per user, once the key is put in place it wont run for the user on that machine again.We ended up doing the following:

check for registry key:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\ZenApps]
"OpenOffice"="INSTALLED"

If installed it will not run

openoffice.exe /S

does the silent install. then we edited the settings we needed like register and office format saving. After that we went into the user profile and copied the files in the user profile to our server: