Revision as of 20:22, 14 December 2005

Server side

Configuration on the server side is pretty straightforward. If you run Samba, add something like this to your smb.conf file:

[wpkg]
 comment = Windows Packager
 path = /home/samba/wpkg
 read only = yes
 browseable = no
 valid users = guest, nobody
 guest ok = Yes

You also have to copy hosts.xml (host definition file), packages.xml (packages definition file), profiles.xml (profiles definition file) and wpkg.js files to the above defined path = /home/samba/wpkg directory. You have to edit the configuration files: hosts.xml, packages.xml and profiles.xml to suit your needs. You don't have to edit wpkg.js, which is WPKG engine.

Optionally - depending on your client setup (below) - you will also have to copy three .exe files - srvany.exe, instsrv.exe and scripten.exe, if you don't have them on your clients. To simplify, first copy them to your server - for example to /home/samba/wpkg/files - and from there distribute them to your clients. This is described in a "Client side" below.

If you don't run Samba, but a Windows server with Active Directory instead - your server setup should be similar (creating a share etc.).

Additionally, create a small batch script called wpkg-start.bat and put it on your server:

cscript \\server\wpkg\wpkg.js /synchronize /quiet

Then configure your Active Directory to run this script on a workstation when it is booted. Configuring Active Directory to run WPKG is described in more details in WPKG Wiki.

Client side

Client side installation is also pretty easy.

Basically, you need to run wpkg.js script when the workstation boots up, like below:

cscript \\server\wpkg\wpkg.js /synchronize /quiet

It can be done in many ways (note that cscript shipped with Windows 2000 is too old; you should download and install a newer version of scripten.exe - see the download link).

The most proper way to do it will depend on your setup, you have to decide which one to choose.

Requirements: Windows Scriting Host

wpkg requires Windows Scripting Host (WSH; also known as cscript.exe) which is shipped by default on Windows XP and higher only. The WSH shipped with Windows 2000 is too old and must be upgraded, and older versions of Windows probably don't have any WSH.

Do not confuse the two, different WSH installers: one for Windows 98, ME, and NT and another installer for 2000 and XP.

See the download for link to download WSH. See Windows Scripting Host for an automated method to install WSH using a batch file.

Starting wpkg Using Windows Task Scheduler

• create a small batch script called wpkg-start.bat and put it on your server:

cscript \\server\wpkg\wpkg.js /synchronize /quiet

• open Scheduled Tasks from Start Menu -> Accessories -> System Tools
• double-click "Add Scheduled Task" and choose "Next"
• click on Browse and locate the wpkg-start.bat file you just created
• choose "When my computer starts" and click Next
• type-in the Username and password (this user needs to have administrative rights)
• choose Next -> Finish

You will have see a scheduled job file, which you can copy to all other machines on the network (but you will have to renew credentials, as they are not stored in this file).

Alternatively, you may add a scheduled task from a command line (or during an Unattended install):

schtasks /create /tn wpkg /tr "\\server\wpkg\wpkg-start.bat" /sc onstart /ru domain\administrator /rp password

schtasks utility will work from the command line only in Windows XP or higher. If you have Windows 2000, and would like to install WPKG "silently", please see this page: http://www.windowsitpro.com/Article/ArticleID/25186/25186.html?Ad=1

Note that system commands in Windows are *incompatibile* in different language versions of Windows! I'm not joking now!

For example, in German version of Windows, this command would look like that (note the /sc switch):

schtasks /create /tn wpkg /tr "\\server\wpkg\wpkg-start.bat" /sc beimstart /ru domain\administrator /rp password

If you're not sure, consult schtasks help:

schtasks /?

Starting wpkg using Active Directory client

Basically, you don't have to configure anything on the client, because everything was configured on the Active Directory server (see above - Server side).

One thing you might need, is cscript binary - it is not shipped with Windows 2000, so you may have to add it to your clients (see above).

See also WPKG with Active Directory for a description with screenshots.

Starting wpkg using srvany to create a system service (advanced)

All you have to do is to login to your Windows box, and issue these commands as Administrator - you can put them in one file which we call wpkg-install.bat:

Here is a sample wpkg-install.bat file - the sum of steps 1-8 described below. You may want to change some paths of course.

 copy \\server\wpkg\files\srvany.exe %SystemRoot%\System32
 copy \\server\wpkg\files\instsrv.exe %SystemRoot%\System32
 instsrv "Windows Packager" "%SystemRoot%\System32\srvany.exe"
 \\server\wpkg\files\scripten.exe /Q /R:N
 cscript.exe \\server\wpkg\files\install-service.js
 net start "Windows Packager"

We are using the srvany.exe and instsrv.exe programs included with the Windows 2000 Resource Kit to install the wpkg.js script with the /synchronize /quiet options as a system service. srvany.exe and instsrv.exe programs cannot be distributed along with this software - licensing and all. However, you can find links in the download section.

It is quite easy to implement this yourself (for impatient - all commands shown are available as copy/paste text and as downloads later below):

• Get srvany.exe and instsrv.exe files and put them on your file server.

• Pick a network drive. This drive must be accessable by the user WPKG is going to be configured to run as. We are using LocalSystem on Windows 2000. Windows XP has a new NetworkService account which begs examination. When LocalSystem attempts to access a file share, it does so under the identity of guest. Thus, guest must have read only access to your entire software share.

• Our first command copies srvany.exe and instsrv.exe to %SystemRoot%\System32:

copy \\server\wpkg\files\srvany.exe %SystemRoot%\System32
copy \\server\wpkg\files\instsrv.exe %SystemRoot%\System32

• Then we run:

instsrv "Windows Packager" "%SystemRoot%\System32\srvany.exe"

This creates the Windows service called "Windows Packager". It is however not yet started.

• Next, we install the latest version of Windows Script Host on the system. Windows 2000 out of the box does not have a good enough version. Check Microsoft's web site for the Windows script software. The executable is named scripten.exe ("Windows Script 5.6 for Windows 2000 and XP") . We launch it from the wpkg-install.bat file as follows:

\\server\wpkg\files\scripten.exe /Q /R:N

This makes it install quietly and not reboot.

• Next in our wpkg-install.bat file, setup the registry entries neccassary for srvany.exe to properly start Windows Packager. It can be done by calling out to a JScript file: install-service.js. This is done because the registry keys needed had the potential to be different for each system. Creating keys using code was ideal. The install-service.js file sets the following keys:

HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Windows Packager\Parameters\Application
HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Windows Packager\Parameters\AppParameters

The Application key specifies the full path to the executable that the service will run at boot. This is because we do not launch the wpkg.js file, we launch the Windows Scripting Host (cscript.exe) and instruct it to launch the wpkg.js file. Set the Parameters key to:

\\server\wpkg\wpkg.js /synchronize /quiet

This instructs cscript.exe to run the wpkg.js script, which is placed on the network share, with the two options shown. It will synchronize the system on boot, logging errors quietly.

• The last entry in the wpkg-install.bat file starts "Windows Packager" service:

net start "Windows Packager"

To sum up, we have two files needed to install WPKG on a given Windows machine: wpkg-install.bat, which copies all needed files, and install-service.js (started within wpkg-install.bat), which installs WPKG as a service in Windows registry - so that it could be launched each time the machine is booted. wpkg-install.bat needs to be run only once.

This is an example install-service.js file:

var WshShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell");
var srvKey = "HKLM\\SYSTEM\\CurrentControlSet\\Services\\Windows Packager\\Parameters\\";
var appKey = srvKey + "Application";
var parKey = srvKey + "AppParameters";
var srvPath = WshShell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings("%SystemRoot%") + "\\System32\\cscript.exe"
var srvArgs = "\\\\server\\wpkg\\wpkg.js /synchronize /quiet";
WshShell.RegWrite(appKey, srvPath, "REG_SZ");
WshShell.RegWrite(parKey, srvArgs, "REG_SZ");

Running the wpkg-install.bat file on a new system will now set up and run WPKG! Running this wpkg-install.bat file as part of your Windows install answer file is ideal.

Watch Windows reboot. Imagine you have over 20 packages being installed, half of which require a reboot. It's amusing to see Windows reboot itself for 30 minutes installing stuff.