If you plan to install PREDATOR on many computers, you don't have to perform a manual installation and configure each PC.
You can deploy the software in one step:
- typing a few commands on each computer (semi-automated installation)
- or using a Software Distribution tool like WDS and LANDesk (fully automated installation)
1. Customize your settings
- Install the software manually on a PC and configure it. Its settings (Password, Preferences and Schedule) will be replicated to your target computers.
2. Prepare the template folder
- Create a folder in a network share that will be accessible to your target computers. Name it as you like.
In the next examples, we named it predator_template_x64 and we used the network share P: - Extract the contents of the PREDATOR installation (.zip) file that you have downloaded into this folder
- Export the settings and (optionally) the schedule of the user who installed PREDATOR in the PC configured above into this folder, and name them custom_settings.dat and custom_schedule.dat
- Copy your License file (.hex) into this folder and rename it license.hex
- Copy the *.bat files from the folder C:\Program Files\Predator3\Commands\Setup into this folder
Finally, your template folder should contain the following files:
Directory of P:\predator_template_x64 07/10/2014 15:48 2 194 autoinstall.bat 28/09/2014 10:47 285 autouninstall.bat 01/10/2014 16:47 68 custom_schedule.dat 07/10/2014 14:03 5 174 custom_settings.dat 07/10/2014 17:11 428 032 InstallPredator.exe 07/04/2014 09:04 464 license.hex 07/10/2014 17:11 3 401 728 PredatorPackage.msi 7 File(s) 3 837 945 bytes
If you are not using the scheduler, the file custom_schedule.dat will be omitted.
Files date and size may differ, depending of which version you are installing.
Files date and size may differ, depending of which version you are installing.
3. Perform semi-automated installations
- On each target computer, open a Command Prompt window as an Administrator (google "Start a Command Prompt as an Administrator" to learn how to)
- Make the template folder your working directory and run these commands:
C:> P: P:> cd \predator_template_x64 P:> autouninstall P:> autoinstall
- Notice: the autouninstall command is required only if an older version of PREDATOR is already installed in the target computer
- After a few seconds, PREDATOR will be installed and configured on the target computer.
- Every user which will run PREDATOR for the first time will be simply prompted to register their flash drive. All other settings will be replicated from custom_settings.dat and custom_schedule.dat.
4. Perform fully automated installations
- The exact procedure depends of the Distribution Software you are actually using
- Create a distribution package containing the template folder defined in paragraph 2 and run these commands:
C:> P: P:> cd \predator_template_x64 P:> autouninstall P:> autoinstall /q P:> C:
- Notice: the /q option which enforces a silent installation: no UAC dialog, no progress bar, no error dialog boxes
- Notice: the autouninstall command is required only if an older version of PREDATOR is already installed in the target computer
- Run this distribution package as Administrator