How to deploy Office 2000 over a network

The most common method for deploying Microsoft Office 2000 to a large number of computers is to create a central copy of Office on a network server. Then you can install Office on the computers over the network.

This method provides the following advantages over having to install Office individually from a Microsoft Office 2000 CD-ROM:

• You can manage one set of Office files from a central location.
• You can create a standard set of Office features and options for all users.
• You can take advantage of flexible installation options, such as setting features to be installed on first use.
• You can more easily deploy Office updates as they become available.
• You have more control over when you upgrade Office.

This article contains basic information for creating an Office administrative installation from which you can install Office onto network client computers. Some additional information in this article includes steps to customize the Office installation on the network clients.

Note Creating administrative installations of Office 2000 is only supported on non-Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) versions of Office 2000.

For additional information, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Create the Administrative Installation

The first step in deploying Office over a network is to create the administrative installation. To do this, you need at least 550 MB of free disk space on a central server, and you need write access to the server. After you are sure that these two requirements are met, follow these steps.

Note You can perform these steps while you are logged on to the server or from a network client that has a connection with the server.

1. Insert the Office CD-ROM, and cancel any AutoRun activity that may occur.
2. Click Start, and then click Run.
3. In the Open box, type the following, and then click OK:
   path\Setup.exe /a
   Notepath is the path to your CD-ROM drive or DVD-ROM drive that contains the Office CD-ROM.
4. In the Customer Information dialog box, type the CD key from the back of the Office CD-ROM case.
5. Type the name of your corporation in the Company box. This is the name that will appear in the Office program splash screens that are displayed every time you start an Office program.
6. Click Next.
7. In the License and Support Information dialog box, accept the license agreement, and then click Next.
8. In the Installation Location dialog box, specify the destination folder for the administrative installation. This location can be a folder on a local hard disk drive or a folder on another computer. You can specify either a mapped drive or a UNC path to the folder. You can also click Browse to browse for the folder.
9. Click Install Now.

Install Office on Network Clients

After you complete the administrative installation, you can begin the installation of Office on the network client computers that can connect to the computer with the administrative installation. To install Office from the server, follow these steps:

1. Log on to the network client computer.
   
   Note On Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 or Microsoft Windows 2000, you must log on as a member of the Administrators group.
2. Click Start, and then click Run.
3. In the Open box, type a command line similar to the following, and then click OK:
   Admin Path\Setup.exe
   NoteAdmin Path is the path to your administrative installation point for Office 2000.Note You can include Windows Installer command-line switches and properties to customize the way that the Office installation is run. For example, you can use the /q switch to install Office without any user interaction. Please see the "Customize the Office Installation on Network Clients" section of this article for more information.

Run the Office Programs from the Server

If your network client computers are low on disk space, you may want to consider installing Office so that most of the installation files remain on the server. In order to do this, you must perform a Custom installation, where you change the installation state of the Office programs to Run from Network.

To install Office so that the Office programs are run from a network server, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. In the Open box, type a command line similar to the following, and then click OK:
   Admin Path\Setup.exe
   NoteAdmin Path is the path to your administrative installation point for Office 2000.Note If you want to install Office by using the /q switch and have the Office programs run from the server, you must create a Custom transform. See the "Customize the Office Installation on Network Clients" section of this article for more information.
3. In the Customer Information dialog box, make sure the information is correct, and then click Next.
4. In the Ready to Install dialog box, click Customize.
5. In the Installation Location dialog box, specify a folder on the local hard disk, and then click Next.
   
   Note Do not specify a network drive location, because that is not the procedure for establishing a Run from Network configuration.
6. In the Selecting Features dialog box, click the icon next to the Microsoft Office feature, and then select Run all from Network.
7. Click Install Now.

Customize the Office Installation on Network Clients

You can always run Office Setup interactively to install Microsoft Office, or you can allow users to run Setup interactively, as described in the "Install Office on Network Clients" section earlier in this article. However, Office Setup offers you many opportunities to customize Office installations by using command-line options, by modifying the Setup settings file (Setup.ini), or by installing Office with a transform. Each method provides unique advantages in terms of what you can customize and how you give users access to the custom installation. You can implement one or more of these methods, depending on the level of customization that you need.

Note If you specify the same Setup options but use different values in the command line, settings file, and transform, then Setup uses the following rules to determine which settings to use:

• If you set an option in the Office Custom Installation Wizard that corresponds to a Setup property, the wizard sets the corresponding property automatically in the MST file.
• If you modify a Setup property in the Modify Setup Properties page of the Custom Installation Wizard, this setting overrides any corresponding options that you set on earlier pages of the wizard. Your modified Setup property is written to the MST file.
• If you set options, including Setup properties, in the settings file that conflict with options in the transform, the values in the settings file take precedence.
• If you set options on the command line, those settings take precedence over any conflicting values in either the settings file or the transform.

Use a Transform

A Windows Installer transform (.mst) is most useful when you want to make extensive customizations, especially customizations that you cannot make by using the Setup command line or settings file.

For example, in the .mst file you can do the following:

• Specify the installation location for Office.
• Specify the location of the Office shortcuts.
• Determine what previous versions of Office are removed.
• Set the installation state of Office features. For example, you can set the features to Run from Network or Installed on First Use.
• Hide features so they do not appear in the Setup User Interface.
• Add custom files and registry entries to the Office installation.
• Set Windows Installer properties.
• Include additional .exe programs that will be run when the Office installation is finished.

You create a Windows Installer transform by using the Office Custom Installation Wizard (CIW). The Windows Installer transform contains the changes that you want to make to the installation process and is used by the Windows Installer during the installation of Office.

For complete information about how to use the Custom Installation Wizard for creating a transform file, please browse to the following Microsoft Web site:

Use Command-Line Switches and Properties

When you run Setup, you can use command-line options to change some of the parameters that Setup uses to install Office. By using command-line options, you can do the following:

• Identify the MSI and MST files to use
• Direct Setup to run in quiet mode
• Initialize Windows Installer logging
• Alter Setup property values

For example, you can type the following options on the command line: This command line customizes Setup in the following ways:

• Setup does not prompt the user for information.
• Setup displays progress indicators as it installs Office and then a completion message at the end of the installation.
• Setup installs the same Office features that it installs if the user runs Setup and clicks Install Now.
• Setup sets the default organization name to Northwind Traders.

Customize Setup.ini

In addition to using the options specified on the command line, Setup automatically reads the options specified in the settings file, Setup.ini. The settings file allows you to set the same options as the command line, but it eliminates the need to type precise text in the Run dialog box. Double-clicking the Setup.exe file on your administrative installation will install Office with the options specified in the Setup.ini file.

For more information about the changes you can make to Setup.ini and instructions on how to implement these changes, please see the following article in the Microsoft Office Resource Kit:

Install Office Updates

At some point, you must update your network client computers with a Windows Installer update (patch) file. If you originally installed Office onto these network computers by using an administrative installation, you must perform this update process in two steps:

• Update your administrative installation with an Admin version of the update. The Admin versions of Office update files are always available from the Office Resource Kit Toolbox download page.
• Update your network client computers from the now-updated administrative installation. Updating the administrative installation does not automatically update the network clients, even if you installed Office in a Run from Network configuration.

Update an Administrative Installation

To update an Office administrative installation with a Windows Installer update file, follow these steps:

1. Obtain the Admin version of the update file.
   
   To do this, browse to the Office Resource Kit Toolbox, located at the following Microsoft Web site:
   http://www.microsoft.com/office/ork/2000/appndx/toolbox.htm (http://www.microsoft.com/office/ork/2000/appndx/toolbox.htm)
2. Click Start, and then click Run. Type the following command in the Open box
   msiexec /a Admin Path\Data1.msi /p Source Path\.msp patch file name shortfilenames=1
   where Admin Path is the path to your administrative installation point for Office 2000 SR-1, Source Path is the path to the update file, and .msp patch file name is the .msp file name.
   
   Note You must run this command from a computer on which the Windows Installer is already installed.
3. Click Next in the Microsoft Office 2000 Administrative Mode dialog box.
   
   Note You do not have to type your CD Key or company name in the Microsoft Office 2000 Administrative Mode dialog box.
   
   
4. Click I accept the terms of the License Agreement, and then click Next.
5. Click Install Now.
6. Click OK when the update is finished. At this point, your administrative installation point is updated with the .msp file.

Update a Network Client

After you finish the update of your administrative installation, you must update all of the network client computers that originally installed Office from the administrative installation.

Use one of the following methods to update workstations on which Office 2000 SR-1 was already installed from your administrative installation point.

Note Do not use the standalone client patches available from the Tools on the Web Web site to update network clients that originally installed Office 2000 from an administrative installation. The standalone client patches are for use on computers that installed Office 2000 from CD-ROM.

Method 1: Run Setup.exe from the Administrative Installation

Follow these steps to update Office on your network client by using Setup.exe on the Office administrative installation:

1. Click Start, and then click Run. Type the following command in the Open box
   Admin Path\Setup.exe
   where Admin Path is the path to your administrative installation point for Office 2000.
2. Click Yes when prompted to update your installation.
3. Click I accept the terms of the License Agreement, and then click Next.
4. Click OK to the message that Setup completed successfully.

Method 2: Use a Windows Installer Command Line

Follow these steps to update Office on your network client by using a Windows Installer command line:

1. Click Start, and then click Run. Type the following command in the Open box
   msiexec /i Admin Path\Data1.msi reinstall=all reinstallmode=vomus
   where Admin Path is the path to your administrative installation point for Office 2000.
   
   
2. Click OK to the message that Setup completed successfully.Note The preceding command line works with all updates. However, you may be able to use a command line that requires less time to perform the update than the preceding command line requires. Please see the documentation for the update file that you are using for more information about the specific command line to be used with the specific update.

Additional Methods for Deploying Office

In addition to the techniques already described for deploying and managing Office in a networked environment, you can deploy Office by using either of the following two technologies:

• Systems Management Server (SMS)
• Windows 2000 Group Policy

For more information about using Systems Management Server to deploy Office, please refer to the following article in the Microsoft Office 2000 Resource Kit: For more information about using Windows 2000 Group Policy to deploy Office, please refer to the following article in the Microsoft Office 2000 Resource Kit:

For complete information about deploying Office in a network environment, please review the documentation in the Microsoft Office 2000 Resource Kit (ORK). Browse to the following Microsoft Web site: