Hi all.
Before I get too far in our scripting frenzy I'd like to set things up properly so that I don't have to run around hundreds of PCs with a USB stick to install scripts/.exe/.ini files every time we improve/update/add a new functionality.
If you have some "best practices" to make installation/deployment easy and transparent to the end-users I'd love to hear!
I should add that we will be deploying compiled .exe versions of the scripts and not the .scp. End users do not have MS installed on their PCs.
In our case we have two small call centres with about 80 PCs. We have access to both web/ftp servers as well as Novell shares. Our CorpIT and integrator could deploy/push via Zen or something similar but I'd rather keep this in my control.
Thanks!
François
Best practice for deploying/distributing scripts?
Moderators: JRL, Dorian (MJT support)
I have a C:\util folder on every PC. about 120 of them currently.
When I compile an Exe I store the executable and the original script on a network share that everyone has full access to. I have a script folder there with logical folders under that. e.g. L:\script\HR, L:script\shipping, etc.
Along with the executable and the original script I create a second executable and call it Run_executable_name.exe. This second executable is short cutted directly from the share drive to the users chosen location, usually their desktop but not always. Run_executable_name.exe does three things.
- First it checks to see if the executable it represents exists in the local C:\util folder. If it does not it copies it to the util folder.
- Second it checks the date and time on the network executable to see how it compares with the date and time on the represented file in the util folder. If the share drive file is newer, it copies the latest version over the file in the util folder.
- Third, it runs the file in the util folder.
This method requires that the Run_executable_name.exe shortcut be set up on each computer but its possible to email shortcuts as attachments or you could simply set up links on your intranet web page. I have tightVNC set up on all the computers so I often log on to a users pc and create the shortcut that way. Very few of my scripts impact more than a few people. The ones that do have been in place for some time and are installed when their computers are first configured.
Hope this is helpful.
Dick
When I compile an Exe I store the executable and the original script on a network share that everyone has full access to. I have a script folder there with logical folders under that. e.g. L:\script\HR, L:script\shipping, etc.
Along with the executable and the original script I create a second executable and call it Run_executable_name.exe. This second executable is short cutted directly from the share drive to the users chosen location, usually their desktop but not always. Run_executable_name.exe does three things.
- First it checks to see if the executable it represents exists in the local C:\util folder. If it does not it copies it to the util folder.
- Second it checks the date and time on the network executable to see how it compares with the date and time on the represented file in the util folder. If the share drive file is newer, it copies the latest version over the file in the util folder.
- Third, it runs the file in the util folder.
This method requires that the Run_executable_name.exe shortcut be set up on each computer but its possible to email shortcuts as attachments or you could simply set up links on your intranet web page. I have tightVNC set up on all the computers so I often log on to a users pc and create the shortcut that way. Very few of my scripts impact more than a few people. The ones that do have been in place for some time and are installed when their computers are first configured.
Hope this is helpful.
Dick
