Deploy Office 365

[jsira7]

Hi Doug,

In deploying O365 to our enterprise, here’s the following command I will be using:

“\\server01\install\Office365-SCCM\setup.exe” /configure “\\server01\install\Office365-SCCM\configuration.xml”

I can’t determine where to run this in Batch Patch. Would it be:
– Execute remote process/command
– Execute local process/command
– Deploy software/patch/script/regkey etc

I know the command works as I installed a trial version of PDQ Deploy to test it. Just unsure where to plug it into Batch Patch.

[doug]

You likely have a couple of different options:

1. BatchPatch Deployment:

*The file deploy will be set to point to \\server01\install\Office365-SCCM\setup.exe

*The parameters will then be set to the relative not absolute path of the configuration.xml file
like this: /configure configuration.xml
not like this /configure “\\server01\install\Office365-SCCM\configuration.xml”

*The ‘Copy entire directory’ box will be checked/ticked

*When this deployment executes, BatchPatch will then copy the entire Office365-SCCM to the target computer, and then BatchPatch will execute the setup.exe on the target computer, and the configuration.xml file will be in that same Office365-SCCM directory, so it will be found without specifying an absolute path to the server location. In this case the deployment can be run under the ‘SYSTEM’ execution context (see ‘Tools > Settings > Remote Execution’

————————————-

2. It might be possible to run your command as-is ( “\\server01\install\Office365-SCCM\setup.exe” /configure “\\server01\install\Office365-SCCM\configuration.xml” ) inside of a BatchPatch remote command. However, before you even attempt it, make sure your remote execution context is set to ‘Elevated token’. And if you are using the current/latest version of PsExec v2.33, then you’ll need to also have the ‘Interactive’ box checked/ticked. See ‘Tools > Settings > Remote Execution’.

In a BatchPatch remote command, you should first try remote command 1/2. If no luck, you can also try 3/4. They work a bit differently under the hood, so there are some cases where one can work where the other can’t.

[doug]

FYI regarding absolute vs relative paths: https://batchpatch.com/deploying-a-script-with-relative-instead-of-absolute-paths

[jsira7]

Perfect. Thanks Doug. I’ll test and report back

[jsira7]

For option 2 I have made sure Elevated Token is selected. I am not using the current version of PsExec. The one of the Batch Server is v2.20. I noticed that the Interactive is ticked for the first 3 options in Remote Execution Context, but not the 4th. Should I change anything?

[doug]

First, you should upgrade to v2.33 of psexec. It mitigates a potential pipe squatting attack. BatchPatch popped a message about this in the latest version, so you would have been notified but perhaps just closed the message quickly without realizing. Or maybe you didn’t update your BatchPatch to the latest yet.

Second, we have gone back and forth on what is the best default setting for all four of those values, and we have changed it a couple of times. Right now I would suggest putting them all on ‘SYSTEM.’ And then if you have a specific need to change one (or more of them), then do that as needed. Deployments will obey the ‘Deployment’ setting. Remote process/command (1/2) will obey the ‘Remote process/command’ setting. Remote process/command (3/4) logged output will obey the ‘Remote process/command logged output setting.

[jsira7]

Hi Doug,

Just reporting back that the first option (Deploy software) worked like a charm. Thanks so much for you help. Next question, can Batch Patch uninstall previous versions of Office? The plan would be to create a Job queue with uninstalling previous versions of Office and then installing Office 365.

[doug]

Yeah it would be a similar thing… you need the uninstall command for the particular app. And then you can execute that command with BatchPatch.

[jsira7]

Quick question…

“And if you are using the current/latest version of PsExec v2.33, then you’ll need to also have the ‘Interactive’ box checked/ticked. See ‘Tools > Settings > Remote Execution’.”

Are you referring to the Deployment option under Remote Execution Context? This one is the only not checked where everything else under this is.

[doug]

The ‘Remote Execution Context’ setting is divided into 4 subsections:

**Get information (user-defined commands)
**Remote process/command
**Remote process/command (logged output)
**Deployment

Each of the above 4 settings applies to that particular type of command. That is, the ‘Deployment’ section of ‘Remote Execution Context’ applies to when you execute a BatchPatch deployment that you have created. The ‘Remote process/command (logged output)’ section of ‘Remote Execution Context’ applies to when you execute a ‘Remote process/command (logged output)’ that you have created. And so on.

Starting with PsExec v2.33, ‘Elevated token’ will *only* work when ‘Interactive’ is also checked/ticked. SYSTEM does not require ‘Interactive’ to be checked/ticked.

[Author]

Posts