How to deploy Office XP over a network

This step-by-step article describes how to deploy Office XP over a network.

The most common method for deploying Microsoft Office XP to a large number of computers is to create an administrative installation of Office on a network server, and then install it on client computers from the central location.

This method provides the following advantages over installing Office to individual computers from a Microsoft Office XP 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 about how to create 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: You can only create an administrative installation if you are using an Enterprise edition of Office XP. For additional information, click the following article number 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 megabytes (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 then 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
   NOTE: Path is the path to your CD-ROM drive or DVD-ROM drive that contains the Office CD-ROM.
4. In the Administrative installation dialog box, type the name of your organization in the Organization box.
   
   This is the name that will appear in the Office program splash screens that are displayed every time you start an Office program.
5. Specify the installation 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.
6. Type the CD key from your Volume License agreement.
7. Click Next.
8. In the End-User License Agreement dialog box, accept the license agreement, and then click Install.

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
   NOTE: Admin Path is the path to your administrative installation point for Office XP.
   
   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. Refer to 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
   NOTE: Admin Path is the path to your administrative installation point for Office XP.
   
   NOTE: If you want to install Office by using the /q switch so that the Office programs run from the server, you must create a Custom transform. Refer to the Customize the Office Installation on Network Clients section of this article for more information.
3. In the User Information dialog box, verify that the information is correct, and then click Next.
4. In the Choose the type of installation you need dialog box, click Run from Network.
5. In the Install to 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 Begin installation dialog box, click Install.

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, 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 in 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 file) 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 which earlier 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.

NOTE: You cannot use the CIW with a Retail edition of Office XP. Refer to the following Knowledge Base article for further information:

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. When you double-click the Setup.exe file on your administrative installation, Office is installed with the options that are specified in the Setup.ini file.

For more information about the changes that you can make to Setup.ini and instructions on how to implement these changes, refer to the following article in the Microsoft Office XP 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 XP 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 XP Resource Kit Toolbox, located at the following Microsoft Web site:
   Office 2000 Resource Kit Core Tool Set

   (http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=5314)
2. Click Start and then click Run. Type the following command in the Open box
   msiexec /a admin path\Proplus.msi /p source path\.msp patch file name shortfilenames=1
   where admin path is the path to your administrative installation point for Office XP, 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.
   
   NOTE: You may need to change the name of the .msi package that is specified in this command line. The preceding example uses Proplus.msi, which is for Office XP Professional with FrontPage installations.
3. Click Next in the Microsoft Office XP Administrative Installation dialog box.
   
   NOTE: You do not have to type your CD Key or company name in the Microsoft Office XP Administrative Installation dialog box.
4. Click I accept the terms of the License Agreement, and then click Next.
5. Click Install.
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 XP is already installed from your administrative installation point.

NOTE: Do not use the stand-alone client patches available from the Office Update Web site to update network clients that originally installed Office XP from an administrative installation. The stand-alone client patches are for use on computers that installed Office XP 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 XP.
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 on the message that states 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\Proplus.msi reinstall=all reinstallmode=vomus
   where admin path is the path to your administrative installation point for Office XP.
   
   NOTE: You may need to change the name of the .msi package that is specified in this command line. The preceding example uses Proplus.msi, which is for Office XP Professional with FrontPage installations.
   
   
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. Refer to 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.

For additional information about deploying Office updates to network computers, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

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:

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

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

For additional information about problems using the /a switch with a Retail copy of Office XP, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: For complete information about deploying Office in a network environment, review the documentation in the Microsoft Office XP Resource Kit (ORK). See the following Microsoft Web site: