Configuring AdminStudio's Repackager to Ensure Optimal Installation Capture

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Summary

Configuring AdminStudio's Repackager to Ensure Optimal Installation Capture

Synopsis

Both repackaging methods, Installation Monitoring and Snapshot, involve installing an application and recording the system changes made by that installation. For optimal results when using Installation Monitoring or OS Snapshot, you should perform these processes on a clean system. A clean system typically consists of a computer with only the operating system and necessary service packs installed on it. It is the baseline system that the computer requires to run. Although it may be tempting to consider basic software, such as Microsoft Office, as part of the clean system, this can result in poor snapshots and repackaged setups. Each application you install on the baseline system adds to the DLLs, changes versions of files, makes new registry entries, etc. This may cause Repackager or the OS Snapshot Wizard to miss these during capture, which ultimately may lead to missing files or registry entries in repackaged setups, or unexpected conflicts between the operating system and Windows Installer packages. Depending upon your network connectivity, you should configure Repackager on a clean machine as either a ?Remote Repackager? or a ?Standalone Repackager?. The following tip explains how to do both.

Discussion

Installing ?Remote Repackager? on a Clean Machine
If you have network connectivity from a clean machine to a computer that contains an installation of the AdminStudio client tools, you should install ?Remote Repackager? on the clean machine. Running the Remote Repackager installation installs the bare minimum number of files onto the clean machine, and it creates shortcuts to launch Repackager and the Repackaging Wizard remotely.

While you want to avoid installing applications on the clean machine, the Remote Repackager installation installs only the bare minimum number of files necessary to perform repackaging: a file required by the Installation Monitoring method and shortcuts to launch a remote installation of Repackager and Repackaging Wizard.

To install and use Remote Repackager, perform the following steps:
? Step 1: Sharing Directories on a Machine with an Installation of AdminStudio
? Step 2: Installing Remote Repackager on the Clean Machine
? Step 3: Launching Remote Repackager on the Clean Machine

Step 1: Sharing Directories on a Machine with an Installation of AdminStudio

To share directories on a machine where AdminStudio is installed, perform the following steps:
1. Locate a production machine with network access that has AdminStudio 8.6 installed on it.

Tip Check to make sure that this installation of AdminStudio has already been activated before proceeding.

2. Open Windows Explorer and select the following directory: C:\Program Files\Acresso\AdminStudio\8.6\Repackager
3. Select Sharing and Security from the context menu. The Sharing tab of the Repackager Properties dialog box opens.
4. Select Share this folder and configure sharing rights as necessary.
5. Click OK to close the dialog box.

Repeat the steps above to also share the AdminStudio Shared directory used by that installation of AdminStudio.

Step 2: Installing Remote Repackager on the Clean Machine

To install Remote Repackager on the clean machine, perform the following steps:
1. Follow the steps in Step 1: Sharing Directories on a Machine with an Installation of AdminStudio, and make sure that AdminStudio has been activated on that production machine. This is important because Repackager cannot be run remotely in evaluation or ?trial? mode.
2. On this clean machine with network access, launch Windows Explorer
3. Select Map Network Drive from the Tools menu. The Map Network Drive dialog box opens.
4. Specify the drive letter you want use to represent the shared location.
5. Click Browse. The Browse for Folder dialog box opens.
6. Select the shared Repackager directory on the production machine (that you configured in Sharing Directories on a Machine with an Installation of AdminStudio) and click OK.
7. Click Finish to exit the Map Network Drive dialog box.
8. From Windows Explorer, navigate to the drive mapped to the shared Repackager directory on the production machine and open the Remote Repackager subdirectory.
9. Double-click on setup.exe to launch the Remote Repackager installation program. The Welcome panel opens.
10.Click Next. The License Agreement panel opens
11.Select I accept the terms of the license agreement and click Next. The Customer Information panel opens.
12. Enter the appropriate information and click Next. The AdminStudio Shared Location panel opens.
13.Select the AdminStudio Shared directory that you configured in Sharing Directories on a Machine with an Installation of AdminStudio and click Next. The Repackager Location panel opens.
14. Next to the Repackager location field, click Change and select the drive mapped to the shared Repackager directory on the production machine.
15.Click Next. The Ready to Install the Program panel opens.
16.Click Install. Installation begins. Shortcuts to Repackager and Repackaging Wizard are created on the desktop, and Repackager files that are required to be installed locally are installed in the System directory.

Step 3: Launching Remote Repackager on the Clean Machine

To launch Remote Repackager on the clean machine, perform the following steps:
1. On the clean machine, double-click the Repackaging Wizard shortcut on the desktop. The Welcome panel of the Repacking Wizard opens.

Important

Because you are running Repackager remotely, the online help topics cannot be viewed. However, you can view a version of AdminStudio Help Library on the Acresso Web site at:

http://helpnet.acresso.com

2. Continue using the Repackaging Wizard to capture a legacy setup.

Installing ?Standalone Repackager? on a Clean Machine

If you do not have any network connectivity on the clean machine, or if you do not have network connectivity from the clean machine to a computer that contains an installation of the AdminStudio client tools, you should install ?Standalone Repackager? on the clean machine.
While you want to avoid installing applications on the clean machine, if the clean machine does not have network connectivity to an installation of Repackager (which is required in order to run Repackager remotely), you have to install Repackager locally on a clean machine by running the Standalone Repackager installation.

To install the standalone version of Repackager, perform the following steps:
1. Open the AdminStudio installation CD and locate the standalone Repackager installation in the Tools directory: \Tools\StandaloneRepackager.exe
2. Copy StandaloneRepackager.exe to the clean machine.
3. Run the Standalone Repackager installation. During this installation, you will be prompted to enter your AdminStudio Serial Number.
4. When installation is complete, launch Repackager by opening the Start menu, pointing to All Programs, Acresso, AdminStudio 8.6 Tools, and clicking Repackager. You will be prompted to enter your AdminStudio 8.6 Serial Number.
5. Enter your AdminStudio 8.6 Serial Number. Repackager launches.
6. Click the Capture an Installation Using Repackaging Wizard link. The Welcome panel of the Repackaging Wizard opens.
7. Continue using the Repackaging Wizard to capture a legacy setup.

Caution
On the Set Target Project Information and Capture Settings panel of the Repackaging Wizard, if you have network connectivity, do not set the Project path to store files field to a location on the clean machine; instead choose a network location.