Java deployment

[porkchopexpress]

We have been using the java msi with an mst supplied by Sun for a while now to deploy Java and it works flawlessly the only problem is that if the application redeploys for any reason e.g. when you rejoin a station to the domain it tried to install repeatedly and errors every time. All the other applications seem to flash by realise they're installed and carry on.

Does anyone know of a mod to the msi that might make it check and realise that it's already there?

This is the same with update 10 jre-1_5_0_10-windows-i586-p-s.exe i've just tested.

You can test this by deploying it to a test station then in active directory clicking redeploy application.

This happens on 2kSP4 and XP SP2 stations.

Thanks for any ideas.

 

[jhaith]

Kind of odd that it would try to redeploy, if everything is setup in active directory for that msi package it shouldn't do this. So it could be a problem with the msi package if it is, could contact Sun.

Off the top of my head, the easiest thing to do here would be to modify the .msi file to check for a registry key saying if it's installed or not. Might have to google the value you would need to modify/add for this, but here's a link to MS's msi editor (there's also some others that are easy to use). Have any questions post back.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/255905

-jhaith

 

[porkchopexpress]

Hi I already use Orca to generate the .mst to deploy custom settings. Software sometimes redeployes if the station is moved or on the odd occasion XP boxes produce a PAC error and they seem unable to connect to the domain i think it's to do with a windows time service error. Most MSI's just seem to quickly look and realise it's already installed and stops the Java msi errors saying it's already installed but then tries again next boot, the only way to stop it is to uninstall manually so at next boot it installes sucessfully.

It's not a massive issue as this doesn't happen very often but i just wondered if anyone had a solution.

Thanks.

 

[jhaith]

What are the install conditions for the msi package, particularly what exactly is it looking for, where, and have you checked these before and after this has happened? I was just thinking along the lines of if the installer is writing a value to the registry initially, but then after being re-added to the domain, it's not reading the value from the same location for whatever reason it reinstalls. Just trying to think of some ideas =P

-jhaith