I am trying to perform an MSI based install (with a transform file) and it behaves differently when installed via BigFix than when installed local to a system. The Task I am working with is for Unicenter Remote Control and the action script looks like this:
continue if { (size of it = 52921426 and sha1 of it = “c87466f49ee20f62017c805e872adc46c7564bd8”) of file “big73.tmp” of folder “__Download”}
extract big73.tmp
wait “{pathname of system folder & “\msiexec.exe”}” /qb! /i “{(pathname of client folder of current site) & “__Download\CA Unicenter Remote Control 6.0.77\CA Unicenter Remote Control 6.0.msi”}” transforms="{(pathname of client folder of current site)}__Download\CA Unicenter Remote Control 6.0.77\Client_Only.mst" /norestart
This is typical of almost all of our MSI based installations. The result with this one is that when installed via BigFix, the install does not create shortcuts and does not publish to Add/Remove programs. I can verify the install by checking the registry and by the running client that it produces. Also, other customizations specified in the transform exist.
I have verified the source by making a copy of the extracted files while the action is running and then running it via command line on the PC. The result of that install is that the shortcuts and add/remove program entries exist.
Is there anything that can cause a Windows Installer installation to behave differently when triggered via bigfix?
CA usually packages MSIs along with a setup.exe in their software. If you install from the MSI you get the core of the installation. Typically the setup.exe will do some work after the MSI has finished and set all the neccesary registry keys.
In your situation if you are installing from the MSI where there is a setup.exe available I suggest using the setup.exe and running it with /? parameter to find the silent run option. I believe it may be something as simple as setup.exe /s.
In addition, you may want to do this from a batch file and move the current directory your in to the directory that contains the MSI file. This way the installer can access file that would not be available from from outside of the __Download folder.
You say that the shortcuts and ARP entry are missing but the other MST installed options are present?
I would be willing to bet you are getting a per-user MSI install instead of a per-machine MSI install. If you install in per-user mode, the user that is logged in when the install happens gets the desktop shortcuts. In the case of BigFix, that user is SYSTEM. So if you could look at the SYSTEM desktop you would see the missing shortcuts.
Try adding ALLUSERS=1 to your MSI install command line to force a per-machine install. That way your shortcuts and Add/Remove Programs entries will end up in the ALL USERS and Local machine areas instead of the currently logged on user’s areas.