Difference between revisions of "Test Area"

Latest revision as of 15:46, 19 December 2012

Self Service advertisements in Microsoft's SCCM allow us to provide users on Microsoft Windows PCs with the ability to install software at their own convenience. In nearly all cases, these installs will be completely automated and so will require no user input or interaction aside from starting the software install. This guide is intended to walk a user through the steps of locating and running Self Service advertisements on their machine with the Software Center.

NOTES:

Administrator access is not required to run Self Service advertised installs.
Many of these installs have been set to run completely silent in order to reduce unnecessary interruption of your work. Please note, you will likely receive no alert or notification when an install finishes. Please be sure to confirm that your install has finished before logging out or restarting your machine.
Advertised installs can be performed while off-campus. However, downloads and installs will be the most reliable when your machine is connected to the on-campus network.
If your machine does not have the SCCM applets described on this page, or never lists or provides notifications of advertisements, there may be an issue with the SCCM client on your machine. Contact your department or college computer support department for assistance, and be sure to provide the name of your machine.
All screen images on this page are from Windows 7, but text and options should be the same for Windows 8 and Windows XP.
At this time, Windows 7 is the only version of Windows that is fully supported for Self Service advertisements. Windows 8 should be fully supported in early 2013. We cannot guarantee that all advertised programs will work properly with Windows XP.

Starting the SCCM Software Center

To open the Software Center, open the Start Menu, and go to All Programs > Microsoft System Center 2012 > Configuration Manager, then click on Software Center.
After the Software Center finishes loading, you should see the list of applications that have been advertised to your machine. An example view of the Software Center is provided in Figure 1 below.

Figure 1 - Software Center

Whether or not a program is advertised to your machine is the decision of your college or department computer support. Some softwares may not be available due to licensing restrictions or other reasons. You should contact your support personnel if you have questions or a request for a particular software to be advertised.
Please also note that you are not required to install a software that is advertised to your machine. Just as some softwares may not be advertised for varying reasons, others may be advertised that you do not need.

Searching for Advertisements

Search and the Top Section

The new Software Center contains a very useful Search field in the top right. The search will look for matches in the Name, Publisher, and Description fields, and in any Keywords set for an advertised package.
- To use it, simply type in the Search field. You can type in a software or manufacturer name, or even a version number.
- The search is not case-sensitive. So "microsoft" will work the same as "Microsoft".
The search bar is highlighted in Figure 2 below, which shows the top section of the Software Center.

Figure 2 - Top Section - Provides a search field

We strongly recommend that you make use of the Search to locate advertisements you wish to run.
The other options and tabs in this top section can be safely ignored at this time.

The Software List

The middle section of the Software Center lists the available advertisements on your machine. If you have utilized the Search field, it will display any advertisements that match your search.
Figure 3 below shows an example of the software list.
- Note that a Mozilla Firefox advertisement has been selected in this image.

Figure 3 - Middle Section - The list of available software

The "Name" and "Status" columns are the most important in this section.
- All advertisement names should include the software name, the manufacturer of the software, and the software version. Any other details are for internal use.
- The status for an advertisement will change when downloading, installing, and after completion. A finished advertisement should show either "Installed" if successful, or "Failed" if not.

Understanding and Running an Advertisement

Advertisement Details

The bottom section provides additional information about the advertisement you have selected.
Figure 4 below provides a view of this section.
- Note that this view is displaying information about the Mozilla Firefox advertisement selected in Figure 3.

Figure 4 - Bottom Section - Details about the selected advertisement

The important information to look for is:
1. Package Name: Again, all package names should include the software name, the manufacturer of the software, and the software version.
2. Status: Will start as Available, and will update as an advertisement is downloading, installing, and when finished.
  - When an advertisement is installing, you will see Installing.
  - If an advertisement succeeds, it will change to Installed.
  - If it fails, it will change to Failed. You will then be able to click on it to get additional details about the failure.
3. Requirements Section
  - Restart required: Unfortunately, this field is unreliable. Most advertisements should not require a restart. If one does, you *should* receive a notification of a required restart in your taskbar.
  - Download size: This is the size of the downloaded install files. It is not the amount of space required to install the program. Contact your college or departmental IT support if you are unsure if you have enough disk space.
  - Estimated time: The time required to install the program. This does not include the time required to download the install files. Older advertisements do not properly fill out this field. You can safely assume 1 hour for most installations.
4. Description: Additional details about the installation will go here, if provided by the administrator who creates the advertisement. Please note, not all advertisements will have any information here.
5. INSTALL: Click this button to run the advertisement. Your machine will begin downloading the installation files and will immediately start the installation once the download is finished.
  - If an install succeeds, this button will change to either REINSTALL or UNINSTALL. Please do not
  - If an install fails, this will change to RETRY.

Running an Advertised Install

Again, please note that you do not have to be an Administrator on the machine to run an advertised install. However, once installed, a software may require administrator privileges in order to use certain features.
Advertised installs can be performed from off-campus as well. However, downloading the installation files may take longer while off-campus, so please allow for extra time.
Select a software from the list and click INSTALL in the bottom right. Your computer will begin downloading the install media and will immediately begin the installation once the download is finished.
Do not log out or restart your machine while an advertised install is running.
If an install prompts you to restart as part of the process, please note that after Windows restarts, you must log back in for the advertised install to continue.
Again, please note that most installs may be completely silent. We recommend that you keep the Software Center open and periodically check the status of your selected install.

Additional details and troubleshooting

If the Software Center shows no advertisements available, your machine may not yet have checked in and received its assignments. To resolve this, wait 10-15 minutes and then check again.
If necessary, you can manually force your machine to check in (requires administrator privileges). To do so, go to Control Panel > System and Security > Configuration Manager, click on the Actions Tab, and initiate the "Machine Policy Retrieval and Evaluation Cycle" action.
The Software Center sometimes does not properly load the list of advertisements if you are running it while connected by Remote Desktop Connection. If you encounter issues while connected remotely, restart the machine and connect again, or wait until you are locally at the machine.
If a program fails to download or install, check the amount of free disk space on your C drive. It is good practice to keep at least 10-15% free disk space for Microsoft Windows.
If a silent install appears to have failed, restart your computer. If it is still missing, attempt the install one more time. If after that it still fails, click on the Failed status and note the error code. Then notify your computer support for assistance and provide them that error code along with any other useful information.
If you receive an error message either from the install or during the download process, or a software appears to have installed properly but is missing features or licensing information, contact your department or college computer support for assistance.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 __NOTOC__
-'''Be a Responsible Print Steward!'''
+Self Service advertisements in Microsoft's SCCM allow us to provide users on Microsoft Windows PCs with the ability to install software at their own convenience.  In nearly all cases, these installs will be completely automated and so will require no user input or interaction aside from starting the software install.  This guide is intended to walk a user through the steps of locating and running Self Service advertisements on their machine with the Software Center.
-We are not currently using print quotas but expect you to be conservative with your printing.
-* Print duplex whenever you can!
-* Use color printers responsibly!  Try not to use them for black&white prints only.
-* Consider whether you really need to print a document:
-** Share documents with co-workers via email, Google Docs, or shared network space,
-** Use screen previewers rather than throwing large draft documents at the printers,
-** Utilize document markup and comments features in modern document editing software.
-* Do not use printers for multiple copies. Please request a photo-copier allocation and use the photocopier if you need multiple copies of documents.
-* Use the high-capacity printer ([http://www.wolftech.ncsu.edu/support/support/Printing#Xerox_Printer_.2F_Copier DOLPHIN]) when you find you must print large-volume jobs (either very large documents or multiple copies).
-* If you find that a printer is running low on toner or having other problems, please notify us.
-* It costs the department between 4 and 8 cents per page for paper, toner, and other printer supplies (most of this cost is toner). Do help to keep our costs down.
-* Keep printing areas clean.  Bring used toner cartridges to WolfTech or the ECE Main Office to be returned, and throw used paper into the recycle bins.
+'''NOTES:'''
+* Administrator access is '''not''' required to run Self Service advertised installs.
+* Many of these installs have been set to run completely silent in order to reduce unnecessary interruption of your work.  Please note, you will likely receive no alert or notification when an install finishes.  Please be sure to confirm that your install has finished before logging out or restarting your machine.
+* Advertised installs can be performed while off-campus.  However, downloads and installs will be the most reliable when your machine is connected to the on-campus network.
+* If your machine does not have the SCCM applets described on this page, or never lists or provides notifications of advertisements, there may be an issue with the SCCM client on your machine.  Contact your department or college computer support department for assistance, and be sure to provide the name of your machine.
+* All screen images on this page are from Windows 7, but text and options should be the same for Windows 8 and Windows XP.
+* At this time, Windows 7 is the only version of Windows that is fully supported for Self Service advertisements.  Windows 8 should be fully supported in early 2013.  We cannot guarantee that all advertised programs will work properly with Windows XP.
-==<span style="color:red">Accessing Department Printers</span>==
-===From Windows===
+==<span style="color:blue">Starting the SCCM Software Center==
-* Adding printer to domained Windows machines
+* To open the Software Center, open the Start Menu, and go to All Programs > Microsoft System Center 2012 > Configuration Manager, then click on Software Center.
-** [[Adding a Printer Through Directory Search| Windows XP]]
+* After the Software Center finishes loading, you should see the list of applications that have been advertised to your machine.  An example view of the Software Center is provided in ''Figure 1'' below.
-** [[Add Printer to domained Windows 7| Windows 7]]
-* Adding printer to personal Windows machines
+<table align="center">
-** [[Adding a Printer Through Server and Printer Name| Windows XP]]
+<TR><TD>[[Image:SC_offer1.jpg|thumb|500px|'''Figure 1 - Software Center''']]</TD></TR>
-** [[Add Printer to personal Windows 7| Windows 7]]
+</table>
-===From Linux / Unix===
+* Whether or not a program is advertised to your machine is the decision of your college or department computer support.  Some softwares may not be available due to licensing restrictions or other reasons.  You should contact your support personnel if you have questions or a request for a particular software to be advertised.
+* Please also note that you are not required to install a software that is advertised to your machine.  Just as some softwares may not be advertised for varying reasons, others may be advertised that you do not need.
-<!--*[[RHEL Printer via SMB| Adding printer to RHEL using SMB '''(Recommended)''']]-->
-*[[Adding Printer to RHEL| Adding printer to RHEL using LPD]]
-For more information about printing within the ECE department, please visit the [http://www.eos.ncsu.edu/guide/printing.html Eos Printing Guide]. Once here, you can find explicit directions on printing from Unix/Linux printers.
+==<span style="color:blue">Searching for Advertisements==
-===From Macintosh===
+===Search and the Top Section===
-*[[Adding printer to OS X]]
+* The new Software Center contains a very useful Search field in the top right.  The search will look for matches in the Name, Publisher, and Description fields, and in any Keywords set for an advertised package.
-* Print drivers for specific models for Apple OS X typically must be downloaded and installed manually.  If you need assistance locating or installing a printer driver in OS X, contact WolfTech Support.
+** To use it, simply type in the Search field.  You can type in a software or manufacturer name, or even a version number.
+** The search is not case-sensitive.  So "microsoft" will work the same as "Microsoft".
+* The search bar is highlighted in ''Figure 2'' below, which shows the top section of the Software Center.
+<table align="center">
+<TR><TD>[[Image:SC_offer2.jpg|thumb|600px|'''Figure 2 - Top Section - Provides a search field''']]</TD></TR>
+</table>
-==<span style="color:red">Department Shared Printers</span>==
+* We '''strongly''' recommend that you make use of the Search to locate advertisements you wish to run.
+* The other options and tabs in this top section can be safely ignored at this time.
-A few centrally-located printers are provided to accommodate the various printing needs of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.  Physical locations, access, and recommended usage varies for these printers, so please review the following sections for more details.
-===General use Printers===
+===The Software List===
-DUSK and DAWN are Dell C3760dn Color Laserjet printers that are located in EB2 for general printing for all ECE faculty, staff, and graduate students.  These printers provide color and duplex printing capability for all users.
+* The middle section of the Software Center lists the available advertisements on your machine.  If you have utilized the Search field, it will display any advertisements that match your search.
+* ''Figure 3'' below shows an example of the software list.
+** Note that a Mozilla Firefox advertisement has been selected in this image.
-DUSK is located in the ECE Department mailroom in 3018 EB2, and DAWN is located in the Faculty Advising Office in 2116 EB2.
+<table align="center">
+<TR><TD>[[Image:SC_offer3.jpg|thumb|600px|'''Figure 3 - Middle Section - The list of available software''']]</TD></TR>
+</table>
-* Please use these printers responsibly.  If you must print large volume jobs, use the large volume printer located in the EB2 Mailroom (described in the section below).
+* The "Name" and "Status" columns are the most important in this section.
-* Please notify WolfTech of any issues or low toner warnings.
+** All advertisement names should include the software name, the manufacturer of the software, and the software version.  Any other details are for internal use.
-* '''Apple Users''':  When adding these printers to machines running Apple OS X, you must download and install the driver manually.  Dell's OS X driver for the C3760dn can be downloaded from [http://www.dell.com/support/drivers/us/en/RC964697/DriverDetails/DriverFileFormats/Product/dell-c3760dn?DriverId=W4TP6&FileId=2987721036&urlProductCode=False here].
+** The status for an advertisement will change when downloading, installing, and after completion.  A finished advertisement should show either "Installed" if successful, or "Failed" if not.
-===Large Volume Printer / Copier===
-Located in the ECE Department mailroom in 3018 EB2, DOLPHIN is a Xerox WorkCentre Pro 5675 that is capable of handling large print and copy jobs and features network printing and stapling/collating.  DOLPHIN is restricted to ECE faculty, staff, and research assistants (RAs) and is available via the ECE network print server.
+==<span style="color:blue">Understanding and Running an Advertisement==
-* '''Physical access to DOLPHIN is restricted to Faculty and Staff (as it's located in the mailroom).'''
+===Advertisement Details===
-In order to reduce costs, the Department encourages faculty and staff to make use of DOLPHIN for jobs that exceed 35 total sheets.  For technical assistance, please email [mailto:ecehelp@ncsu.edu?Subject=Request_for_assistance_on_DOLPHIN ecehelp@ncsu.edu].  For details and directions on how to add and make use of this department resource, please view the following pages:
+* The bottom section provides additional information about the advertisement you have selected.
+* ''Figure 4'' below provides a view of this section.
+** Note that this view is displaying information about the Mozilla Firefox advertisement selected in Figure 3.
-*[[Xerox Printing Guide for Windows]]
+<table align="center">
+<TR><TD>[[Image:SC_offer4.jpg|thumb|600px|'''Figure 4 - Bottom Section - Details about the selected advertisement''']]</TD></TR>
+</table>
-*[[Xerox Printing Guide for OS X]]
+* The important information to look for is:
+*# '''Package Name:'''  Again, all package names should include the software name, the manufacturer of the software, and the software version.
+*# '''Status:'''  Will start as ''Available'', and will update as an advertisement is downloading, installing, and when finished.
+*#* When an advertisement is installing, you will see ''Installing''.
+*#* If an advertisement succeeds, it will change to ''Installed''.
+*#* If it fails, it will change to ''Failed''.  You will then be able to click on it to get additional details about the failure.
+*# ''Requirements Section''
+*#* '''Restart required:'''  Unfortunately, this field is unreliable.  Most advertisements should not require a restart.  If one does, you *should* receive a notification of a required restart in your taskbar.
+*#* '''Download size:'''  This is the size of the downloaded install files.  It is not the amount of space required to install the program.  Contact your college or departmental IT support if you are unsure if you have enough disk space.
+*#* '''Estimated time:'''  The time required to install the program.  This does not include the time required to download the install files.  Older advertisements do not properly fill out this field.  You can safely assume 1 hour for most installations.
+*# '''Description:'''  Additional details about the installation will go here, if provided by the administrator who creates the advertisement.  Please note, not all advertisements will have any information here.
+*# '''INSTALL:'''  Click this button to run the advertisement.  Your machine will begin downloading the installation files and will immediately start the installation once the download is finished.
+*#* If an install succeeds, this button will change to either '''REINSTALL''' or '''UNINSTALL'''.  Please do not
+*#* If an install fails, this will change to '''RETRY'''.
-===Large Format Printer===
-Currently located in 3218 EB2, BLUEWHALE is a HP DesignJet 500 capable of printing posters, displays, and banners on 36" rolls.  Access is restricted to faculty, staff, and  at this time.  Graduate students will not have access, and will need to have their advisor print their posters; however, faculty may choose to appoint a student to have access to print out posters for their group.
+===Running an Advertised Install===
-For details and directions on how to add and make use of this department resource, please view the following pages:
+* Again, please note that you do not have to be an Administrator on the machine to run an advertised install.  ''However'', once installed, a software may require administrator privileges in order to use certain features.
+* Advertised installs can be performed from off-campus as well.  However, downloading the installation files may take longer while off-campus, so please allow for extra time.
+* Select a software from the list and click '''INSTALL''' in the bottom right.  Your computer will begin downloading the install media and will immediately begin the installation once the download is finished.
+* '''Do not''' log out or restart your machine while an advertised install is running.
+* If an install prompts you to restart as part of the process, please note that after Windows restarts, you must log back in for the advertised install to continue.
+* Again, '''please note''' that most installs may be completely silent.  We recommend that you keep the Software Center open and periodically check the status of your selected install.
-*[[Large Format Printing for Windows]]
-*[[Large Format Printing for OS X]]
+==<span style="color:blue">Additional details and troubleshooting==
-We also provide a [http://www.wolftech.ncsu.edu/files/poster_template_lf.ppt sample poster template], created by Dr. Doug Barlage, for printing research posters. It includes a number of suggestions for best practices in the printing of these posters.  Also, we have set up a Windows workstation next to the printer for you to use while printing your posters.  We '''strongly''' encourage you to use this station so that you are close enough to the printer to cancel documents that are printing incorrectly in order to save toner and paper.
+* If the Software Center shows no advertisements available, your machine may not yet have checked in and received its assignments.  To resolve this, wait 10-15 minutes and then check again.
+* If necessary, you can manually force your machine to check in (requires administrator privileges).  To do so, go to Control Panel > System and Security > Configuration Manager, click on the Actions Tab, and initiate the "Machine Policy Retrieval and Evaluation Cycle" action.
-For further assistance with printing, contact WolfTech Support.  Additional toner and paper is provided in the supply closet in 3218 and instructions are provided for loading new toner and paper.  If you need technical assistance with the printer, email [mailto:ecehelp@ncsu.edu?Subject=Request_for_BLUEWHALE_access/assistance ecehelp@ncsu.edu], or if an emergency, call the Wolftech workroom at 515-0124.
+* The Software Center sometimes does not properly load the list of advertisements if you are running it while connected by Remote Desktop Connection.  If you encounter issues while connected remotely, restart the machine and connect again, or wait until you are locally at the machine.
+* If a program fails to download or install, check the amount of free disk space on your C drive.  It is good practice to keep at least 10-15% free disk space for Microsoft Windows.
-<!--
+* If a silent install appears to have failed, restart your computer.  If it is still missing, attempt the install one more time.  If after that it still fails, click on the Failed status and note the error code.  Then notify your computer support for assistance and provide them that error code along with any other useful information.
-==Medium Format Printer==
+* If you receive an error message either from the install or during the download process, or a software appears to have installed properly but is missing features or licensing information, contact your department or college computer support for assistance.
-The department is investigating the purchase of a smaller poster printer. As a part of making that decision, Michael Steer has volunteered the use of his Epson Stylus Photo 1280.  We have purchased extra toners and 13.0" x 19.0" white glossy and non-glossy photo quality paper, and would like to hear your thoughts on whether you'd use such a printer for your research posters.
-We've attached a [[media:epson_poster_template.ppt| poster template]] for the printer.
-The printer will not be publically available as a part of this test. Please submit any print requests to Dr Steer ([mailto:mbs@ncsu.edu mbs@ncsu.edu]).
--->
-==<span style="color:red">WolfPrint</span>==
-A WolfPrint printer (eb2-1046-1) is available outside 1029 EB2.  Workstations are also available in that same area (more machines will be provided once additional power/network is installed in that location).
-WolfCopy has partnered with the Office of Information Technology to provide a service known as [http://print.ncsu.edu/ WolfPrint].  WolfCopy provides accounted printers for use in many public computing labs on campus and is responsible for the paper, toner, routine maintenance and repairs of these printers.  The 6 cent fee in Unity Labs and the 10 cent fee in the libraries for printing is used to offset maintenance and supply costs.  Full color printing is also available in select labs for $0.25 per page.  Funds will be now be drawn from your AllCampus Account.
-Also, WebPrint allows users to print from laptops or other personal computers.  WebPrint is a driver-less printing service that allows users to print by uploading documents from a Web browser, and can be accessed from [https://papercut.oit.ncsu.edu:9192/app here].  Please note, WolfPrint only accepts PDF files.  Additionally, if you wish to print from off-campus, you must first connect to the NCSU [https://vpn.ncsu.edu/ VPN Service].
-WolfPrint uses PaperCut's print solution for accounted printing.  PaperCut works by intercepting print jobs as they pass into a print queue and extracts job information such as page counts.  It calculates the cost of the print job and deducts the funds accordingly from your allcampus account.  For details on AllCampus accounts at NCSU, visit [http://onecard.ncsu.edu/allcampus-network/ their website].  To check your AllCampus balance, account activity, and deposit funds (students only, faculty and staff must use payroll deduction), visit [https://services.jsatech.com/index.php?cid=45 AllCampus Online].
-'''Additional Information about WolfPrint'''
-[http://print.ncsu.edu/ WolfPrint homepage]
-[http://oit.ncsu.edu/wolfprint/wolfprint-user-faqs WolfPrint User FAQ]
-[http://oit.ncsu.edu/wolfprint/wolfprint-user-faqs#pay Print Rates]