In my opinion, software installation is one of the coolest and most useful features of GP, and I know many administrators who agree with me. Using Microsoft's IntelliMirror technology introduced in Windows 2000, administrators using GP can distribute software applications initially, using a push or pull method, and then upgrade, redeploy, or remove that software either wholesale or when certain conditions apply. IntelliMirror also offers intelligent application repair features so that when critical files for an application deployed through IntelliMirror are corrupted or deleted, Windows takes over and fixes the problem so that the application will still start and function correctly. This is a big timesaver.
You can distribute and install applications in your organization in two ways. You can assign a software package, which places a shortcut on the user's Start menu and loads the advertisement for the package into the computer's Registry. Or you can publish an application, which simply places the program with the Add/Remove Programs applet in the Control Panel. The user can elect to install the software at his discretion and at a convenient time.
You also can distribute applications via the assign and publish functionality to a computer or a user. If you assign a package to a user, the application is installed on the local system the first time the user runs the software. Incidentally, you can also elect to install such an application when the user logs on, although this can make for long boot times and calls to the help desk. These user-assigned applications follow a user around the network to each computer to ensure that she has all the applications she should on each computer. If you assign a package to a computer, the application is installed on that system when booted up, and the software is installed only on the computer defined in the policy. Applications don't necessarily follow a user around. If you use the publish functionality of IntelliMirror, you can publish to only a specific user because computers can't choose how and where to install software. Published applications also are not quite as robust as assigned applications, and the repair functionality of published applications is limited.
Packaging software
The easiest way to publish and assign software is with Microsoft Installer packages, or MSI files. Applications packaged in Installer format include a database of changes to make to files and Registry keys, instructions on removing previous or outdated version of software, and strategies to install on multiple versions of Windows within one file. MSI files also allow intelligent repair functionality for use if installations become corrupted on individual computers, and their rollback function for removing or redeploying an application is useful as well. IntelliMirror and GP-based software distribution are designed to work with applications that install using an MSI package.
But all is not lost if your software isn't offered in MSI format. First, you can use the ZAP file method. You can use a ZAP file when software isn't available with an MSI package to publish (but not assign) the application. A ZAP file is nothing more than a description of an application, its setup program, and any associated file extensions. A sample ZAP file for Adobe's Acrobat Reader 5.0 is shown here:
Line 1: [Application]
Line 2: FriendlyName = Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0
Line 3: SetupCommand = \\deploy\adobe\rp505enu.exe
Line 4: DisplayVersion = 5.0
Line 5: Publisher = Adobe Corporation
Line 6: URL = http://www.adobe.com
Line 7:
Line 8: [Ext]
Line 9: PDF=
A few notes about this ZAP file: the FriendlyName section shows the application name, which will appear in the Add/Remove Programs applet within the Control Panel on the computers to which the package is published. It also contains the Setup directive, which tells Windows the network path of the file to install the package. The other tags, although offering more information on the version, manufacturer, and Internet address of the manufacturer, are optional. The Ext section lists file extensions to be associated with the program, each followed by an equals sign.
The ZAP file method has a few caveats. First and foremost, because ZAP file installations can only be published, you lose the robustness and intelligent repair features of software applications assigned to computers and users. You also can't set an application deployed via a ZAP file to install automatically on first use, and you can't upgrade or remove an application deployed via a ZAP file using a GPO. In addition, a specific user must have appropriate permissions to run the package's installer executable and to access the source files for the installation. And, the installation probably is not very automated, so the process likely would require user intervention to answer prompts such as the destination directory, installation options, and so forth, which is something we all try to avoid when possible. Finally, because the installer isn't granted sweeping administrative privileges during the setup process like an MSI installer is, you might have conflicts and problems to troubleshoot with a mass package deployment.
If the ZAP file method doesn't appeal to you, you can use a repacking tool, such as Veritas WinInstall LE or the InstallShield deployment tools. These tools will take a snapshot of your current system configuration and prompt you to install the software you want to package. Once the installation is complete, these tools will take another snapshot, record what changed on the filesystem and Registry, and prompt you with a list of what it detected. You go through the list, make sure the changes listed were due to installing the software and not to errant behavior on the part of Windows, and then confirm the list. The software will create an MSI with the program's installer and a database of filesystem and Registry changes.
Using this method, you gain the robustness and rollback features of using an MSI installer as opposed to ZAP files. However, the repackaging tools can tend to be a bit flaky, and sometimes you'll have difficulty installing them on multiple platforms. There's not a good way around that, other than obtaining an MSI directly from the software vendor, but it's somewhat of a middle ground between the inflexible ZAP files and a true MSI from the manufacturer.
*.* Source of Information : O'Reilly Windows Server 2008: The Definitive Guide
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