Remote install of msi/exe from UNC path

[wbrd]

Hi
I need to install a bunch of applications (msi/exe) on several servers (close to 100) from a UNC path (\\domain.com\appshare\appname.msi etc). I looked at Run and RunWait but did not see an option to install on remote computers. SO I was wondering if someone can lend me a hand on this.
Also, the source files CANNOT be copied to local drives of the servers and also CANNOT map a network drive to the share (The install has to be run straight off of the share).
thanks

[Deana]

It sounds like you are trying to launch an application on a remote system.This particular issue is somewhat more complex that it seems.

There is a set of different available solutions for different cases, depending on exactly what needs to be done, and whether or not the program you are going to run on the remote machine needs to access network resources and/or needs to be visible to someone looking at the computer monitor - and whether or not the computer is in a "locked"/screensaver_ON status.

Running a BAT file that runs a console mode program that does not access network resources and does not need to be visible to the remote user is generally faitly easy, assuming you have remote admin rights on the particular machines.

See...
http://techsupt.winbatch.com/webcgi/webbatch.exe?techsupt/tsleft.web+WinBatch/WMI+Run~an~Application~on~a~Remote~Computer.txt
http://techsupt.winbatch.com/webcgi/webbatch.exe?techsupt/tsleft.web+WinBatch/WMI+WMI~and~Remote~Interactive~Desktop~Scripts.txt

PsExec is a light-weight telnet-replacement that lets you execute processes on other systems: http://www.sysinternals.com / http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb897553.aspx

[td]

Can't say that I have worked with it much but if the installations all involve the Windows Installer, MSFT provides some information about using same with WMI here

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa372471(v=vs.85).aspx


I have never used it and don't know if it has remote install functionality built in but the Windows Installer also has a COM Automation interface. The documentation can be found here

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa367810(v=vs.85).aspx

The WinBatch COM Automation sub-system should work well with either of the above.