Trying to deploy msi packade with special properties (Junos Pulse)

[stylaren]

Hello!

 

I'm trying to deploy a application called Junos Pulse but it won't just work, the app installs but the specific commandline properties i write won't work.

 

Junos Pulse is a VPN application that we use in our company and when we deploy the application we wan't all settings to be set from the beginning, for example the ip-adress to the vpn server.

 

According to Juniper who is the creator of this application recommend to use the following command when installing Junos Pulse:

msiexec -i JunosPulse.x86.msi CONFIGFILE=myconfiguration.jnprpreconfig ADDLOCAL=PulseSA /qb

And yes, this command work's when we do it on at Windows 7 machine through commandline, but when we are trying to create a application in SCCM with the same commandline it won't work. The ADDLOCAL= seems to work but SCCM seems not to be able to read the CONFIGFILE= option.

 

Here is the file that configfile that should set the correct settings from start:

schema version {
    version: "1"
}


machine settings {
    version: "5"
    guid: "test12345678910-test1234-1234test-1234-12345678910"
    connection-source: "preconfig"
    server-id: "12345678910-1234-1234-1234f-12345678910"
    allow-save: "true"
    user-connection: "true"
    splashscreen-display: "false"
    dynamic-trust: "true"
    dynamic-connection: "true"
    wireless-suppression: "false"
}


ive "test12341324-1234-1234-1234-12345678910" {
    friendly-name: "SA auto connect"
    version: "3"
    guid: "test12345-1234-1234-1234-12345678910"
    server-id: "test12345678910-test1234-1234test-1234-12345678910"
    connection-source: "preconfig"
    uri: "vpn.ourcompany.com"
    connection-policy-override: "true"
    use-for-secure-meetings: "false"
    use-for-connect: "true"
    connection-identity: "user-at-credprov"
    connection-policy: "automatic"
    preferred-realm: "OurCompany"
    preferred-roleset: "OurCompany_Computer_Windows_autoconnect"
    sso-max-delay: "120"
    sso-user-based-virtual-lan: "false"
}

 

 

I tried to edit the .msi packade with orca but it's kinda hard since i don't really understand the .msi structure and how to edit it correctly. I also tried to crate a packade in SCCM that run a .bat script but that didn't work either.

 

Can anyone help me with this? Why won't SCCM do the same install as Windows 7 via commandline?

 

Here is a link for more informaiton how to install Junos Pulse

https://www.juniper.net/techpubs/en_US/sa7.1/topics/concept/access-control-connect-installing-preconfigured-pulse2.html

[Peter van der Woude]

Are you by any change missing the user settings? SCCM installs the application with the SYSTEM account, so that's a difference from you running it from the cmd.

[Peter33]

According to the documentation you need to specify an absolute path for the config file option.

 

• CONFIGFILE—This property specifies a configuration file to be imported into Pulse during installation. The property must include the full path to the configuration file. For example:

  msiexec -i JunosPulse.msi CONFIGFILE=c:\temp\myconfiguration.jnprpreconfig

 

So my advice would be to create a batch file and to use the variable %~dp0 as path.

 

pushd %~dp0

msiexec -i JunosPulse.x86.msi CONFIGFILE="%~dp0\myconfiguration.jnprpreconfig" ADDLOCAL=PulseSA /q

exit /b %errorlevel%

[stylaren]

Are you by any change missing the user settings? SCCM installs the application with the SYSTEM account, so that's a difference from you running it from the cmd.

 

Ok, that's something i haven't thought of, to be honest Im not really sure where i can change this?

 

Do you mean the option called "Installation behavior: Install for user" when i edit the application in SCCM?

 

 

 

According to the documentation you need to specify an absolute path for the config file option.

 

• CONFIGFILE—This property specifies a configuration file to be imported into Pulse during installation. The property must include the full path to the configuration file. For example:

  msiexec -i JunosPulse.msi CONFIGFILE=c:\temp\myconfiguration.jnprpreconfig

 

So my advice would be to create a batch file and to use the variable %~dp0 as path.

 

pushd %~dp0

msiexec -i JunosPulse.x86.msi CONFIGFILE="%~dp0\myconfiguration.jnprpreconfig" ADDLOCAL=PulseSA /q

exit /b %errorlevel%

 

 

If i understand everything right a need to create a packade for this script instead of a normal applikation? Is that correct? I have also tried to use the absolute path for the config file.

 

Here is the command that i used:

msiexec /i j-pulse-win-3.0r4-b25005-64bitinstaller.msi CONFIGFILE=\\share\dfs\folder\Applications\Juniper\Auto_connect_Component_Set.jnprpreconfig ADDLOCAL=PulseSA,SAHostChecker /qb

Thanks for your answers so far!

[Peter33]

You don't need to create a regular package for this. Stick with the application model. I prefer apps too. In the wizard just chose to create the app manually and then the script installer option for the deployment type. This way you can pick the batch file as installer.

 

msiexec /i j-pulse-win-3.0r4-b25005-64bitinstaller.msi CONFIGFILE=\\share\dfs\folder\Applications\Juniper\Auto_connect_Component_Set.jnprpreconfig ADDLOCAL=PulseSA,SAHostChecker /qb

 

For this command you need to make sure that all of your machine accounts have read access to the share.

Also: if you really want to use the /qb switch use /qb-! instead. This way you will also suppress administrative/custom dialogs, which can make your deployment hang and timeout. I am rather using just the /q or /qn Switch, if there is no Need to Show the installation progress to the user.

 

You also should think about creating log files for the Installation, at least until you get it running properly. This makes the troubleshooting a lot easier.

Just add /L*v c:\winodws\temp\juniper.log to your command line.

 

Good luck

[stylaren]

You don't need to create a regular package for this. Stick with the application model. I prefer apps too. In the wizard just chose to create the app manually and then the script installer option for the deployment type. This way you can pick the batch file as installer.

 

For this command you need to make sure that all of your machine accounts have read access to the share.

Also: if you really want to use the /qb switch use /qb-! instead. This way you will also suppress administrative/custom dialogs, which can make your deployment hang and timeout. I am rather using just the /q or /qn Switch, if there is no Need to Show the installation progress to the user.

 

You also should think about creating log files for the Installation, at least until you get it running properly. This makes the troubleshooting a lot easier.

Just add /L*v c:\winodws\temp\juniper.log to your command line.

 

Good luck

 

Thank you so much Peter, works like a charm, both install and uninstall and all the settings are there from start. Thanks for the tips about the switch, just like you say i don't wanna show anything to the user. The .msi that runs with the script doesn't appear when i use the /qn switch but the command prompt shows with the whole command. Is there a way to run .bat script in silent mode?

 

Thanks in advance!

[Peter33]

Your welcome, I'm glad it worked for you. Batch files have no Switches themself, but you can hide them with setting the Installation program visibility in the user experience tab of the deployment type, which gives you the same result.