Difference between revisions of "How WPKG works?"

Revision as of 02:06, 22 September 2008

WPKG keeps its configuration in three XML files, which can be changed easily in an editor like vi or mcedit, or even automatically.

These XML files are:

• hosts.xml - defines the hosts and associated profiles, which these hosts will use,
• profiles.xml - defines the software packages or scripts, which will be installed/executed on hosts,
• packages.xml - defines how to install and uninstall software packages. In other words, it is a list of all applications and scripts that can be deployed or executed on workstations.

There is also one more file, wpkg.js, which we can call a "WPKG engine". It is written in JScript, and is executed by the workstations.

All these XML files (hosts.xml, profiles.xml and packages.xml) and the JScript "engine" (wpkg.js) should be located in one directory.

Server side (Samba or Active Directory)

You don't have to run any additional software on your Samba or Active Directory server to use WPKG.
You only need a share, accessible by the workstations, with the files used by WPKG: wpkg.js ("WPKG engine"), hosts.xml (host names, which will use WPKG), profiles.xml (profiles available to hosts) and packages.xml (applications and scripts that can be deployed or executed on workstations).

Of course, you also need a folder where you will store your applications, scripts etc. - in other words - everything that you need to install or run on your workstations.

Note: Make sure that your server is not providing any SMB-based services (eg, DC, shared printer or shared folder other than the one used by WPKG) to the client computer, otherwise you will face the infamous error at random times: Multiple connections to a server or shared resource by the same user. If it has to provide such services, you may use a DNS CNAME or IP address to refer to the server in the WPKG Client.

Client side (Windows workstations)

Your Windows workstations will not be aware of WPKG just because you created an additional share on your Samba server.

They need to be told to use WPKG first.

All you need to use WPKG on a Windows workstation is to run a command like below:

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

All this is done with WPKG Client.

When WPKG is called on a Windows workstation with these options, it will do the following:

• look for its hostname in \\server\wpkg\hosts.xml file, and a profile associated to the name,
• look which software/scripts it has in a profile in \\server\wpkg\profiles.xml file,
• look for detailed package descriptions in \\server\wpkg\packages.xml file - name, description, install command, remove command, exit code etc.

/synchronize means that WPKG will try to sync the packages - that is, install software if it's not already installed, execute scripts, and if it's successful, write the "status" to C:\Windows\System32\wpkg.xml (so that software installation is not started again if it's already installed).

Of course, WPKG has many more options. See WPKG flags for details.

You will likely run it manually as a local or domain Administrator when you would be still testing WPKG
(just open a command line using menu Start -> Run -> cmd).

When you're done with testing and finally configure everything the way you like, you will want to run it automatically on each of your dozens or hundreds of workstations.
When WPKG is installed, it runs and installs software automatically in the background, whenever the workstation boots up, even when no one has logged on to that PC.