Create a Setup Script

If you distribute a program that you want to run without user intervention, but the program typically requires user input, you must provide a setup script. To create a setup script, see the documentation for the software you are planning to distribute. With most professionally developed software, you can use command-line options, initialization files, transform files, or other techniques to control the installation of the software.

If these options are not available, then in many cases you can use SMS Installer or any other tools used to repackage software. For more information about SMS Installer, see Chapter 7, "Creating Software Installation Packages with SMS Installer."

Almost anything that can be done from the command line can be done with SMS software distribution. Conversely, for SMS to run a program, it must be possible to run the program from a command line. By determining the command-line options for the program, or by repackaging the program so that it can be run from the command line, you can also run it from SMS.

Ensure that all files required by the setup or scripting programs are included in the package source folder.

Any method used to automate a program's installation must be well tested in the variety of situations that can occur when the program is advertised to client computers.

For More Information

Did you find this information useful? Please send your suggestions and comments about the documentation to smsdocs@microsoft.com.