Programs View

AdminStudio Enterprise Server 11.0 | Configuration Manager Web Console

To view a listing of existing programs and to create a new one, use the main Programs View.

Programs View Options

Option

Description

Program Listing

List of all defined programs, displaying the program name, run time, disk space, and any comments associated with the program.

Create New Program

To create a new program, enter a name in the Name text box and click Create. The new program will now be listed under Programs in the tree. To edit the program settings on the detailed tab view, select the program in the tree.

To edit an existing program, select the program icon under Programs in the tree to access the detailed tab views (General, Requirements, Environment, and Advanced) where you can edit the program settings.

General Tab

Make edits in these fields and then click Update to save your edits. To delete the program, click Delete.

Programs View — General Tab Options

Option

Description

Icon

To change the displayed icon, select a different icon from the list. This list is populated with the files available from:

<Configuration Manager Web Console Installation Directory>\SMS Web Console Application\Distribution Providers\SMS\Icons

Name

The name of the program, up to 50 characters. This field is required and must be unique within a package. This name is used when defining advertisements.

Comment

Optional text about the program, such as a description. You can use up to 127 characters.

Command Line

The command line for the program, up to 511 characters. This field is required. File name extensions are strongly recommended.

Click Browse to navigate to the file. By default, the package source directory appears, if it exists and is accessible. When the program is run on a client, the command line file name will first be searched for within the package.

• If the file does not exist there, Configuration Manager searches the local Windows directory.
• If Configuration Manager cannot find the file, the program fails.
• If the file name does not have a file name extension specified, Configuration Manager tries .pif, .com, .exe, and .bat.
• If the file name has an extension but is not an executable, Configuration Manager tries to apply a local association. For example, if the command line is readme.gif, Configuration Manager will start the application specified on the client for opening .gif files. For example:

setup.exe /a

command.com /c copy Jan98.dat c:\sales\Jan98.dat

Note: On 16-bit clients, batch files MUST specify the .bat file name extension, or the command line will fail.

Start in

The executable directory for the program, up to 127 characters. This directory can be an absolute path on the client, or a path relative to the distribution point folder that contains the package. This field is optional. For example:

c:\office97

i386

Run

The program mode. By default, programs run in Normal mode. You can also run a program in Minimized, Maximized, or Hidden mode.

After Running

The action that occurs after this program is completed successfully.

• No action required—No restart or logoff is required. This is the default value.
• Program restarts computer—The program requires a restart and performs the restart automatically.
• Configuration Manager restarts computer—Configuration Manager restarts the computer.
• Configuration Manager logs user off—Configuration Manager logs the current user off the computer after the program is completed. Use this option if the program requires that the user log off and then log on again before it can run.

Note: On 16-bit clients, only No action required is supported.

Caution: Both the Configuration Manager restarts computer and the Configuration Manager logs user off actions are done forcefully after providing the user with a grace period. Applications that are running on clients when this occurs will not have an opportunity to save their states or data.

Requirements Tab

Make edits in these fields and then click Update to save your edits. To delete the program, click Delete.

Programs View — Requirements Tab Options

Option

Description

Estimated disk space

A whole number greater than or equal to zero that represents the amount of disk space the software will require when installed on the client. Also, specify the units for the value.

Maximum allowed run time

A whole number greater than zero that represents the time (in minutes) required to run the program on the client.

Notify user if the program runs 15 minutes longer than estimated

Configuration Manager will monitor the run time of the program and warn the user if the program is taking longer to run than the estimated time. By default, this check box is cleared.

Note: This feature is not supported on 16-bit clients.

This program can run on any platform

The program can run on any platform. If this option is selected, Configuration Manager does not check the platform type when advertising the program to clients. By default, this option is selected.

This program can run only on specified client platforms

The processors, operating systems, and service packs on which this program will run. When this option is selected, at least one platform must also be selected. By default, no platforms are selected. Configuration Manager uses this information when evaluating which clients in a collection are to receive the advertised program.

Note: If you advertise this program to clients in Configuration Manager 1.2 sites, Configuration Manager performs a less in-depth level of platform checking than it does for Configuration Manager 2.0 clients. Platform checking for Configuration Manager 1.2 clients is limited to Windows 3.1, Windows 95, x86 Windows NT, Alpha Windows NT, and Macintosh.

Additional Requirements

Other information for clients, up to 127 characters. This field is optional. For example, you can notify users that they should shut down all other applications before running this program.

Environment Tab

The Environment tab of the Programs View contains the following options:

Programs View — Environment Tab Options

Option

Description

Program can run

Specify whether the program requires that a user be logged on to the client computer to run:

• Only when a user is logged on—Prevents the program from running if no user is logged on to the computer. This is the default setting. Use this option for clients that do not run a Windows NT operating system.
• Only when no user is logged on— Prevents the program from running until the user logs off the computer. This option is valid only for Windows NT clients.

This option forces the program to run under the local Administrator account on the client. If a user logs on while the installation is running, the program continues to run.

• Whether or not a user is logged on—Enables the program to run with or without user interaction. This option is valid only for Windows NT clients.

This option forces the program to run under the local Administrator account on the client.

User input required

Requires that the user interact with the program when it runs. This check box is selected when Program can run is set to Only when a user is logged on. If the program does not require user input, clear this check box.

Run mode

Select one of the following run modes:

• Run with user's rights 
• Run with administrative rights 

To specify that the program requires administrative privileges on the computer in order to run, select Run with administrative rights. This option is available when Program can run is set to Only when a user is logged on. By default, this check box is cleared. This option is valid only for Windows NT clients.

The Run with administrative rights option forces the program to run under the local Administrator account on the client.

Use software installation account

Run the program under an administrator-specified account (the Configuration Manager Windows NT Client Software Installation Account) on Windows NT clients. This check box is available only when Program can run is set to Only when no user is logged on or Whether or not a user is logged on. By default, this check box is cleared.

This option should be used only when the program requires access to network resources other than the package files on the distribution point.

Drive mode

Select the drive mode used for network connections to the distribution points.

• Runs with UNC name—Enables the program to run with a universal naming convention (UNC) name. This is the default setting.
• Requires drive letter—Indicates that the program requires a drive letter to fully qualify its location, but Configuration Manager can use any available drive letter on the client.
• Requires specific drive letter—Indicates that the program requires the drive letter you specify (A to Z) to fully qualify its location (for example, H). If the specified drive letter is already used on a client, the program will not run.

Reconnect to Distribution point at logon

The computer will reconnect to the drive when the user logs on. By default, this check box is cleared.

Note: This feature is not supported on 16-bit clients.

Advanced Tab

The Advanced tab of the Programs View contains the following options:

Programs View — Advanced Tab Options

Option

Description

Run another program first

This program requires another program (in another package that is targeted for distribution using Configuration Manager Web Console or in the current package) to run before it. By default, this check box is cleared.

Note: This feature is not supported on 16-bit clients.

Note: The program you specify to run first does not need to be advertised separately.

Package

The package that contains the program that must run before this program.

Program

The program that must run first.

Note: If the depended-upon program fails on a client, the depending program will not run. Also, if the program that runs first has been run successfully, Configuration Manager will not automatically re-run it, even if the depending program is on a recurring schedule.

When this program is assigned to a computer

When Program can run (in the Environment tab) is set to Only when a user is logged on, you can specify how the program is assigned to users.

• Run once for first user who logs on—The program should run only once on the computer. This is the default setting. For example, a virus checker only needs to run once on the client.
• Run once for every user who logs on—The program should run once for each new user who logs on.

Note: On 16-bit clients, advertised programs will run only for the first user who logs on.

Remove software when it is no longer advertised

Indicates that Configuration Manager will remove this program from client computers when it is no longer advertised to those clients. This option is mainly useful for shared network applications and is available only to programs that register with Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel.

To use this option, enter the name of the Uninstall Registry Key the program creates in the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ CurrentVersion\Uninstall

After all advertisements for the program are revoked from the client, Configuration Manager looks up the program's uninstall command line in the UninstallString or QuietUninstallString property in this registry key. By default, this check box is cleared.

An advertisement is considered revoked from a client when any of the following are true:

• The client is no longer a member of the collection specified in the advertisement.
• The advertisement is deleted.
• The advertisement expires.
• Uninstall registry key
• The registry key that contains the uninstall command for this program. You can use up to 127 characters.

Note: This feature is not supported on 16-bit clients.

Disable this program on computers where it is advertised

Temporarily disables all advertisements that contain this program. The program will be removed from the list available for users to run and will not be run via assignment until it is re-enabled. By default, this check box is cleared.

See Also

Configuring Distribution Settings

Workflow Manager 5.6 / AdminStudio Enterprise Server 11.0 Help Library

December 20, 2011

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