Post-Installation Tasks › How to Run Agents from Source on Windows

How to Run Agents from Source on Windows

Client Automation allows the Windows Asset Management, Software Delivery, and Remote Control agent components to be executed from an MSI administrative network share installation point. This specific functionality is called run-from-source. If an agent has been installed in run-from-source mode, the program executable is loaded and executed from that administrative network share installation point. Configuration files, log files, and so on, are stored on the local disk.

The common CAM and CAWIN components currently must always be installed locally.

After installing an agent in run-from-source mode, the agent system must be rebooted.

To set up an environment to install agents in run-from-source mode

1. Create an MSI administrative installation point.

   Use the interactive installation wizard to go to the WindowsProductFiles_x86 folder and call setup.exe /a. This creates an installation point for the complete product and all of its components.

   If you want to perform the agent installation silently or to install an agent component only, go to one of the agent folders under WindowsProductFiles_x86 and execute the following command:

   msiexec /a msipackagename /qn /v*l %temp%\ITRMAdminAgt.log"
   

   Note: If you want to use the msiexec command for several agent packages, make sure that you use the same root folder for all the agents.

2. Create a network share for the administrative installation point you just created (unless you already have one). You must configure this as a null session share.
3. Install the MSI package from the administrative network share installation point.

   At the target computer where you would like to install the agent in run-from-source mode, you can execute the following command:

   msiexec /i \\servernode\adminshare\msipackagename ADDSOURCE=ALL AGENT_SERVER=servername CAF_START_SERVICE=0 /qn /v*l %temp%\DSMSetupRFS.log
   

   This installs the agent silently.

You can also set up an environment to install agents in run-from-source mode using the custom installation option in the installation wizard. Start the installation wizard using an UNC path, \\server node\MSI admin share\setup.exe, follow the custom installation dialog boxes, and configure each agent you want to run from source.

Note: If the administrative network share is hosted by a Windows 2003 Server, you may need to add the agent’s machine account to the Windows 2003 Server’s Administrators group.