How to Create and Deploy a Managed Software Delivery Policy
search cancel

How to Create and Deploy a Managed Software Delivery Policy

book

Article ID: 179840

calendar_today

Updated On:

Products

Software Management Solution

Issue/Introduction

You have a file (perhaps an MSI, EXE, DLL, or BAT/PS1 file) to run on managed computers, and you need step-by-step instructions for creating and deploying a Managed Software Delivery policy.

Resolution

Configure the Software Library

Please follow "Configuring the Software Library" to configure the Software Library. If there are validation issues note that the Software Library folder needs to be a shared folder with both NTFS and share permissions given to the Application Identity (or Distribution Point Credential if used).

 

Import a Software Package

  1. In the Symantec Management Console (SMC) go to Manage>Software Catalog, and click Import  (In 8.5 and newer versions it will be Manage> Software Catalog >> Add Software (Top left corner) > Import Package) 
  2. Click Add (Java may need to be enabled)
  3. Browse to the installation file(s) and select it (them)
  4. Click Open

Figure 1. Importing a software package

  1. If the installation file is not shown in bold select it and then click Set Installation File
  2. Click Next >
  3. Specify a name, company, and version if the automatically generated values are unsatisfactory (note that these are required but the description is not)
  4. Click OK

 

Create a Silent Install Command Line

  1. Go to the Package tab. Note that if the installation file was an MSI file, multiple command lines will have been automatically imported and no further work is needed. For EXE and other files, there will only be an automatically generated command line with the file name in quotes.
  2. Select the Install command line and click the pencil (edit) button
  3. Add the silent install switches to the command line after the quotes (silent install switches differ for every file but can be found by searching the internet or by opening a command prompt and running the installation file followed by " /?")
  4. Add success codes such as 0, 3010
  5. Click OK

Figure 2. Creating a silent install command line

 

Create a Detection Rule. The detection rule prevents the software installation from running if it is already installed.

  1. Go to the Rules tab. Note that if the installation file was an MSI file, a detection rule will have been automatically generated and no further work is needed.
  2. On the Detection Rule line click the * New button
  3. In the Create Rule window name the rule appropriately
  4. Click the blue + button
  5. Choose Operators>Or, then select the new Or operator
  6. Click the blue + button again, then choose Standard Rule>File Version (another frequently used rule is Registry Key Value)
  7. In the File Version window enter a file path to a file that the software installs in Program Files or Program Files (x86) (install the software on one computer to find this information)
  8. Set Version must be: to >=
  9. Enter the version of the file (find this by right-clicking the file and viewing Properties>Details tab)

Figure 3. Creating a detection rule

  1. Repeat steps 6-9 but change the file path to Program Files (x86) if the first file path was for Program Files, or vice versa
  2. Click OK to save the Detection Rule, then click OK to save the software

 

Create a Managed Software Delivery (MSD) Policy

  1. In Manage>Software Catalog find the software that was just created under Newly discovered/undefined software (the search bar helps)
  2. Select the software, right-click on it and chose Actions>Managed Software Delivery
  3. In the Managed Software Delivery wizard the Select Software page should not require configuration, click Next >
  4. In the Select destinations page specify a computer target for the policy to run on
    • To target a computer filter go to Apply To>Quick apply and search for the desired filter(s), then move the filter(s) to the right box and click OK.
    • To target a list of computers go to Apply To>Computers, click Add rule, configure the rule like exclude computers not in Computer list then click the … button and move the desired computer(s) to the right box, then click OK and OK.
  5. Click Next >
  6. In the Schedule delivery page click the Add schedule button at the top of the page (the lower Add schedule button is not required)
    • To run the MSD policy at a certain time every day choose Add schedule>Scheduled time, then specify the time of day in military time (17:00 would be 5:00 PM), then click No repeat and change it to Repeat every: Day and click OK.
    • To run the MSD policy more frequently choose Add schedule>Schedule Window, then drag the green and red arrows to highlight the time of day that the MSD policy is allowed to run in blue, then set During window, check every: to the desired time interval (don't go lower than 10 minutes to avoid problems) and change No repeat to Repeat daily or whatever is desired.

Figure 4. Example of a schedule window that runs the MSD policy every 2 hours, every Day, from 6:00 PM to 6:00 AM

  1. Click Next >
  2. The Specify dependencies and updates page should not require configuration, click Deliver software to save the MSD policy
  3. The MSD policy can now be found under Manage>Policies, under the Software>Managed Software Delivery folder
  4. Clients will not receive the MSD policy until their Symantec Management Agents check for new configurations; by default this is every hour or this can be forced manually within the agent
  5. Additional configuration may be required for BAT files:
    "Batch File does not Work in Managed Software Delivery Policy or Quick Delivery Task but Runs Fine Manually"  KB 158328
Powered by Wolken Software