Installing Software on All CCIC Macs Using the MacAdmin Server
Installing software on all of the CCIC Macs involves many steps.
Basically, you are placing software files in either the "Common Files"
folder or in the folder specific to the machine group that the affected PC
or PCs belong. Loading software files to a machine group file is only
necessary if a software package or any file is not part of the
"minimal" software image. That is, it is not part of the base
collection of applications and files that can fit on the machines with
the smalest hard drives. Currently the smallest hard drives are the
Power Macintosh 7100/66 PCs that have only 500 MB available.
Software
that should go on all PCs other than the small hard drives should be
loaded to the "Standard PCs" folder in the "Machine Groups" folder.
only
supposed to go into a
limited number of PCs, instead of all of the PCs. Both the "Common Files"
folder and the "Machine Groups" folder are located on the PC serving
MacAdministrator in the "Network Files" folder, in the "MacAdmin Server"
folder in the "MacAdministrator" folder on the hard drive.
Rather than load new applications on the server and take chances that a
conflict will arise or some other calamity befall the server, you should
install any new software titles on a "guinea pig" Power Macintosh PC that
is not part of the CCIC lab. This machine should not have the CCIC
protection scheme installed but it should be connected to PittNet.
Important: The prototype (guinea pig) PC should NOT have file
sharing enabled prior to installing any new software. This can be assured
by selecting the "File Sharing" command under the "Control Panels" option
under the Apple menu. In the "File Sharing" window, file sharing should
be listed as "off."
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On the prototype PC, take an inventory of the "Preferences" folder and the
"Extensions" folder. Both of these folders are located in the System
Folder. Before taking an inventory, note the exact time and date that
both of these folders were last modified. A good way to take an inventory
of the contents of these folders
is to open the folder, select the display to "View: as List" and then make
sure the list is sorted "by Name." Then select the "Print Window" command
under the Finder's File menu. With a hard copy of the inventory of
both the "Preferences" and the "Extensions" folder, you should be able
to tell what files have been added after the installation. If you are
only updating a single file or a series of files that you know exactly
where to place, you need not worry about this step. This step, however,
is extremely crucial if you are using a software company's installer
utility. Also, take a minute to write down the last date and time that
the PC's "Extensions" folder has been modified.
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Load the CD or the first floppy disk containing the new software and begin
the installation process. When the installation is finished and the PC
has restarted (if the installer required it) look on the hard drive of the
PC to locate the name of the folder containing the new application.
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Move the newly-created folder to the "Applications" folder of the
prototype PC. The Applications" folder should be on the main hard drive
directory just as any CCIC machine would have.
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Open the application folder and locate the application icon. Make an
alias of this file and place the alias on the desktop of the prototype.
Edit the name of the alias file so that " alias" is removed.
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Run the application by double clicking on the icon. Since this is the
first time the application has been run on the prototype machine, you may
be prompted for registration information. Have this information -
especially serial numbers - handy and enter it when prompted. Even if you
are not prompted
to register, this session with the application is your opportunity to set
default preferences for the application as it will run on all machines in
the CCIC. Even if you change nothing in how the application runs, you
need to open it at least once so that a preferences file is created.
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Exit from the application. This is where the process gets tricky. In
order to sucessfully transfer the installed application from the prototype
PC to the server image and all of the CCIC PCs, you have to determine
exactly what files were loaded on the PC. The most likely locations are
in a folder for the application that can be moved en masse to the
"Applications" folder on the server image, the "Preferences" folder in the
system folder and in the "Extensions" folder. Many applications write to
a
preference file once certain settings have been established. Therefore,
locating an application's preference file should be relatively easy by
using the "View: as list" command and then setting the "Arrange" command
to "By date modified." A recently created of modified preference file
should be at or near the top of the list.
Looking for extensions and/or libraries that have loaded can be more
difficult since Macintosh file names can be transferred via a copy
procedure without modifying the dates of any individual files. However,
any folders that files have been installed into should have a
modified date. So to make sure that an extension has been loaded to the
"Extensions" folder, keep careful track of the "Extensions" folder's
modification date before and after an install. If an extension existed
before and after the installation but has a different size and/or date,
keep track of this extension or extensions. Many applications will load
different, often newer versions of Macintosh system extensions in order to
assure that there software will run as expected. This is usually not a
problem except for the rare conflict that may occur between an updated
extension and another extension.
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Other applications (such as the Claris suite) use an entirely separate
folder within the system folder for settings and libraries. It is a good
idea to take a look at the contents of the system folder arranged by "Last
modification date" just to make sure that no files or folders have been
overlooked.
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Once you have identified all of the files that you think are part of the
software's successful installation, you may bebefit from trying an
experimental load of the software onto a second prototype (test) PC before
loading everything to the server for CCIC consumption. This is beneficial
since you can then interactively test the application and determine
whether it has all of the files that it needs to run. If it doesn't, many
applications will let you know which files are missing.
Before loading the new application's files on the test PC,
take note of any extensions that you know were replaced with newer
versions on the first protoype PC. Go onto the test PC and
move the old versions of
these extensions to someplace outside of the "Extensions" folder, just
in case a conflict arises and you need a copy of the old extension.
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You don't have to use MacAdmin to get software to the test PC. Just set
up file sharing on the test PC so that you can mount its hard drive from
the prototype PC. This can be done in several quick steps:
- Logout of the test PC's protection with the MacAdmin 1998 disk (if it
is protected).
- Select the "File Sharing" control panel from the Apple menu.
- The middle section of the "Start/Stop" index face of the window should
say "File Sharing Off" if file sharing is indeed off. Before
clicking the "Start" button, look up in the "Network Identity"
section. If all three fields are blank, enter "ccic" as the owner
name, am easily remembered password in the "Owner Password" field and
some name in the "Computer Name" field. Recommended choices for the
"Computer Name" field are the "CCICM" name used by MacAdmin or the
old proper name that the machine used to go by. It does not matter
since this field cannot change the PC's MacAdmin identity. If all
three of these files are filled in, change the password from the
protected dots, which you may not know, to a new password that you
can remember. You can then click the "Start". If file sharing is listed as
"On," and you know the PC's password, then you
can close the window without doing anything.
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Close the "File Sharing" window and click ONCE on the icon for the
PC's hard drive. With the hard drive icon darkened, select the "Sharing"
command under the main Finder's File menu. Make sure that the box
next to "Share this item and its contents" is checked. The "Owner"
should be listed as "ccic." Click on the "Copy" button next to "Copy these
priveleges..." When it asks you if you are sure, click on "Copy" again.
Setting the priveleges will take a few seconds.
Close the "Hard Drive" sharing window when it becomes available.
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At this point, the PC is accessible via AppleTalk. Move to the
prototype PC.
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Select the Chooser
and click on the "AppleShare" icon in the upper left corner. When that is
darkened, move the "AppleTalk Zone" pointer so that "SCHED" is visible"
and click on the line for it once. If you are using a PC in the CCIC lab
as a test machine, look for the "FORBES QUAD" zone and click on it once.
- The PC's "Computer Name" should be visible in the "Select a file
server" window. Click on the line for the PC and click the "OK" button.
- When prompted, enter the "Owner Name" and password that you
established a few steps back and click "OK."
- Make sure that "Hard Drive" is highlighted under "Select the items
you
want to use" and click the "OK" button.
- This should place an icon for the test PC's hard drive on the
desktop
of the prototype PC. You can move files over using standard Macintosh
drag-copy techniques.
- If you are using a lab PC for the test PC, make sure to turn file
sharing "off" before returning the PC to general lab use.
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One point of evaluation to keep in mind is the overall size of the
software that you will be loading in relation to the amount of space
available on the smallest of the CCIC hard drives. One way to calcualte
the size of the application is to load all of the files into one temporary
folder and then click once on the folder and select the "Get Info" command
under the File menu.
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When you are ready to load the software to the server, keep in mind what
time of day it is and any classes scheduled to use the CCIC class area.
Remember, any software that you add to the image will load automatically
to any machine that restarts in the lab. The best time to move over
software files is later in the day when a class is not meeting.
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Moving software to the PC running MacAdmin involves using AppleShare to
mount the hard drive of "Frippery" in the "SCHED" AppleTalk zone. The
password for the PC should be accessible in the server room or attached to
the PC itself. Loading should be from the prototype PC or the test PC,
whichever was working better.
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Move the software and all associated files to the server. If the software
is part of the base
(minimal) image, move the application folder to the "Applications" folder
under "Common Files" and the extensions and preferences to the
"Extensions" or "Preferences" folder within the system folder of
"Common Files." Please note that some library files may also need to
go into the extensions folder. Software
that should go on all PCs other than the small hard drives should be
loaded to the "Applications" and respective "Extensions" and
"Preferences" folders that are located within the "Standard PCs" folder in
the "Machine Groups" folder. Accordingly, software designated for a
smaller machine group should be copied to folders within the appropriate
folder within the "Machine Groups" folder.
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Once the software and all the associated files are on the server, any PC
that re-starts will (via the Common Restore MacAdministrator agent)
receive all of the files before presenting a usable desktop. Common
Restore can also be set to initiate automatically to any PCs on in the
middle of the night or some other time when the lab is closed. This
however, only seems to work for 25% of the PCs when it is tried with all
of the PCs on. One
solution is to have a lab consultant re-start one fourth of the PCs two
hours prior to closing, another fourth an a hour prior to closing, a
fourth
before leaving and then letting the timed "Common Restore" take care of
the remaining fourth overnight. NOTE: new software should never be
attempted to load if there is an early class scheduled for the lab the
next morning since there is too much risk that the machines will be hung
up trying to load software while an instructor is stuck trying to
illustrate something with no available PCs. Therefore, insist on at least
48 hours notice for new software installations for any classes.
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The last step involves going onto the MacAdmin PC and setting file sharing
on any new folders that are appearing for the first time on the server PC.
This can be done quite easily:
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Sit down at the MacAdmin PC and bring up the Finder (you can't do this
from within MacAdmin).
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Open up the "MacAdministrator" folder and then the "MacAdmin Server"
folder so that the "Network Files" folder is visible in the window.
- Click once on the "Network Files" folder so it is highlighted.
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Select the "Sharing" command from the Finder's File menu.
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In the ensuing windows for "Network Files," click on the "Copy" button
next to "Copy these priveleges to all enclosed folders." The window
should already indicate that "Agent Access is listed as a "User/Group" and
"ccic"
as the owner. Both should have an eyeglass and pencil icon under the
"Privilege" indicating full read/write access. "Share this item and its
contents" should be checked.
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Click "Copy" again when asked if you are sure.