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Altiris

RapidInstall
version 3.0 Release Notes

July 17, 2001 Altiris Product Marketing

Release Notes: Altiris RapidInstall 3.0

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RapidInstall 3.0 Release Notes
RapidInstall lets you easily create a compressed, self-contained, and self-extracting executable (.exe) file called a RapidInstall Package (or "RIP"). RapidInstall captures changes that occur on a PC when youinstall an application or make configuration changes. RapidInstall captures these changes and builds them into a RIP. You can customize a RIP to include or exclude particular files, drives, directories, and registry settings as you see fit. Packages can then be run on client PCs, which makes installation much easier and faster. It also makes managing new application installations a snap. Because aRIP does not require a network connection or special client software to run, you can distribute it however you like: attach it to an E-mail, put it on a CD-ROM, or store it on the network to easily distribute software, update settings, or recover lost data! Documentation To view Altiris product documentation, use Adobe Acrobat Reader 3.0 or later. The latest version is available for download fromhttp://www.adobe.com/prodindex/acrobat/readstep.html.

New In This Release
Variables RapidInstall 3.0 now supports variables. Variables offer much more flexibility for RapidInstall packages by providing a mechanism for gathering information and changing the RIP behavior at runtime. RapidInstall supports built-in variables, environment variables, input variables and query variables. Variablescan be used in registry keys, registry value names and values, directories, LNK files, INI files, config.sys, and autoexec.bat. Variables are either fully qualified (root) or relative. RIP to MSI Migration Wizard The RIP to MSI Migration Wizard converts RapidInstall version 3.0 RIPs to Microsoft’s Windows Installer (MSI) format. For more information on the benefits of Windows Installer, seeMicrosoft’s Windows Installer white paper, available for download from http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/techinfo/howitworks/management/installer.asp. Conflict Checker The RapidInstall Conflict Checker compares the internal consistency of one or two RIPs and logs all possible conflicts. Possible conflicts include registry type and data mismatches, as well as file folder and version conflicts. SimulatedInstall -si command line If you want to simulate the install to determine what potential problems you may have before actually installing the RIP, you can use the -si command line. This runs the RIP without making changes to the system, and creates a verbose log that flags possible deployment problems.

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Ability to add deleted items Youcan now add deleted items to a RIP straight through the editor, without having to scan for them. This includes registry keys, directories, registry values and files. Fix Undo naming convention RapidInstall now names the undo files according the name of the RIP. If the item already exists we add a counter to the end of the name of the file. Dependency resolution When building a RIP, the RIPcreation wizard will check for the statically linked dependencies of files added to the RIP. This will help in adding files that may have already been on the machine and not replaced by the install but are needed to successfully install the RIP (see the best practices information on building RIPs). RIP options in Wizard All of the available options for a RIP are included in the RIP creation wizard.Create RIP Report You can now generate a text file listing the contents of the RIP. Added a log file verbosity command line. If you want more information about what the RIP did to the PC, you can use the -vb: switch to control the amount of information logged. You can specify 0 for no logging, up to 4 for verbose logging. Removed the -rp command line (Replace Path). The variable feature has replaced...