Deploying DeepFreeze from PDQDeploy
My company uses a software called DeepFreeze from Faronics. We use this on computers that are essentially designed to be simple kiosk workstations.
I'm looking to find a way to deploy this software onto a freshly imaged computer for initial deployment. This installer does have a silent option. However, it requires the computer to be rebooted immediately after installation. Once the computer returns from the reboot, its in a "Frozen" state. I can configure my DeepFreeze installation to interact with some command line access, which would allow me send commands to reboot the machine back into it's "Thawed" mode. But I don't think a PDQDeploy package would wait for the reboot to occur in order for the next scripted step to work, would it?
Ideally, I would want the following procedure automated: install DeepFreeze, let the computer perform its mandatory reboot into "Frozen" mode. Next, send commands to tell the computer to reboot again into "Thawed" mode. And finally continue with a few more packages, which require DeepFreeze to be installed before continuing.
Has anyone found a way to deploy this software in this manner before? Or does anyone have any insight, perhaps?
Comments
I have used DeepFreeze about 10 years ago but have never tried deploying with PDQ.
Have you tried adding the sleep/wait step to the package? Lets say it takes 2 minutes for your machines to reboot, give it another minute as buffer so 3 minute wait. This isn't perfect but it would probably work as expected.
If you use a Reboot step instead of having the installer reboot the target then PDQ will wait for the computer to finish rebooting before moving to the next step.
Gah, I completely overlooked the "sleep" setup. I think that should achieve exactly what I'm looking for. After the sleep step, I should be able to send the commands to reboot the computer into "Thawed" mode, and continue on with the dependent software installs.
Thanks!
Mine just keeps looking like it's still running. So I just look for it to show up in the Deep Freeze console. Once it does, I just abort in PDQ Deploy and I'm good to go.
Anyone provide further advice on deploying Deep Freeze?
I have a Deep Freeze seed executable file prepared and using the /INSTALL parameter in PDQ using the "Install" step.
Deep Freeze will install and similar to Brent Green, I can see it show up in our Deep Freeze console.
PDQ Deploy on the other hand shows failed with "...DF.exe returned no error code"
Anyone have it working successfully or have an error code that will make this work properly with PDQ Deploy?
Here's the deal with Deep Freeze Seed. It HAS to reboot the machine to successfully complete the install and put the machine into a Frozen state. It is showing up in the console after that reboot successfully happens. There is no way to suppress that reboot during the installation that I am aware of, unless they have added it in a version later than 8.33.
Because of this reboot step the PDQ Deploy Runner does not successfully close the connection back to the Deploy Console, and it will rather eventually Fail, or need to be manually aborted.
Ideally you'd want to see a command line switch added that allows you to suppress the immediate reboot from the Seed installation, and shift that to a Reboot Step in PDQ Deploy, which will shift responsibility to PDQ, and you'll see successful Deployment after the service reconnects.
Hey Stephen,
Actually came across your article/post - http://www.adminarsenal.com/admin-arsenal-blog/deploying-to-computers-frozen-with-deep-freeze/
and seeing Brent Green having the same issue as myself....I let it fail and move on.
Thought original op (Thomas Ingham) had a working solution......so sparked up this thread again hoping someone might have further insight.
Alas not. Also using v8.33.xx
Oh well. Thanks for confirming.
I have returned!
Unfortunately, with no good news. As Brent Green mentioned, my deployment will still look like its running, even though the computer has already rebooted at that point in the Deep Freeze install, and is now sitting in Windows again, now with a newly installed frozen-mode enabled Deep Freeze. So, I'll manually need to kill the deployment instead of letting it wait to timeout so I can finish installing the rest of my applications in a timely manner.
Hahaha.....
and so you have.... almost a year later! Had some hopes!
Thanks for coming by and confirming Thomas. Well, at least I can put this to rest.
All,
I am doing this very request for our Library computers. I also have the DF tasks run but throws one of a couple errors, but it does work. I install DF, reboot thawed, install apps and reboot frozen. Every once in awhile the command frozen/thawed steps will run forever and don't move on unless I abort/re-deploy, but that is like 1 in 20 times (have not figured out why that occurs).
Install Client:
Install step - DFWks.exe /install
Boot thawed:
Command step - DFC.exe yourcommandlinepassword /bootthawed (I am including path to dfc under Files field)
Boot frozen:
Command step - DFC.exe yourcommandlinepassword /bootthawed (I am including path to dfc under Files field)