Basic Planning Considerations

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  • Verify that the clients have the hardware and software required to run Office XP. See "Office XP Operating System Requirements" earlier in this appendix.

  • Know the terminology and processes of SMS 2003 software distribution, the Office XP Custom Installation Wizard, and the Office Profile Wizard.

  • Review the features and options available with Office XP. Ensure that you properly implemented the configuration (.mst file) you built using the Office XP Custom Installation Wizard and Office Profile Wizard.

  • Determine which Office XP features you want to install, and which systems you want to receive each group of features. Each group will receive its own transform file.

  • Decide whether to do an attended or unattended installation, so that you can properly configure the program and advertisement properties.

  • Decide if your installation is going to be mandatory or optional. If the installation is mandatory, you can allow users to install it before the scheduled time. If users do not install the program early, the program automatically runs at the scheduled time.

    Unattended mandatory deployments offer potentially increased benefits to the enterprise, because users are not present or needed during installation. Mandatory installation also ensures standardization within the business unit.

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