How to install Microsoft TechNet products by using Group Policy

This step-by-step article describes how to use Group Policy to install Microsoft TechNet products that include service packs and other utilities through Active Directory.

Use Group Policy options to distribute a program

When you use Group Policy to distribute a program, you can assign the program to users or to computers, or you can publish the program to users. The differences between these options are as follows:

• Assign
  If you assign the program to a user, the program is installed when the user first logs on to the computer.
  
  If you assign the program to a computer, the program is installed when the computer starts. If you assign the program to a computer, the program is available to all users who log on to the computer.
  
  In both cases, the installation is completed when a user first runs the program.
• Publish
  If you publish the program to users, when the user logs on to the computer, the published program appears in Add or Remove Programs in Control Panel. The user can install the program from Add or Remove Programs.

Create a distribution point

To publish or to assign software, you must create a distribution point on the server. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Log on to the server computer as an administrator.
2. Create a shared network folder where you put the Microsoft Windows Installer package that you want to distribute. This folder is the distribution point for the software package.
3. Set permissions on the shared network folder to permit access to the distribution package. Give access permissions to the administrators, to authenticated users, and to domain users.
4. Run the administrative installation to copy the files to the distribution point. To do this, run the following command:
   msiexec /a tn.msi
   Note The Tn.msi file is a Microsoft Windows Installer package for any TechNet product.

Start Active Directory Users and Computers

1. On a domain server computer, click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
2. Double-click Administrative Tools.
3. Double-click Active Directory Users and Computers.

back to "Assign a package to a client computer"

Start Group Policy Object Editor

1. In the console tree of Active Directory Users and Computers, right-click your domain, and then click Properties. The Domain name Properties dialog box appears.
   
   Note Domain name is a placeholder for the name of the domain of your computer.
2. In the Domain name Properties dialog box, click the Group Policy tab.
3. Click the Group Policy object, and then click Edit.

back to "Assign a package to a client computer"

Assign a package to a user

1. In Group Policy, expand User Configuration, expand Software Settings, and then click Software Installation.
2. On the Action menu, point to New, and then click Package. The Open dialog box appears.
3. In the File name box, type the full Universal Naming Convention (UNC) path of the shared installer package that you want to distribute. Type this path in the following format:
   \\Server name or Server IP\sharedfolder\file name.msi
   Notes
   Server name or Server IP is a placeholder for the server name or IP address of the computer where the shared folder is located.
   
   sharedfolder is a placeholder for the shared folder that is on the server computer.
   
   file name.msi is a placeholder for the Windows Installer package.
   
   Make sure that you use the UNC path of the shared installer package.
4. Select the Windows Installer package, and then click Open. The Deploy Software dialog box appears.
5. Click the Assigned option, and then click OK. The shared installer package that you selected appears in the right pane of Group Policy.
6. Close Group Policy.
7. Click OK to close the Properties dialog box.

Verify that the package that you assigned to the user installs correctly

If the user whom you assigned the package to is logged on to a computer that is in the same domain where the package is located while you are assigning the package, the user must log off the computer before the installation will start.

The next time that the user whom you assigned the package to logs on to a computer in the domain, a message appears that indicates that the software is being installed.

Assign a package to a client computer

1. Repeat the steps in the "Start Active Directory Users and Computers" section of this article.
2. Repeat the steps in the "Start Group Policy Object Editor" section of this article.
3. In Group Policy, expand Computer Configuration, expand Software Settings, and then click Software Installation.
4. On the Action menu, point to New, and then click Package. The Open dialog box appears.
5. In the File name box, type the full Universal Naming Convention (UNC) path of the shared installer package that you want to distribute. Type this path in the following format:
   \\Server name or Server IP\sharedfolder\file name.msi
   Notes
   Server name or Server IP is a placeholder for the server name or IP address of the computer where the shared folder is located.
   
   sharedfolder is a placeholder for the shared folder that is on the server computer.
   
   file name.msi is a placeholder for the Windows Installer package.
   
   Make sure that you use the UNC path of the shared installer package.
6. Select the Windows Installer package, and then click Open. The Deploy Software dialog box appears.
7. Click the Assigned option, and then click OK. The shared installer package that you selected appears in the right pane of Group Policy.
8. Close Group Policy.
9. Click OK to close the Properties dialog box.

Verify that the package that you assigned to the client computer installs correctly

If the client computer that you assigned the package to is in the same domain where the package is located while you are assigning the package, the client computer must be restarted before the installation will start.

When the client computer restarts, a message appears that indicates that the software is being installed.

For more information about software installation and Group Policy, visit the following Microsoft Web sites: For more information about how to install software by using Group Policy , click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: For more information about how to troubleshoot Group Policy application problems, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: For additional information about Microsoft TechNet products, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: