Reference Computer Preparation

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The first step in preparing an SMS Installer-generated executable file is to prepare the reference computer that you use to set up and run the application.

When you configure the hardware and software, it is recommended that the reference computer be identical to the target computers on which the installation executable file will run. Otherwise, the installation script that is created on the reference computer might not detect important files and might fail to install them on the target computer.

Caution

  • Although it is recommended that the reference computer be identical to the target computers in most respects, it must not be an SMS client or server. If it is an SMS client or server, configuration data might be transferred to the target computers and interfere with normal SMS operation.

Before running the Repackage Installation Wizard on the reference computer, it is recommended that you verify the following:

  • The reference computer and all target computers have the same operating system installed. They should also have the same version number and service pack.

  • The reference computer and all target computers have the same applications installed. In general, unless there is a specific dependency on an existing application by the repackaged application, make sure that the reference computer only has software that is needed directly by the repackaging process.

  • The reference computer and all target computers have the same hardware installed. This point is especially important when the software makes configuration changes in target computer hardware settings.

Be sure to use a reference computer that satisfies the minimum configuration that you require to install your software. Many applications share files. If the repackaging process determines that these shared files were not added to the reference computer, they are not included in the SMS Installer-generated executable file. As a result, the repackaged application might not run correctly. For example, if you want to repackage Microsoft Word, and Microsoft Excel is installed on the reference computer, some of the shared DLL files and the files in the MSAPPS directory might not show up in the installation script. As a result, if Excel is not already installed on the target computers, the repackaged version of Word does not install completely and might fail to run correctly.

Note

  • Whenever you repackage additional files for other applications, you must rebuild the reference computer with clean copies of the necessary software. Otherwise, your reference computer may not reflect an adequate starting point and the repackaging process may not detect configuration changes.
For More Information

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