Boss Everyware \ Docs \ Monitoring multiple computers \ Deploying the loggers


 
 

Using the deployment package to deploy the loggers

To install the Logger on a number of computers easily and silently, use the Logger deployment package.

Logger deployment package is a single program file, which incorporates a setup utility, the logger executable files and configuration settings. Once launched, by hand or from a script, it installs and configures the Logger without showing any messages to the user.

How to use:

1 Create your deployment package

First, open the Logger Configuration tool and set up the options as you want them to be used as configuration for installed Loggers. Then click Make deployment package and save your package into a file. We will use be3dep.exe in further examples. The Logger deployment package is created.

2 Deploy Logger with the package

Copy the created package to a network share and run it on every computer you want to monitor:

  • to install the logger permanently for all users of the computer, run the package in the context of an administrator's account. Use Run as administrator on Windows Vista and later. The monitoring begins at the next user logon.
  • to monitor only a specific user, run the package within the user's session with the /u switch:

    f:\bossew\be3dep.exe /u

    This way the logger is always installed into a folder in the user profile and starts monitoring immediately. To monitor each session, use the option Run with Windows, or schedule the package to run every time the user logs in (recommended for Terminal Services).

    Important: This user-level deployment mode is also activated when the deployment package is running in the context of a user who does not have administrative credentials, even if there was no /u switch specified.

    This mode is recommended for use on Windows Vista and later with the UAC turned on. If a computer has both administrator- and user-level deployed loggers, the administrator's has higher priority and always runs.

Do not forget that monitored users must have modify or write-only permissions to the log file folder.

Installing over an existing logger: deployment package can be installed over an existing copy of the logger. Use the same type of installation: a user-type one will have no effect when installed over an administrator-installed copy. If the existing copy is password-protected, specify the password when running the deployment package using the /q parameter, like

f:\bossew\be3dep.exe /qMyPass

where MyPass is the password defined for the existing copy.

Deployment diagnostic: to get more information about how Logger has been installed, set the package to create a setup log. Specify a log file pathname just after the command-line parameter /v , e.g.

f:\bossew\be3dep.exe /vf:\bossew\logs\be3dep.txt

where be3dep.exe is the name of the Logger deployment package, and be3dep.txt is the setup log. Setup log is not overwritten by subsequent installations, so you can use the one single setup log for all your Logger installations on different computers.

Remote deployment: to run the deployment package remotely, you may consider using psexec.exe. Psexec.exe is a well-known free remote execution tool made by Sysinternals, recently acquired by Microsoft.

See also:
External configuration files
Uninstalling a deployed logger
Getting Started - Part 2. Monitoring usage of multiple computers

 
 

Boss Everyware \ Docs \ Monitoring multiple computers \ Deploying the loggers