Software Packaging

 Welcome to my collection of installation scripts. I have been doing this for over 20 years and most applications are pretty much the same when it comes to silent installations. This will be a collection of scripts where something unique was needed on top of the basic installation, such as a custom registry key, post configuration, or unique installation parameters.

I will cover the basics of how to identify the type of installation being used (InstallShield, Windows Installer, MSIX, InnoSetup, etc.) and what the common installation switches are for each. This is already well documented all over the Internet, but I'll try to save the additional web searching by keeping most of it in one location.

Part of being an SCCM (MECM) admin is building and deploying applications or packages to a specific group of users or machines or to an entire environment. In a majority of cases, the installations need to be scripted so that no user interaction is needed. That is the whole point of automation. The other benefit is consistency. When deploying software as a script with a desktop management tool, you are getting the same installation and configuration on every device. This also removes the need for manual installations where steps are often missed or ignored and causing unnecessary issues.

I often see a lack of documentation in corporate environments as well of how an application script was built and deployed. I find it easiest to document as I go and keep a library to reference later. This also often used in Knowledge Bases for reference by other IT teams. Microsoft OneNote is my application of choice for collecting these documents.

Back Again

 As usual, I'm bad about keeping up with this. I will soon be posting my collection of installation scripts for various applications I've packaged over the years. I'll also be posting some of my documented methods of utilizing SCCM (MECM) in a corporate environment such as reports, custom inventories, global settings, collection building, and whatever else I can find. I will try to make my blogs unique in a way that shows I've utilized scripts, reports, tools, etc., from other blogs, forums, and other various documentation for what I needed in various situations. The answer is always out there, but I didn't often see the result of how others used suggested content, fixes, scripts, etc. Many of us in IT will snatch and grab, say a quick "thanks, it resolved my issue", but not show the actual result of what that information did for them. I intend to show the results of my endeavors and will give credit where credit is due.