using the Package Builder - Community - LANDesk

As a package contains files, registry keys, and other configuration items, it isimportant to build a package on the same platform to which it will be installed.For example, building a package on a Windows* XP operating system and theninstalling that package to a Windows 98 operating system will probably fail.Library files, registry keys and directory structures are different on theseoperating systems and may cause improper installation or functionality of theresulting application installation.The package also includes engine files that manage the package installation onthe target. The main installation engine is INST32.EXE.The PB Wizard uses snapshot technologyto take a ‘picture’ of the PB workstationbefore the installation of an application, andcompares that pre-installation snapshot to apost-installation snapshot to discover whatchanged on the workstation during theapplication installation. These changes are captured in a configuration (.CFG)file and then, when the package is built, all files that are referenced in theconfiguration file are copied into the package, along with the configuration fileitself. The configuration file is then used during package installation to list thechanges that must be made to the target workstation.A package does not have to consist of an application, such as Microsoft Word,but can simply be a collection of files, several registry changes, printer driverupdates, or specific desktop configuration changes that must be delivered to adistributed group of workstations.The PB contains an extensive scripting language that can be manipulatedmanually. These commands can be inserted into a snapshot packageconfiguration file, after the PB wizard iscomplete, or by opening the PB itself,without the wizard, and creating a newpackage configuration script.When a package is built, the .CFG scriptfile, the installation engine and all filesidentified by the Package Builder Wizard are compressed and wrapped into onestand-alone .EXE file. This file can be executed locally on a machine as any.EXE file can, or it can be scheduled to multiple workstations using the Schedulerin LANDesk® Management Suite.PACKAGE BUILDER COMMANDS AND OPTIONSThe Package Builder commands are grouped into the following categories:Building Successful Packages - 6 - v1.0