Office for Windows 95 Rollout

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This portion of the guide discusses the procedures specific to Office for Windows 95 that you will need to follow in your deployment of Microsoft Office for Windows 95. With Systems Management Server (SMS), you can install both in a single pass or, if you prefer, you can install Windows 95 first and Office for Windows 95 later. When you do deploy Office for Windows 95, certain files must be available to include in the SMS package that will be used to perform the deployment. Those files, and the factors you need to consider in customizing them, are discussed in the following sections.

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Recommended Windows 95 Features

Certain features of Windows 95 may be useful in setting up Office for Windows 95 initially and also later on when administering your client systems. The following sections list these features. Consider how your Office for Windows 95 configuration will influence your planning and deployment of Windows 95.

Windows 95 System Policies

System policies are used to restrict or predefine the desktop and network functionality on each client computer, including restricting or optimizing the features and capabilities of Office for Windows 95. System policies make it easy to disable the ability to use peer-sharing services or the ability to use the command prompt from a central location for a large number of users.

Policies are enabled by creating a single file that resides on the server and thus does not require user intervention on the client computer. For details on the types of restrictions available and for information about how to implement system policies, see in the Microsoft Windows 95 Resource Kit, Chapter 15, "User Profiles and System Policies," and Part 3, "Maintaining and Supporting Microsoft Office."

Windows 95 User Profiles

User profiles enable users to use personalized desktop settings each time they log on to a computer. Multiple users sharing a single computer can customize their own desktops and load them at logon time. Conversely, a single user can move between computers using the same profile by storing the profile on the server. An administrator can also take advantage of profiles to require that a mandatory desktop configuration be loaded each time a user logs on. The ability to change profile settings can be controlled by the administrator. For information about how to use user profiles, see the Microsoft Windows 95 Resource Kit, Chapter 15, "User Profiles and System Policies."

User profiles are not needed when only one person uses the computer or when a custom desktop adds no value. By not enabling user profiles, the logon process is shortened slightly, because the system does not need to locate and load the profile.

Review Office for Windows 95

When Office for Windows 95 is implemented, it can yield significant benefits to your organization. The first step in beginning to plan the rollout process is to examine closely the new and enhanced features in Office for Windows 95.

Office for Windows 95 is designed to make deployment easy in the corporate environment. By understanding how best to plan and to automate the installation process, you can reduce the cost of migration.

Read About the Office for Windows 95 Features

The Windows 95 and Office for Windows 95 Evaluation and Migration Planning Kit (MPK) has several documents that can aid in your review of Office for Windows 95. For a copy of the MPK, contact Microsoft Customer Service at (800) 426-9400. Ask for part number 098-61665.

Review the Microsoft Office for Windows 95 Resource Kit

The Microsoft Office for Windows 95 Resource Kit, from Microsoft Press, is a technical supplement to the Office for Windows 95 product documentation, written to assist administrators in installing, supporting, and managing Office for Windows 95 on corporate networks. Each Planning and Installation team member should obtain a copy of the Resource Kit for use during the deployment process.

The Microsoft Office for Windows 95 Resource Kit may be purchased at your local bookstore. Or, you can order the Resource Kit directly from Microsoft Press:

  • In the U.S., call (800) MSPRESS, Dept. FSUP.

  • In Canada, call (800) 667-1115.

  • CompuServe members may order through GO MSP.

  • Outside the U.S. and Canada, fax to International Coordinator, (206) 936-7329, or contact your local Microsoft subsidiary.

The Resource Kit is available online also, in the following locations:

  • Microsoft TechNet The Resource Kit is included in the Microsoft TechNet CD.

  • Microsoft Network The Resource Kit is located under the TechNet forum on Microsoft Network. The TechNet forum can be reached by entering the Go word "Technet." To enroll in Microsoft TechNet in the U.S. and Canada, simply contact your authorized reseller or call (800) 344-2121, Dept. 3118, with your credit card information. You can call between 7:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. (PST), Monday through Friday. Outside the U.S. and Canada, contact your local Microsoft subsidiary.

  • World Wide Web The Resource Kit is located under the TechNet forum on the Web. The Resource Kit is located at https://www.microsoft.com/technet/desk/office/orkf/orkftoc.htm. The TechNet forum is located at https://www.microsoft.com/technet/default.htm.

In this chapter, unless otherwise specified, the term Resource Kit will refer to the Microsoft Office for Windows 95 Resource Kit.

Defining the Preferred Client Configuration

After the Planning team is assembled and educated on Office for Windows 95 capabilities, the next step is to specify the preferred configuration for client computers to be used for evaluation and testing before full implementation. For the purpose of this discussion, client computer refers to any computer running Office for Windows 95.

To specify the client computer configuration, consider these four items:

  1. Research Understand the current server and client configurations.

  2. Office for Windows 95 Features Select the features that will be used in the preferred configuration on client computers.

  3. Workgroup Features Select the features that will be used to enable users to work together.

  4. Installation Planning Decide where Office for Windows 95 files will be located and how they will be installed. That is, will Office for Windows 95 files be installed onto the client computer's local hard disk, or will they be installed onto a server and accessed remotely by the client computer, or a will a combination of both be used?

For any given feature or capability, there may be several options to choose from. Before making a decision, evaluate the features and consider the alternatives , including whether to use them at all. Then choose the appropriate implementation based on its performance, functionality, compatibility, and maintainability.

Although you can use other methods to determine the preferred client configuration, Microsoft recommends that you start from the complete configuration, which uses all of the most powerful features of Office for Windows 95, and then work backward to a configuration that may have fewer features but more closely fits your company's needs. The selected configuration and any modifications will be tested rigorously in your lab before company-wide implementation.

The following sections discuss the features and capabilities of the complete configuration and related alternatives, plus the chapters where these features are discussed in the Resource Kit. To learn more about these features, see the related chapters in the Resource Kit.

Research Current Configuration Variables

To deploy Microsoft Office for Windows 95 successfully, you need to understand your current hardware and software configurations. Your deployment plan will be dictated by your current system environments.

  • Hardware Configuration Researching the current hardware configurations in your organization will help you understand the steps that will be necessary to deploy Office for Windows 95. Specifically, you need to check the following:

    • Minimum Hardware Requirements — See the Resource Kit, Appendix E, "System Requirements for Office for Windows 95," to understand what your minimum hardware requirements will be and to decide whether any of your computers need to be upgraded.

  • Note: Schedule+ requires a Windows-compatible network and MAPI 1.0-enabled mail server for scheduling and group functionality.

    • Laptops and Desktop Computers — Laptop and desktop users have different configurations, including disk space and access to the network. Installation options will need to be selected with the user's specific computer in mind.

    • Network Access — Users without network access will need Office for Windows 95 software installed locally from compact disc or floppy disks. Users with network access can install Office for Windows 95 from the network and can share Office for Windows 95 files over the network.

  • Network Topology The network can be used in two ways for deploying Office for Windows 95: software can be installed on client computers from a network server, and Office for Windows 95 applications can be run over the network from a server. You may need to have different configurations for the differing levels of network connectivity within your organization.

    • WAN connections — For client computers connected over a slow-link network, either installing or running Office for Windows 95 remotely over the network may not be practical.

    • Network operating systems in use — You need to consider how your particular network operating system (NOS) affects your plans for deploying Office for Windows 95. Some of the issues include server file sharing methods and client-server permission schemes.

    • Network bandwidth — Understanding your network capacity, as well as the performance expectations of your users, will help you make decisions about Office for Windows 95 client configurations. Installing Office for Windows 95 over the network and executing Office for Windows 95 applications over the network place different demands on network bandwidth, both in response time and in length of time connected.

  • Migrating Existing Configurations For existing users, whether they are users of Office for Windows 95 applications or competitive applications, planning for migrating these users is critical. You need to determine whether you need to convert existing files, macros, and custom programs, and how to train users. For more information, see the Resource Kit, Chapter 10, "Upgrading to Office for Windows 95," and Part 5, "Switching from Other Applications."

  • Supporting Multiple Platforms In many large organizations, users are running Office for Windows 95 on a variety of supported platforms. Microsoft has worked to make this as seamless as possible; but because the operating systems are different, and because Office for Windows 95 does include new features, it is important to understand any differences across the platforms. For more information about these issues, see the Resource Kit, Chapter 13, "Running Multiple Versions of Microsoft Office."

  • IS Department Policies Planning the deployment of Windows 95 and Office for Windows 95 provides a good opportunity to review department policies concerning centralized system configuration control versus individual user control. For information about using batch and push installations to standardize client installations, see the Resource Kit, Chapter 9, "Customizing Client Installations." For information about using Windows 95 system policies to configure client computers from a central location, see the Resource Kit, Chapter 11, "Maintaining, Customizing, and Optimizing Office."

Select Office for Windows 95 Standard Features

By reviewing the feature set of Office for Windows 95, you can determine how best to configure your client computers for the needs of your users. Because you can choose which components of Office for Windows 95 are installed, you have a lot of flexibility in tailoring client installations to include the best set of features for your users, while reducing disk space usage. The Microsoft Office for Windows 95 Evaluation Guide discusses the Office for Windows 95 feature set.

Select Office for Windows 95 Workgroup Features

There are some workgroup features in Office for Windows 95 that you can select to establish how your users will communicate and work together.

  • Group Scheduling with Schedule+ The group calendaring functions of Schedule+ require an underlying mail client, Microsoft Exchange, which is part of Windows 95. The small-business mail system that comes with Windows 95 allows users to exchange mail and meeting requests through a single post office. Microsoft Exchange also can work with other mail systems as long as the mail system uses a valid MAPI 1.0 driver. Such systems include Microsoft Mail and Microsoft Exchange Server.

    For more information about using Schedule+ in workgroup mode, see the Resource Kit, "Schedule+ Installation Issues" in Chapter 8, "Installing Microsoft Office." For more information about Microsoft Exchange, see the Microsoft Windows 95 Resource Kit, Chapter 26, "Electronic Mail and Microsoft Exchange."

  • Using Word as Your Electronic-mail Editor Microsoft Word for Windows 95 can be used to replace the default text editor used in the Microsoft Exchange mail client that is included with Windows 95. This gives the user access to all the Word editing and formatting features from within the Microsoft Exchange client. To use this feature, Microsoft Exchange in Windows 95 must be installed first on the user's computer. Then, when Office for Windows 95 is installed, choose the Custom install; WordMail is one of the customization options for Word.

    For more information about using Word in this way, see the Microsoft Office 95Resource Kit, Chapter 15, in the section "Mail-Enabling Applications."

  • Workgroup Templates Users can share template files for Office for Windows 95 documents using the Workgroup Template setting in Office for Windows 95. This setting, maintained in each user's registry, specifies a folder in which Office for Windows 95 document templates may be stored for users. By defining this to be a folder on a network server, users in a workgroup can have access to a common set of templates. You can use the Network Installation Wizard to define this setting for your users in a custom installation script rather than having them set it individually.

    For more information about Workgroup Templates in Office for Windows 95, see the Resource Kit, Chapter 1, "Shared Code." For information about using the Network Installation Wizard for setting user registry entries, see the Resource Kit, Chapter 9, "Customizing Client Installations."

  • MAPI and VIM The Office for Windows 95 applications include commands to send and route documents using electronic mail. These commands work with Simple MAPI and MAPI 1.0 or greater systems, such as Microsoft Mail 3*.x* and the Microsoft Exchange client included with Windows 95, and with 16-bit VIM-based mail systems such as cc:Mail™ and Lotus Notes®. For more information about setting up mail support in Office for Windows 95, see the Resource Kit, Chapter 15, "Mail-Enabling Applications."

  • Briefcase Support Microsoft Office for Windows 95 supports the Windows 95 Briefcase, which allows users to synchronize different versions of a file whether or not they are on the same hard disk drive or on the network. Microsoft Access, specifically, provides the capability of doing individual database replication using Briefcase.

    For more information about using Briefcase with Microsoft Access, see the Resource Kit, Chapter 16, "Microsoft Access Database Replication." For more general information about using Briefcase in Windows 95, see the Microsoft Windows 95 Resource Kit, Chapter 28, "Using Briefcase for File Synchronization."

Decide on Configuration and Installation Options

When you understand the variables in your organization and how they will affect the manner in which you deploy Office for Windows 95, you can decide on the configuration for the preferred client. You will make decisions in the following four areas.

  • Location of Office Files When deciding where to place Office for Windows 95 files, consider how the client computer will be used and evaluate the benefits of each placement option, including how each option will affect your ability to support these configurations in the future. Both Windows 95 and Office for Windows 95 have the option of being local (files installed onto the client computer's local hard disk) or being shared (files are located on a network server, and users share those files over the network). Office for Windows 95 has the additional option of putting some files on the local hard disk and some files on the server.

  • Installation Options There are several basic installation options available in the Office for Windows 95 Setup program when Setup is run interactively by the user. You can also create your own customized option if the Setup program is to be run in batch mode using a customized script. For more information, see the Microsoft Office 95Resource Kit, Chapter 8, "Installing Microsoft Office," and Chapter 9, "Customizing Client Installation."

    To install Office for Windows 95 using Systems Management Server (SMS), see the section later in this portion of the guide, "Using Microsoft System Management Server to Install Office."

  • Installation Media Office for Windows 95 can be installed on a user's computer from the compact disc or floppy disks, or Office for Windows 95 files can be placed on a network server and installed onto client computers over the network. Each option has its own advantages and disadvantages, and they are discussed in detail in the Resource Kit, Chapter 8, "Installing Microsoft Office."

    Installation Method Three methods can be used to perform the installation on the client computers:

    • Interactive — allows the user to make all installation decisions

    • Batch — provides a preset installation script for the user

    • Push — initiates the installation for the user without user intervention

    A complete discussion of all these options can be found in the Resource Kit, Chapter 9, "Customizing Client Installations."

Conduct the Lab Test

Using the client configuration that you have developed on paper, the people and tools assembled earlier for the Planning team now need to install this configuration in the lab for testing and evaluation. You should install Office for Windows 95 on your test system in the same way that you plan to install Office for Windows 95 on your users' systems. This means setting up the network installation location on the server and then installing Office for Windows 95 on the test client system from the server.

Depending on how the test installation proceeds, the configuration may need to be modified by either adding or removing selected features. If more than one configuration is being considered, side-by-side evaluations of different configurations can be performed to help determine which one works best.

The tasks in the following sections apply for each computer used to install a client configuration. For step-by-step instructions on installing and selecting features, see the Resource Kit, Chapter 8, "Installing Microsoft Office," and Chapter 9, "Customizing Client Installations."

Create the Administrative Installation Server Share

For client systems to install Office for Windows 95 over the network, you first create a network installation server share by performing an administrative setup of Office for Windows 95 from the Office Installation compact disc or floppy disk set. By using the Network Installation Wizard, you can modify the files in this share to customize the client installations, including whether clients will run Office for Windows 95 locally or on the network. For information about creating and customizing a network installation location, see the Resource Kit, Chapter 8, "Installing Microsoft Office," and Chapter 9, "Customizing Client Installations." Be sure to document how you customize the installation.

Prepare the Test Site

Preparing the test site involves ensuring that the location of each computer, the computer itself, the hard disk, and the data are all ready for Office for Windows 95 to be installed. For the physical site, make sure that you have the appropriate network connection hardware. You may require power supplies and surge protectors for your computers, depending on the number of computers used for testing. Also, research and eliminate the potential for problems related to overheating or frequency distortion from the location.

Make sure that the computer itself has the enough hard disk space, RAM, and processing capability to run Office for Windows 95. To review the requirements for Office for Windows 95, see the Resource Kit, Appendix E, "System Requirements for Office for Windows 95."

You will need disk space for Office for Windows 95 in addition to the disk space required for Windows 95. You can either add these requirements to the "Windows 95 Capable" query or create an "Office 95 Capable" query.

  • To use Microsoft Office Standard, you need 28 MB of hard disk space for a compact installation, 55 MB for a typical installation, and 89 MB for a custom installation (maximum).

  • To use Microsoft Office Professional, you need 40 MB of hard disk space for a compact installation, 87 MB for a typical installation, and 126 MB for a custom installation (maximum).

Note: Office for Windows 95 requires 8 MB of memory to run two applications on Windows 95. More memory is recommended to run three or more applications simultaneously on Windows 95. If the "Windows 95 Capable" query you used specified less than 8 MB, change this for the "Office 95 Capable" query.

In addition, run virus detection, disk scanning, and defragmentation programs on the computer to prevent any later problems before installation. Although the computer may appear to be operating properly, software upgrades often uncover hardware or software problems because of the way they read and write data to the hard disk. Checking the computer before installing Office for Windows 95 will help you stay focused on issues related to the installation process.

When preparing the site, be sure to back up critical data and configuration files for the system, in case the installation fails or you need to revert to the old system for some reason. Also you should create a Microsoft Diagnostics (MSD) report and copy it to a floppy disk by running Msd.exe on the hard disk. If you need to automate the restoration, consider using a commercial backup program, instead of copying the files by hand.

Additional Hardware

Any or all of the following, can be used with Microsoft Office for Windows 95; however, they are not required. If you are using any of these features, add the following items to the "Office 95 Capable" query:

  • Windows-compatible network required for workgroup functionality and WordMail

  • Microsoft Exchange client required for workgroup functionality and WordMail on Windows NT

  • 2400-baud or higher modem (9600-baud modem recommended)

  • Audio board with headphones or speakers

Install Office for Windows 95 on Test Computers

Before setting up Office for Windows 95 for the first time, verify that the computer's existing network is fully operational. Then use the Resource Kit, Chapter 8, "Installing Microsoft Office," to help you correctly install and configure Office. Chapter 9, "Customizing Client Installations," (in the Resource Kit) includes instructions on how to automate the installation process using batch scripts. Take note of which options you want to predefine in the setup batch script.

To install Office for Windows 95 using the Microsoft System Management Server, see "Using SMS to Install Office for Windows 95," later in this portion of the guide.

Test the Installation

After you have set up a computer with Office for Windows 95, you will need to run a variety of tests to ensure that it runs correctly and that you can still perform all of your usual tasks. Use your own testing methodology or test the following to verify correct system operation:

  • Open, run, and close Office for Windows 95 applications.

  • Use the major Office for Windows 95 features, including opening, modifying, saving, and printing documents.

  • Open existing files in the new Office for Windows 95 applications.

  • If the client is using shared components on the network, such as spell-checking, exercise these functions.

  • If the client is using a shared Windows 95 installation, exercise standard Windows 95 functions such as printing.

  • Shut down completely.

In addition to ensuring that the preferred client configuration works as expected, you also may want to conduct additional testing of optional software features and components. This can help you determine whether you are running Office for Windows 95 optimally. For this kind of testing, conduct side-by-side evaluations on two computers, changing individual features on each one, to determine the following:

  • Performance of responsiveness and throughput for local disk and network actions

  • Ease of use for performing common tasks

  • Stability of the two computers under stress

  • Compatibility with applications and hardware

Test the Uninstall Process

Having thoroughly tested the preferred network client, you should completely remove Office for Windows 95 from one of the test computers to restore the previous client configuration, and then document the process. Office for Windows 95 files are removed by rerunning Office for Windows 95 Setup and selecting the Uninstall option.

Pilot Rollout

The pilot rollout for Office for Windows 95 is much like the pilot rollout for Windows 95. If you have thoroughly tested the process in the lab, the steps in the pilot rollout are generally well rehearsed. However, some additional steps are required because now users are involved in the process.

Develop the Support Plan

Similar to the training plan, the support plan must be in place the first day you begin performing Office for Windows 95 installations. The quality of support available during the pilot rollout will be seen as an indicator of the quality of the rollout as a whole.

For the first few weeks, the support team for your pilot rollout should include some of your best technicians dedicated solely to the pilot group. The assigned technicians should carry pagers or be available by phone at all times to give immediate assistance to users.

Track the volume of support calls during the pilot to gauge what effect rolling out Office for Windows 95 will have on your support staff. You may want to be able to plan for additional staffing as you roll it out or use this information to determine the rollout schedule.

Develop the User Training Plan

The interface for Microsoft Office for Windows 95 has not changed greatly since Microsoft Office 4.x. In addition, the new user assistance model and tools make it easier for a user to learn the product without having to go through formal training. Therefore, you may not even have to set up formal training classes for users of Microsoft Office 4.x.

For those users who do not have experience with Microsoft Office 4.x, the first steps in developing a training plan are to acquire a training lab, set up computers in the lab, and appoint a team member as instructor. The instructor will be responsible for creating and testing the training program. If in-house resources are not available, use a vendor to develop and conduct the training.

There are numerous training approaches and a variety of tools you can use. After creating and testing the program, schedule training sessions to occur immediately before the installation date. This will ensure that users retain most of what they learn by putting it to use immediately. It is also important that they are trained before they actually must use the software. You may want to conduct this training while user computers are being upgraded.

Using SMS to Install Office for Windows 95

SMS can be used to distribute an Office for Windows 95 installation package to your users and to execute the package with or without user interaction. Although SMS doesn't directly support shared applications at the time of the release of Microsoft Office for Windows 95, a shared environment can be created while using SMS.

There are two levels of sharing that can be done with Office for Windows 95. Users can install all the main Office for Windows 95 components (such as Word and Microsoft Excel) on their local hard disk but run the shared components (such as Spelling and ClipArt Gallery) from a network server. Or users can install Office for Windows 95 using the Run From Network Server installation type and run all Office for Windows 95 components from a network server. The technique for creating each of these sharing environments within the SMS system varies and each is discussed separately.

How SMS Distributes Office for Windows 95

The following steps give an overview of how SMS handles packages and how to distribute Office for Windows 95 using it.

  1. Create an administrative installation point for Office for Windows 95 (run setup /a to a server location). See the following section, "Administrative Setup," for more information on the setup /a command.

  2. In the SMS Administration program, create a package using the Office for Windows 95 PDF that references the administrative installation point. For more information, see "Creating the Office for Windows 95 Package" later in this portion of the guide.

  3. Instruct SMS to distribute the package to selected user computers.

  4. SMS will pick up all the files in the MSOffice folder on the administrative installation point and copy them to one or more SMS distribution servers that service the selected users.

  5. When users run the package on their computer, SMS runs Setup from the copy of MSOffice residing on the distribution server. All the main and shared Office for Windows 95 components are accessed from this server.

The service performed by SMS is to copy the Office for Windows 95 files to a server that has been designed to service a set of users. If the users install Office for Windows 95 onto their local hard disk, the work of SMS is completed, and the user has successfully installed Office for Windows 95. However, if you want users to share some or all of the Office for Windows 95 components, there are more steps to complete.

Administrative Setup

The administrative setup command allows you to build a source directory. This setup is started using the following command line:

SETUP /a

This command copies the source files into a directory and creates a SETUP.STF file for use in network installations.

Important: There is a SETUP.STF file located on the installation disks, but it is not appropriate for a network or customized installation.

To prepare the administrative installation point

  1. Choose the location for the administrative installation point. Make sure that there is sufficient disk space. Office Standard needs about 90 MB for the administrative installation, and Office Professional needs about 130 MB. You need read, write, delete, and create permissions to use these folders while doing the administrative installation.

  2. Make sure that all folders are empty. If a previous version of Office for Windows 95 exists, delete all of it. Move any custom templates you want to save.

  3. Create the \MSAPPS32 directory for shared files.

  4. Lock all folders to network user access during the administrative installation.

  5. Disable virus detection software to prevent erroneous virus detection triggers as Setup writes into various executable files.

  6. The computer on which you will be running Setup.exe must be running Windows 95, Windows NT Workstation 3.51 or later, or Windows NT Server 3.51 or later.

Sharing MSApps Components

As described in Chapter 8, "Installing Microsoft Office," in the Resource Kit, when you create an administrative installation point, you define where the shared MSApps folder will be placed on the network; this location is written into the Setup.stf file. When a user installs Office for Windows 95 to run shared components from this MSApps folder, the MSApps location defined in the Setup.stf file is written into the user's registry.

SMS will distribute the Office for Windows 95 installation package to the distribution server that is defined for a particular user, but it will not change the shared MSApps location defined in the .STF file. This means that even though a particular package may be sent to multiple distribution servers, all users of that package will share the same MSApps network location definition.

If you want different groups of users to share different MSApps folders, you first need to place copies of the MSApps folder on the servers you want to use for this purpose. You can do this by performing multiple administrative installations, creating the MSApps folder on the different servers. Or, you can do one administrative installation and then copy the MSApps folder to the other servers.

Once you have the MSApps folder on different servers, you can give users access to the appropriate MSApps location in one of two ways: using drive letter mapping and creating one SMS package or using UNC paths and creating multiple packages.

Drive Letter Mapping with One Package

By mapping the same drive letter in every user system to the appropriate MSApps server, you need only one SMS package for all users.

To use drive letter mapping to define multiple MSApps locations

  1. During administrative Setup (setup /a) of Office for Windows 95, specify the location of MSApps to be a certain drive letter, for example, drive letter H.

  2. Copy the MSApps folder, with subfolders, to multiple servers, creating the same folder structure on each server.

  3. On each user's system, map that drive letter to the server containing the MSApps folder appropriate for that user.

  4. Create a single SMS package for Office for Windows 95 using the administrative installation point you created. For information about creating this package, see "Creating the Office for Windows 95 Package" later in this portion of the guide.

  5. Distribute this package to all users.

  6. When each user installs Office for Windows 95 using the package, Setup will define the drive letter you specified to be the location of the MSApps folder, and that drive letter will be mapped to the server appropriate for each user.

UNC Paths with Multiple Packages

If you are using UNC paths to specify the location of the MSApps folder, or if you are using drive letters but cannot define a single drive letter for all users and all MSApps servers, then you need to create a different SMS package for each MSApps location.

One option is to perform multiple administrative installations and create a separate SMS package for each installation. During each administrative installation, specify a different network location for MSApps so that each package will install Office for Windows 95 with a different MSApps location. You then distribute the appropriate package to those users who need to use a particular MSApps location.

The other option is to perform one administrative installation and make multiple copies of the Setup.stf file, one for each MSApps location. The location of the MSApps folder is defined in the Setup.stf file at the time you do the administrative installation. By using the Network Installation Wizard, described in the Resource Kit, Chapter 9, "Customizing Client Installations," you can modify the MSApps definition in each Setup.stf file to point to a different network location. You then create multiple Microsoft System Management Server packages using the same MSOffice folder, but substituting the appropriate Setup.stf file each time.

To use multiple STF files to define multiple MSApps locations

  1. Run administrative Setup (setup /a) of Office for Windows 95.

  2. Copy the MSApps folder, and all subfolders, to multiple servers.

  3. Make copies of the Setup.stf file (found in the MSOffice folder), one copy for each MSApps location.

  4. Run the Network Installation Wizard on each Setup.stf file.

  5. In the dialog box in which you define the location of the MSApps folder, specify for each Setup.stf file a different MSApps location.

  6. Copy one of these Setup.stf files into the MSOffice folder.

  7. Create a SMS package for Office for Windows 95 using the MSOffice folder. For more information, see "Creating the Office for Windows 95 Package" later in this portion of the guide.

  8. Send this package to those users who will be using the MSApps location defined in the Setup.stf file.

  9. Repeat steps 6 to 8 for each Setup.stf file.

Sharing MSOffice Components

Although SMS doesn't provide any special support for sharing applications, it is possible for users to share the main Office for Windows 95 applications on the distribution server from which the Office for Windows 95 installation package was executed.

When SMS sends the MSOffice package to a distribution server, it places the entire MSOffice folder and subfolders in an internal location on the distribution server. When the user package is executed on a user system, Setup is run from within this copy of MSOffice. If the user selects the Run From Network Server installation type, Setup will install Office for Windows 95 so that the user will share the Office for Windows 95 executables from this location on the distribution server.

If you elect to have your users share the Office for Windows 95 executables in this way, make sure that you leave the package on the SMS distribution server (that is, don't delete it). This technique can be combined with the previous information about sharing MSApps to give you all the sharing options available in Office for Windows 95 with SMS.

The Office for Windows 95 package and job you create depends on whether you are installing a local or shared version of Office for Windows 95.

Creating the Office for Windows 95 Package

Microsoft Office for Windows 95 includes a sample Package Definition File (PDF) for use with System Management Server: Off95std.pdf in the Office 95 Standard product or Off95pro.pdf in the Office 95 Pro product. The PDF has command definitions in it for the standard types of client setup: Typical, Compact, Custom, Complete (the same as Custom but with all options selected), and Workstation (called Run From Network Server in Setup). Each of these command definitions contains a Setup command line that will cause Setup to run in batch mode with the specific installation type (except for Custom, for which Setup is run interactively).

For example, the command line for Typical is:

CommandLine=setup.exe /q1 /b1

The /q1 option directs Setup to run with no user interaction, and the /b1 option directs Setup to use the first installation type (Typical). For an explanation of all the available Setup command line options, see Appendix A, "Setup Command Line Options and File Formats." When this command is run from this Systems Management Server package, Setup automatically installs Office for Windows 95 using the predefined options for the Typical installation type.

Using the Packages window in the Systems Management Server Administrator, you can create a new command in the Office for Windows 95 package that will run your custom command line for Setup. Use the following procedure to add your command to the Office 95 PDF.

To add custom commands to the Office 95 PDF

  1. Open the Packages window.

  2. On the File menu, click New.

  3. In the Package Properties dialog box, click Import.

  4. In the file browser, select the appropriate PDF (Off95std.pdf or Off95pro.pdf) that is included with Office for Windows 95. It is located in the administrative installation point in the folder containing the main Office for Windows 95 application files.

  5. In the Package Properties dialog box, click Workstation if you want to install Office for Windows 95 on the user's local hard disk.

  6. In the Setup Package dialog box, specify the location of the administrative installation point for Office for Windows 95 as the source folder.

  7. To define the new command line, click New.

  8. In the Command Name box, type a name for the new command.

    For example, type Install Office

  9. In the Command Line box, type the command to run your custom Setup.

    For example, to run Setup.exe from the administrative installation point with the modified Newsetup.stf file, in quiet mode, type setup.exe /t newsetup.stf /qt

  10. To indicate that no user input is required to run the package, select the Automated Command Line check box.

    If you will be installing on Windows NT, you can also select the System (Background) Task check box to indicate that you want the package to run in the background.

  11. In the Supported Platforms box, select the appropriate platforms: Windows 95, Windows NT, or both.

  12. Click OK, and then click Close.

  13. You can now create a Run Command On Workstation job to distribute this package.