End Users downloading Packages
Hello,
Is there a way to have a repository for end users to go and download packages created from PDQ Deploy?
An example of this would be Portal Manager from Ivanti (LANDesk). Portal Manager allows end users to open the application and download software already placed there for them to download. If a user requests software, we can then easily deploy it to their Portal Manager for them to download wheenver.
Is this something that can be built or maybe a future feature built into either PDQ Deploy or Inventory? It would be nice for end users to download the software themselves without us having to download it for them or deploy it remotely. If we can somehow make it available to them to download, I think it would be beneficial.
-Brandon
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Comments
Personal Note:
Giving end users the ability to install applications on every PC without control is a nightmare.
Keep in mind, every installed application needs updates and at the end you have many "one time" used applications on PCs who are slowing down the overall process.
Licence Note:
If every end user can install Software out of the box from PDQ Deploy, you need a least the Enterprise SL (Server License).
Solution:
If the cost for the Enterprise SL (Server License) is no Problem, then you can build your own Website with powershell/cmd install scripts for your applications.
https://documentation.pdq.com/PDQDeploy/10.2.0.0/index.html?deploy-cli.htm
https://www.pdq.com/blog/mdt-imaging-in-pdq-deploy/
A licencefree solution is Autohotkey.
If the setup supports silent install, you can compile a .exe with admin credentials inside. Copy the command line from PDQ Deploy and edit the path to the exe/msi
Example: Paint Net
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RunAs, youradminaccount, yourpassword
run, msiexec.exe /i "\\path_to_Repository\Paint.NET\Paint.NET\PaintDotNet_x86-4.0.21.msi" ALLUSERS=1 /qn /norestart /log output.log CHECKFORUPDATES=0 DESKTOPSHORTCUT=0
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After compiling the script to a .exe, every user can use the exe to install paint.net on his PC.
If you kick off a powershell/cmd that points to PDQ Deploy, we are back to the licence question above.
This may sound a little bit extreme, but is it possible to build a GUI where when a user (or administrator) runs a program, it brings up a GUI and gives you a list of options (packages) to choose from to download.
I was thinking about having it so when a user runs the program, it brings up a list of packages to choose from to download. When the user chooses the package, the program will confirm they want to download it, and when the user says yes, it then runs the script to run the package to the deployed computer.
Barring the licensing concerns, of course it's possible. In probably less than 2 hours with Powershell or C#
I'm actually trying to tackle this exact situation.
I'm browsing the Deploy database, and I *think* I've got the relationships that I need figured out, but I wanted to get some extra eyes on it if I could.
The Deployments table contains the DeploymentId. I can then lookup the DeploymentComputerId from DeploymentComputers, and get the steps executed from the DeploymentComputerSteps table.
Each step in the DeploymentComputerSteps table contains a ReturnCode, which for the job I'm monitoring is either 0, or NULL. Does anyone know of a single place where the success/failure of the deployment is stored, or do I need to process each step and calculate the final status?
I hope this makes sense. I've been poking at this off and on all day, and I'm getting tired.
Looking forward to any input. Thanks a ton!
Wayne