Problem:

Want to know how it's done?

Resolution:

Server/Client Install Process

As system administrator, you can install this product onto a

server and then allow your users (clients) to use Setup to

install from there instead of from the Installation CD.

Installing onto the Server

To install onto the server, run Setup with /server as a command

line parameter.  You cannot use Autorun - you must run Setup

explicitly.  Although you can run Setup on some other machine and

install remotely onto the server, it's advisable to run on the

server itself.

To install Mainframe Express Standard Edition, run:

r:\\setup\\setup.exe /ini=r:\\setup\\mxsetup.ini /server

where r is the drive containing the Installation CD.

Similarly, to install Mainframe Express Enterprise Edition, run:

r:\\setup\\setup.exe /ini=r:\\setup\\mssetup.ini /server

If you omit the /ini parameter, it defaults to

r:\\setup\\mssetup.ini, and so you get Mainframe Express Enterprise

Edition:

r:\\setup\\setup.exe /server

Setup will run as normal, but with one extra option, Client

Install Support, that must be installed - it is the Setup that

the client users will run.

Apart from this, you can install whichever options you want.  If

an option has sub-options, remember to install all the

sub-options you want your client users to be able to install.

Once installed, the product will run normally on the server (or,

if you installed remotely onto the server, on the machine where

you ran setup).

So that your users can install this product, create a share to

the installation directory on the server.  For example, if you

installed to d:\\install-dir, you should share d:\\install-dir.

Related Topics

Running the Client Install Configuration Utility

After running setup /server you should run the Client Install

Configuration utility on the server (or the machine where you ran

setup/server) to specify how you want the product on your client

users' machines configured.

To run this utility, click Start > Programs > Product >

Configuration > Client Install.

For details on using this utility and what can be configured, see

the utility's own Help.

Users Installing from the Server

Give the following instructions to your client users installing

this product from your server:

They should install by running setup.exe in the cinstall

subdirectory within the directory where you installed the

product.  They will need to specify the share where it is.  The

default is \\\\server\\share.  You could instead create another

share that points directly to the cinstall subdirectory and

install by running setup.exe without specifying this path.

Your client users can install any of the options that you made

available when you configured as above.

When they enter the location on the server machine from where the

options can be installed they can enter a NET USEd or mapped

drive, or a UNCpath.  With a Client Lite Installation, UNC paths

are preferable, as the NETUSEd or mapped drive may not be there

after a reboot, which means the product would be inaccessible.

Note:  If your users use Client Lite Installations, bear in mind

the load placed on your network and server by multiple clients

accessing large files across the network.  You could consider

installing onto more than one server and splitting the users into

groups using different servers.