Deploying applications with batch scripts

[labguy]

I'm having to train myself so I may be over-thinking this, but I was wondering what effect batch scripts have on reporting in SCCM 2007. It seems like SCCM gathers some information about the install from the command line used for the package's program, but I don't know why I think that and I can't find any information about it.

 

For example: I want to deploy Putty, but its setup does not create a desktop icon (which my users complain when they can't find). Instead of putting `puttysetup.exe /silent` on the command line in SCCM, my program runs a batch script that calls the silent setup and then copies a shortcut from a network share.

 

The user is completely unaware and as far as the computer is concerned, the program gets installed correctly and the shortcut gets created. I'm specifically curious as to what difference this makes on SCCM.

 

Thanks.

[Peter van der Woude]

The reporting shows the status of the advertisement, it doesn't matter wether it's a msi, exe, vbs, bat, or wathever... The only thing you should keep in mind with batch files and scripts is the error catching... When you have for example have a script that does first an installation of software followed by a file copy and the installation failed but the file copy was succesfull, the batchfile will return a success status if you didn't catch the error of the installation.

[labguy]

Thanks, that's a very good point I had not thought of.

 

After playing around with software deployments I have figured out why I was concerned about this in the first place. On the Package Properties under the Reporting tab there is an option for "Use package properties for status MIF matching." I have been completely ignoring this step because I don't know what it is. What is MIF matching and does it matter if I completely ignore it?

[Peter33]

MIF files are sms staus files, generated by "msiexec /m".

Actually i never use this switch, because several manufacturers do not fill the property table of their msi's correctly, which is essential for a working MIF.