client for micrsoft networks unattened install

[hash2001]

I have a 1500 user network mostly running win 95 osr2 and windows nt. We are currently converting to a windows 2000 network. Seeing as the backend is mostly netware 4.1 I need to install the client for microsoft networks on all the 95 stations. They only have the netware client now. Is there any way to script the microsoft network client install on machines with 95 already installed and configured.

 

[john74]

not quite sure how this would be done but there is a utility called "scriptit" that might be just what you are looking for.

 

[Zelandakh]

Are you looking to upgrade to Win2000 or just clean install?

If you can cope with a clean install you should look at rip for 2000 which needs a Win2000 server and a standard desktop unit. Install once, copy the image to the server and then pull down to each client.

Very powerful tool as you can install all of your apps to the desktop before imaging it and after imaging you can apply service packs to the image on the server...

 

[john74]

Zelandakh, do you mean RIS using RIprep?

 

[Zelandakh]

apols, that was indeed a typo. I did mean that you should look at RIS. RIP was what I was working on at the time - top of mind.

You use RIPrep to create your RIS images.

Great little piece of kit of the NIC and HALs are the same.

 

[hash2001]

We would like to use RIS when we upgrade the clients to Win2K. The problem is that we need to upgrade the backend first to create an active directory structure. In the meantime the user will need access to novell and winnt networks. One day there data will be on novell and the next on NT. Once the back end is converted we will upgrade each system to win2k and join the new domain. Once that is done we will delete the trust between the new and old domain and we are done. The current sticking point in this is when the company upgrade to win95 they didn't install the ms client because they were using a novell backend. I now need a way to remotely install it so the only visit I need to make to the user is when the win2k upgrade is performed. Otherwise I have to upgrade the client to win2k, install the novell client, convert the back end, vist the client again to add it to the new domain and remove the novell client for stability. Before anyone recommends that we upgrade the client in the current domain and then upgrade the PDC, this isn't recommend. Best practice is to do a fresh reload on everything.

 

[Zelandakh]

Get a Win2k server going with gsnw link to novell then you can also access the Novell data via client for ms. Put the Novell shares accessible on the 2ks box in AD and then you can move the data as you please.

This simplifies the backend and rationalises to client for ms.

That way the old users go straight to novell and the new ones go to AD either picking up novell or ms data.