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Deploy SolidWorks easier with the Administrative Director

The SolidWorks Administrative Director is a tool used to create an administrative image and silently deploy SolidWorks® software to client machines. This tool helps reduce the total cost of ownership (TCO) and makes deploying SolidWorks easier. This tool is especially useful for companies that do not use a software deployment application.

The SolidWorks Administrative Director will create and configure an administrative image on a network server that clients can access for the initial installation and service pack updates. The following sections describe the installation of the administrative image and send the link to the clients.

One of the most important features of the SolidWorks Administrative Director is the ease in which service packs can be added and the clients automatically updated. To update to the next service pack, update the administrative image and clients will be asked to update to the next service pack next time they start SolidWorks.

Administrative Director

The Administrative Tools button will start the SolidWorks Administrative Director. This wizard walks the system administrator through the steps required to create an administrative image.

Figure 1 – SolidWorks Master Setup dialog box

After choosing the Admin Tools, the SolidWorks Administrative Director will start as shown in figure 2. For additional information, select Help.

Figure 2 – Opening page for the SolidWorks Administrative Director

Step 1

Either creates a new administrative image or edits an existing image. After making this selection, SolidWorks is installed on the local machine. This is done so that SolidWorks can be configured prior to deployment to the clients.

Note that when locating an existing administrative image, you must use the UNC\Share name. For example, \\server_name\Sw2005\English_i386_SolidWorks.msi. Also, the share name should be the same as the directory name.

Figure 3 – Administrative Image Option

The next steps (1-8) are the same as installing SolidWorks locally less step 7. Step 7 is the location of the administrative image.

Figure 4 – SolidWorks Setup

Figure 5 – SolidWorks Setup

Figure 6 – SolidWorks Setup

Depending on your licensing method — single or network — you may choose to leave the serial number field blank. If you have an SNL (SolidWorks Network License) server, enter your SNL serial number. If you want the clients to enter their serial number when they start SolidWorks (first time only), leave this field blank.

The administrative image should be created on a server that is accessible by all clients. The location of the administrative image will be stored in UNC (\\server_name) format. This insures that all clients can get to the server no matter how they have their drives mapped. Otherwise, all clients would need the server mapped using a consistent drive letter. Another advantage of a UNC path for the administrative image and other shared SolidWorks templates is that the users can not browse within the directories.

Figure 7 – Network location of the administrative image

During this part of the process, the Administrative Director installs a copy of SolidWorks within the target location so the image can be configured for the client prior to deployment. This is a key feature of the Administrative Director. Too often, the default settings are deployed to the clients. The Administrative Director allows for the file location, templates, and other shared settings and documents to be defined consistently prior to client deployment.

The version of SolidWorks is installed within the <administrative image directory>\Program Files\SolidWorks directory. This version of SolidWorks is used to configure the settings for the client only.

Figure 8 – SolidWorks Setup

Step 2

Step 2 creates and configures the initialization file (.ini) used by the clients. This dialog box can be used to create a new .ini file or edit an existing file. This ini file is used by the clients to configure the installation.

Figure 9 – Initialization File Options

Step 3

Step 3 allows for the selection of SolidWorks settings file. This file can be created using the Copy Settings Wizard. The version installed on the local computer can be used to configure SolidWorks and create this file.

Figure 10 – Registry File Options

Step 4

Step 4 defines the logging options used during the installation. This option can be used if you are having installation issues that require additional support. Do not turn this option on unless you are having performance issues. The logging takes more time and should not normally be done.

Figure 11 – Logging Options

Step 5

Step 5 allows for batch files or applications to be run before and/or after the installation. These applications can be used to uninstall a previous version of SolidWorks, run the installation with additional admin right (see conclusion), etc.

Figure 12 – Command Execution Options

When this is complete, there are a couple of ways to distribute the software to the clients:

1) e-Mail the HTML file created in the last step (see figure 13).

2) Send an e-Mail with the HTML link or post the HTML link on an Intranet site used by the engineering department.

Figure 13 – HTML install file

The page StartSWInstall.htm is created after the SolidWorks Administrative Director is complete. Clients use this page to launch the installation. Updates are handled automatically once the administrative directory has been updated.

One other issue that needs to be resolved here is the requirement that the users will require administrative rights to the computer to do the install. There are a couple of options (list in order of preference):

• Use a software deployment application. These applications handle the user/admin rights issues.
• Use a Microsoft Active Directory group policy or an advertisement to aid in the deployment.
• Use the AlwaysInstallElevated Windows registry setting to install a Windows Installer package with elevated (system) privileges. See http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/msi/setup/alwaysinstallelevated.asp for details.
• Use the Windows Installer Elevate Utility to grant and reset the installation rights. The utility has switches that can be used within the Administrative Director's step 5 to run before and after the installation. Place the application on the server and run the elevate utility with /on (before) and /off (after) command line arguments). For more information on this utility, see http://myitforum.techtarget.com/articles/6/view.asp?id=225

Conclusion

The SolidWorks Administrative Director can save time and effort when deploying SolidWorks. Even more time and effort is saved when service packs are rolled out as the clients are automatically updated.