Autodesk NavisWorks NavisWorks - 2014 Installation Manual

Chapter 1 Autodesk Installation Overview and FAQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

What's New in the 2014 Installation Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Installation Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Prepare for Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Select Install Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Change Product Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Specify License . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Configure and Install . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Activate Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Create Deployment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Frequently Asked Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

What if I have lost my serial number or product key? . . . . . . . . 8

Why do I need to activate a product after installation? . . . . . . . 8

Can I install Autodesk products from a website? . . . . . . . . . . 8

How does a trial license work in a product suite or bundle?

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

How do I change my license type? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Where can I find product license information after

installation? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

After installation, how can I change product configuration,

repair, or uninstall the product? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Chapter 2 Autodesk Network Administrator's Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Network Administration and Deployment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

What's New in the 2014 Network Administrator's Guide . . . . . 11

About Deployments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Language Pack Deployment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Check Deployment Readiness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Ensure .NET 3.5 Support for Windows 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Determine the Installation Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Determine the License Server Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Configure Individual Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Include Additional Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Include Service Packs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Create a Network Share . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Create a Deployment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Create a Combined 32- and 64-bit Deployment . . . . . . . . . . 22

Modify a Deployment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Direct Users to the Administrative Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Uninstall Deployed Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Alternative Distribution Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Overview of Distribution Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Batch Files for Deployments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Group Policies for Deployments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Microsoft SCCM for Deployments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Imaging Software for Deployments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Installation Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Licensing Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Deployment and Networking Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Uninstall and Maintenance Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Chapter 3 Autodesk Licensing Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

What's New in the 2014 Licensing Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

License Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Activation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Simplified Licensing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Stand-Alone Licensing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Introduction to Stand-Alone Licenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Multi-Seat Stand-Alone License . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Manage Your Stand-Alone License . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Transfer Your Stand-Alone License . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Troubleshoot a Stand-Alone License Error . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Network Licensing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Planning Your Network Licensing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Understanding Your Network License . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Running the Network License Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

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Using Other Features of Network Licensing . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Frequently Asked Questions about Network Licensing . . . . . . 102

Chapter 4 Autodesk Navisworks 2014 Installation Supplement . . . . . . 105

System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

About Language Packs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

Uninstalling Language Packs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

File Exporters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

Autodesk Navisworks Uninstall Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Contents | iii

Autodesk Installation Overview and FAQ

What's New in the 2014 Installation Guide

The Installation Overview and FAQ is now part of a consolidated Installation Help online document that includes the Network Administrator's Guide, Licensing Guide, and product-specific supplements. This new structure is expected to be easier to use and to maintain.

The product installers now also install an Autodesk Uninstall Tool that makes it much easier to uninstall a suite or several products in a single operation. You can read more about the Uninstall Tool in this FAQ topic (page 9).

Installation Overview

The following diagram shows the major parts of the installation process:

Further details are provided in the following sections.

Prepare for Installation

Before starting to install, check the following details:

■ Confirm that your computer meets the minimum system requirements.

If in doubt, click System Requirements at the bottom of the installer screen.

■ Find the certified and recommended computer hardware for the products

or suites you are planning to install. For more information, go to

www.autodesk.com/hardware.

■ Review product documentation to clarify details such as the type of

installation to do (stand-alone or network) and which products to install. Documentation is accessible from links on the lower left corner of the installer:

■ Ensure that your user name has Administrator permissions to install

applications on the computer or network.

■ Obtain serial numbers and product keys for all products you want to install.

These are on the product package or provided at the time you download the software.

■ When you are ready to run the installer, close all running applications.

Windows 8 and the .NET 3.5 Requirement

Some Autodesk products require Microsoft DirectX, which, in turn, requires the Microsoft .NET Framework. But Windows 8 has enforced restrictions on installing .NET 3.5 and earlier versions from local media. Therefore, Autodesk products require Internet access so that Windows updates can install or enable the .NET Framework.

If the Autodesk installer is unable to install .NET 3.5 or an earlier version on Windows 8, the following message appears:

An Internet connection is required to install a Windows component. Please connect and re-launch the installer.

The .NET installation is prevented by any of the following conditions:

■ An Internet connection is not available during installation.

■ The computer is configured to use Windows Server Update Services (WSUS)

instead of Windows Update.

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■ The Windows 8 update for Microsoft Security Advisory ( 2749655) is not

installed.

If any of these conditions cannot be resolved, then the System Administrator or user must manually enable .NET 3.5 on each Windows 8 computer before running the Autodesk installer. For more information and procedures, see the following MSDN article.

Select Install Type

Here is some basic information to help you choose the right path.

■ Install is recommended for individual users or small groups. The key

point is that you will repeat the installation process on each computer. This is the only valid installation type for a stand-alone license, but it can also be used with a multi-seat stand-alone or network license.

■ Create Deployment is recommended for network administrators, using

either a multi-seat stand-alone or network license. In the deployment process, the installation is configured once, stored on the network, and then distributed efficiently to users' computers.

For more information on deployments, see Create Deployment (page 7) or the Network Administrator's Guide.

■ Install Tools & Utilities is used to install tools and utilities related to

your suite or product. If you have a network license for your Autodesk product, you will need to use this option to install the Network License Manager before any users can run the product. Consult the documentation for your suite or product to identify the available tools and utilities of interest.

Select Installer Language

On the first screen of the installer, you can select the language for the installer screens, using this control on the upper right:

For some Autodesk products, later in the install process you can select the language for installed products. For more information, see Change Product

Language (page 4).

Installation Overview | 3

Change Product Language

IMPORTANT This topic does not apply to Autodesk products that provide each

language version on separate media. For these products, you must specify the product language when purchasing, and cannot change it.

For some Autodesk products, such as AutoCAD, you can select the product language at the time of installation, using this drop-down menu on the installer:

Language Selection Menu

If the language you want is not on this menu, your available options vary by Autodesk product. Some products, such as Inventor, use language packs to support additional languages.

These conditions apply to language selection:

■ Each suite installation uses a single language. If you need to install one or

more products in a different language, that requires a separate installation.

■ All deployments must be in a single language. One administrative image

can support deployments for different languages, but each deployment is for one language.

■ If you are installing multiple products and select a language that is not

supported by some products, these products use a default language.

■ After you leave the Product Information page of the installer, the menu

for selecting a language or adding a language pack is disabled. If you later decide to change the language or add a language pack, you cannot go back to the Product Information page and use the menu. Instead, you must cancel the installation, start the installer again, and then make the correct language selection on the Product Information page.

About Language Packs

A language pack is a software module that can be added to an Autodesk product to change the language used throughout the user interface and the documentation. A single instance of the product software can support multiple languages by adding language packs. Each language pack is matched to a

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specific Autodesk product, and includes an installer. You must install the Autodesk product before installing a language pack. Each installed language pack creates a separate icon on the Windows Start menu, such as "Inventor French (Francais)" that you can use to start the product in that language. Depending on your product, language packs may be available on the installation media or from a website.

A language pack installer provides an option to create a language pack deployment for a particular product. The language pack deployment can be installed on multiple computers, after the related product is installed, to add another language version.

Specify License

The following notes provide a general overview. For more detailed information, see the Licensing Guide for your product.

License Types

You can install most Autodesk products for a trial period of 30 days to evaluate the product. If you purchase a license, it is configured as either stand-alone or network, and for a specific number of users. These license types are briefly described as follows:

■ A stand-alone license is intended for use by one person. The licensed

products can be installed on two computers, as long as both instances are not running concurrently.

■ A multi-seat stand-alone license is intended to support a specified

maximum number of users, but it can be installed on a larger number of computers for convenient access.

■ A network license supports a specified number of users who are

connected to a network. The Network License Manager is installed on one or more servers on the network to manage the distribution of licenses to users.

Network License Server Models

If you are using a network license, choose the server configuration for the Network License Manager that was specified at the time of license purchase:

■ Single License Server

One server manages all licenses on the network.

■ Distributed License Server

Installation Overview | 5

Licenses are distributed across a pool of multiple servers in the network. You enter the name of each server in the pool.

■ Redundant License Server

Three servers are available to authenticate each license. You enter the names of the three servers.

Configure and Install

Installation Path

This path specifies where the product folder will be installed. If you change the location, use only valid ASCII characters in the install path.

Configuration

Most products have a number of configuration settings. On the Install > Configure Installation page, for any product you have selected to install, you see a triangular control for access to a configuration panel:

Click anywhere in the product box to open the configuration panel. For many products, you can select an installation type, either Typical to accept the default configuration settings, or Custom to review the settings and decide whether to modify them. More information on the configuration settings for your product may exist in a product supplement to Installation Help. After you have configured the settings as required, click the triangle to close the configuration panel.

Activate Products

When you run an Autodesk product for the first time, the activation process verifies that your license is valid, and associates the license with your computer. If it is connected to the Internet, your computer can communicate directly with Autodesk to complete the activation process.

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If your computer is disconnected from the Internet, you will see a website address where you can activate a product later when you are connected. Record the website address, product name, serial number, product key, and request code. You will need to enter this data on a web page to activate the product. For more information on activation, go to Autodesk Licensing and select the FAQ link.

Create Deployment

If you want to install Autodesk products on multiple computers using an efficient process, create a deployment.

Administrative Image

The deployment process creates an administrative image, which is a set of installation files that are used to install a consistent configuration of programs on each computer. Other settings:

■ Administrative image path. Specify a shared network location where

you have Full Control permissions. Users will go to this path to install the programs.

■ Target platform. Select either 32-bit or 64-bit to match the operating

system of the computers that will use the deployment.

■ Include only products required by this deployment

configuration. If selected, the deployment cannot be modified in the future to include additional products. If unselected, the administrative image will include all possible products, and the deployment can be modified in the future in any way.

Installation Settings

■ Silent mode runs the installation in background, without user input.

IMPORTANT In silent mode, the user's computer can restart automatically and without warning when the installation is complete.

■ A log file records installation data for each computer.

■ A network log file keeps a central record of installation data for all

computers that run the deployment. It has the same name as your deployment, and must reside in a shared folder where users have Change permissions, so that their computers can write to the log file.

Installation Overview | 7

Frequently Asked Questions

For advice and assistance with topics not covered here, go to Autodesk Support, click your product name, and search in the Knowledgebase for your product.

What if I have lost my serial number or product key?

Check your product packaging or purchase records, if available, or contact

Autodesk Customer Service for assistance.

Why do I need to activate a product after installation?

Activation verifies for Autodesk and for you as a license holder that your Autodesk product is installed on an eligible computer. The activation process improves license security and management. For example, it ensures that a multi-seat license is not in use by more than the authorized number of users.

Can I install Autodesk products from a website?

Several Autodesk websites are being set up to support product downloads, including Subscription, Education, eStore, My Account, and the Trial site. On each site where downloads have been implemented, you have a choice of several download methods to suit different requirements. If you want to install products directly on your computer, use the Install Now option. If you want to download the files to install products later, or to create a deployment, Download Manager is recommended, or you can use Browser Download. More details are provided on the download websites.

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How does a trial license work in a product suite or bundle?

A single trial period, usually 30 days, applies to all Autodesk products in the suite or bundle. When the first product is started, the trial period begins for all products. If the user does not activate one of the products before the trial period ends, access to all of the products is denied. After the trial period ends, the user can restore access to the products by entering an activation code.

How do I change my license type?

If you are running a product installer and simply entered the wrong license type (network or stand-alone) by mistake, use the Back button to return to the Product Information dialog, and change the license type.

If you want to change the license type for an installed product, contact your Autodesk reseller or license supplier to review any business requirements and to obtain the new license and serial number. Then uninstall your product and run a new install to change the license type and enter the new serial number.

For Media & Entertainment products 3ds Max, Maya, MotionBuilder, Mudbox, and Softimage, a procedure is available for switching a stand-alone license to a network license. Instructions are provided in the supplements for these products in Autodesk Installation Help.

Where can I find product license information after installation?

Select Help menu ➤ About, or About [Product Name]. If your product uses

InfoCenter, that is where you can find the Help menu.

After installation, how can I change product configuration, repair, or uninstall the product?

To uninstall several products or an entire suite, it is recommended that you use the Autodesk Uninstall Tool, which you can launch from the list of products on your computer.

Frequently Asked Questions | 9

Access to the list varies by version of Windows:

■ Windows 7 or XP: Click Start menu ➤ All Programs.

■ Windows 8: Right-click Start screen ➤ All Apps.

In the tool window, select the products to be uninstalled. If uninstalling one of your selected products would prevent another product from operating correctly, you will see a warning message about also uninstalling the related products. The Uninstall Tool does not uninstall service packs or locally installed Help files.

Some uninstall operations are best done for individual products rather than from the Uninstall Tool. An example is uninstalling a product without removing the related language packs. Product-specific operations are explained in the following procedure.

1 Go to the Windows control panel:

■ Windows XP: Click Start menu ➤ Settings ➤ Control Panel ➤ Add

or Remove Programs.

■ Windows 7: click Start menu ➤ Control Panel ➤ Programs/Uninstall

a Program.

■ Windows 8: right-click Start screen ➤ All Apps ➤ Control Panel.

2 In Windows control panel, click the product name, and then click

Uninstall/Change (Windows 7 or 8) or Change/Remove (Windows XP).

The Installer opens in maintenance mode, and directs you through the process.

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Autodesk Network Administrator's Guide

Network Administration and Deployment

What's New in the 2014 Network Administrator's Guide

The Network Administrator's Guide is now part of a consolidated Installation Help online document that includes the Installation Overview and FAQ, Licensing Guide, and product-specific supplements. This new structure is expected to be easier to use and to maintain.

Other improvements are as follows:

■ Deployment path length validation. Deployments created on Windows

can exceed the maximum path length for the operating system, especially if they are nested deeply within a directory structure. To reduce the chances of exceeding this limit, Autodesk shortened many of the deployment directory names, and implemented a path length check that alerts the user if a path is too long, and by how many characters.

■ Combined 32- and 64-bit deployments. For networks that include both

32- and 64-bit computers, network administrators can create a combined deployment that will determine the computer type and automatically install the matching product versions. For more information, see Create a Combined

32- and 64-bit Deployment (page 22).

■ Including additional software in deployments. When you select the

Autodesk products to include in a deployment, you can also include third-party products, add-ins from the App Store, language packs, and other

.MSI or .EXE packages. For more information, see Include Additional

Software (page 17).

■ Scripted uninstall file. Each deployment now includes a batch file that

you can use to automatically uninstall all or part of a deployment. For more information, see Uninstall Deployed Products (page 24).

About Deployments

A deployment provides an efficient way to install one or more Autodesk products with a standard configuration on multiple computers. The files required for the installation process are stored on the network, in an administrative image, in a folder to which all users have shared access. To install the products, users navigate to the deployment folder and double-click an installer shortcut (.LNK file).

NOTE The installer referenced in this guide applies only to Windows operating systems. However, some of the concepts and procedures may apply to Autodesk products on Linux or Mac OS X networks.

Some essential facts about deployments:

■ Deployments can be created for network licenses or multi-seat stand-alone

licenses.

■ Multiple deployments with different configurations can exist in the same

folder, sharing the same administrative image.

■ Each deployment installs products in a single language. If you need to

install products in different languages, each language requires a separate deployment. For products that support language packs, you can include additional language packs with a deployment.

■ An existing deployment can form the basis for creating another deployment

with a different configuration.

■ Deployments can be configured to generate a log file for each installation.

Network administrators can use these log files for troubleshooting.

■ Each deployment creates a subfolder, <deployment name>\SMS_SCCM scripts,

which contains two documents to help you with the distribution of deployments using Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS) and System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM): SMS_SCCM_ReadMe.txt and <deployment name>_SCCM.txt. The SMS_SCCM scripts folder also contains two files to help you create a batch file to automate the uninstallation of

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some or all of the products in a deployment. The two files are <deployment name>_Uninstall.txt and Product_Uninstall_ReadMe.txt.

Language Pack Deployment

Some Autodesk products, such as Inventor and Revit, can use separate language packs to add one or more additional language versions to an installed product. Each language pack provides user-interface strings, message text, and documentation in a specific language, without duplicating the product software. To distribute a specific language version to multiple instances of an Autodesk product, you can use the installer included with each language pack to create a language pack deployment. If you need to deploy language packs for multiple languages or multiple products, you can create a batch file to install a series of language packs on each computer.

Check Deployment Readiness

This checklist identifies preliminary tasks to complete, information to gather, and decisions to make before creating a network deployment.

TIP To review deployment settings, including details of product configuration, you can create a test deployment. After the learning process, you can delete the test deployment.

Deployment Checklist

Review the system requirements by clicking the System Requirements link in the installer. Confirm that your network, servers, and client computers meet these system requirements.

Understand the general process for installing the type of license you have purchased. For a network license deployment, know the license server name(s), and the type of license server model that was specified at the time of license purchase.

Install and activate any network administrator tools and utilities. For example, if you are using a network license, install the Network License Manager from the installer.

Network Administration and Deployment | 13

Deployment Checklist

For any Windows 8 computers, ensure that the Microsoft .NET 3.5 Framework can be installed, or manually enable it before deployment.

Locate your product serial number and product key. These are found on the outside of the product packaging, or in an email message if you downloaded your product or upgrade from Autodesk.

Identify a network location for deployments, and create a shared folder to contain deployments.

If your product has language options, decide which language to use for each deployment.

NOTE Languages can be included when you initially create a deployment, or when you create a new deployment configuration, but not when you modify a deployment.

Determine whether to create log files on individual computers, in the deployment folder, or both.

Determine whether to run installations in silent mode.

NOTE When products are installed in silent mode, the user's system can automatically reboot without warning when the installation is complete.

Identify other configuration options to set, such as defined search paths, locations of support files, and whether to automatically install service packs.

Ensure .NET 3.5 Support for Windows 8

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If the Autodesk installer is unable to install .NET 3.5 or an earlier version on Windows 8, the following message appears:

An Internet connection is required to install a Windows component. Please connect and re-launch the installer.

The .NET installation is prevented by any of the following conditions:

■ An Internet connection is not available during installation.

■ The computer is configured to use Windows Server Update Services (WSUS)

instead of Windows Update.

■ The Windows 8 update for Microsoft Security Advisory ( 2749655) is not

installed.

Determine the Installation Type

When setting up your deployment, you specify the installation type by target platform and license type.

Target Platform

Specify either a 32-bit or 64-bit platform, depending on the operating system of the computers that will use the deployment. For some Autodesk products, you can install a 32-bit version on a 64-bit operating system. For more information, consult product-specific documentation.

License Type

Specify one of the following license types in the installer, based on the type of license you purchased:

Network License With this license type, you install the product to computers on a network, along with the files and registry entries that allow the product to communicate with the Network License Manager (NLM) on one or more servers. You also define the NLM configuration. When an Autodesk product starts up on a client computer, it requests a license from NLM, then returns it when the product is stopped. Computers running the product based on a network installation do not require individual activation.

Network Administration and Deployment | 15

A major advantage of a network license is that you can install the product on more systems than the number of licenses you have purchased (for example, purchase 25 licenses, but install on 40 computers). At any one time, the product runs on the maximum number of computers for which you have licenses, so you get true floating licenses.

Stand-Alone License This license type is for multi-seat stand-alone installations where a single serial number and product key are used to install products on multiple computers. With this license type you do not use NLM to manage product licensing. Instead, installation, registration, and activation occur on each computer. After the first computer activates the multi-seat stand-alone serial number and product key, activation occurs automatically for all other computers using this deployment, as long as they are connected to the Internet.

Determine the License Server Model

If you choose the Network License option, you need to know which license server model will be used to distribute the product licenses. The model was specified as one of the following when the license was purchased:

■ Single license server model. The Network License Manager (NLM) is

installed on a single server, so license management and activity is restricted to this server. A single license file records the total number of licenses available on the server.

■ Distributed license server model. Licenses are distributed across more

than one server. A unique license file is required for each server. To create a distributed license server, you must run NLM on each server that is part of the distributed server pool.

■ Redundant license server model. Three servers are available to

authenticate each license. With this configuration, licenses continue to be monitored and issued as long as at least two servers are functional. The license file on all three servers is the same, and you must run NLM on each server.

For more information, see Understanding License Server Models (page 61) in the Licensing Guide.

Configure Individual Products

When you create a deployment, you can accept the default settings for any product you choose to install, or you can configure these settings to create a

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custom deployment. Configuration details for different products are covered in product supplements to Installation Help. It is recommended that you review these supplements, and determine the right settings for each product in your deployment.

To configure product settings, on the Create Deployment page of the installer, ensure that the product is selected for installation, and then click the product in the scrolling list. The configuration panel opens.

IMPORTANT The configuration settings you choose apply to every instance of the product installed from the deployment. After the deployment is created, these settings can be changed only by modifying the deployment.

Most products allow you to choose an installation type, either Typical to select the most common options, or Custom to review options in more detail.

Some other common product settings are as follows:

■ User preferences for product behavior

■ Installation of support files, such as material libraries

■ Access to online resources

Include Additional Software

When you create a deployment, at the end of the product list in the installer you see an option to include additional software in your image.

This is used for installing language packs, components from apps.ex-

change.autodesk.com, or other third-party software. The additional software

must be packaged in a self-extracting executable (.EXE) or .MSI format. This option should not be used to install Vault or other Autodesk products. When you choose this option, you use a table to manage the additional software.

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Before creating a deployment, store any additional software in a single location that is easy to find. To add software to a deployment, click Add, browse to the file location, and then click the file. The file name and path are added to the management table. Buttons for deleting files and moving them up or down in the list become active when the table contains at least two files. Horizontal and vertical scroll bars are added when the table extends beyond the window.

Include Service Packs

Most products provide the option to include service packs in a deployment. You can download a service pack from autodesk.com, or use a service pack stored on a local hard drive or network location. In either case, the service pack will be applied after installation of the main product.

If you select the Install Service Pack from autodesk.com button, the service pack will be automatically downloaded and you will not need to extract the MSP file.

You can add multiple service packs to a deployment only if the service packs are locally stored, not if you are downloading them from autodesk.com.

NOTE If the deployment process for the main product is canceled or fails, the service pack installation will automatically be canceled.

Two options are available for including service packs in deployments:

■ Append the Service Pack onto the Deployment. When you append

a service pack, the service pack is applied to the current deployment only. Multiple service packs can be appended to a deployment. The service pack file is included in the deployment and the service pack is applied after the product is deployed.

■ Merge the Service Pack into the Administrative Image MSI File.

With this option, the service pack is merged into the administrative image.

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Once merged, a service pack cannot be removed from the administrative image.

To extract a Microsoft Installer Patch (MSP) file from a service pack

1 Download the service pack from the Support site for your product.

2 Review the service pack Readme file for information about patch usage.

3 Open a Windows command prompt and enter the patch file name

followed by the /e switch and a target file name. Here is the general command format:

<local_drive:>\<patch_name>.exe /e

<local_drive:>\<patch_name>.msp

Here is an example:

C:\ProductSP1.exe /e ./ProductSP1.msp

where ProductSP1.exe is the name of the downloaded patch and ProductSP1.msp is the name of the extracted file. Using ‘./’ in front of the

extraction file name places the extracted file in the same folder as the original executable. The “e” command line switch extracts the MSP file from the executable.

To include a service pack with the deployment

To include a service pack with a deployment, the MSP file must be extracted from the downloaded service pack executable.

1 On the Include Service Packs page, click the Browse button.

2 In the Open dialog box, locate the service pack you want to include with

the deployment.

3 Select the MSP file and click Open.

4 Specify whether you want to append the service pack to the deployment

or merge the service pack into the administrative image.

5 Click Next.

Create a Network Share

After you have fully prepared for creating a deployment, you are ready to set up and distribute Autodesk products from a shared network location. A network share is an installation folder to which all users' computers have access. You create deployments in the network share, and point users to this location to

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install the program. Any subfolders inside a network shared folder are automatically shared.

IMPORTANT If your deployment folder is nested inside a series of subfolders, you risk exceeding the path length limit set by the Windows operating system. Avoid this possibility by placing your deployments in a location at or near the top directory of the drive, such as \\serverXX\Deployments.

If you select the option to create a network log file, then during installation, the user's computer writes an entry to the log file in the network share. Therefore, this option requires that users have read-write access to the network share.

You can create a deployment folder on a network share as part of the process of creating the deployment. If you plan to create several deployments of the same product or suite, configured for different user groups, then these deployments can share the same administrative image, and the shortcuts can reside in the same folder. However, if you plan to create deployments of different products or suites, it is recommended that you create separate product folders on the network share before starting to create deployments.

For more information on how to create a network share, see the documentation for your operating system.

Create a Deployment

Use this procedure to create a new deployment from the installer. In the process, you can create a default deployment by accepting the default configuration of each installed product, or you can create a custom deployment by customizing the configuration settings of one or more products in the deployment.

To create a deployment

1 Close all running applications on your computer.

2 Start the installer.

3 On the first page, if language choices are available, select a language for

the deployment instructions, and then click Create Deployment.

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4 On the Configure <name> page, Administrative Image section, specify

the following data:

a Enter a descriptive name for the deployment that identifies the

user group, platform, or other attribute to differentiate this deployment from others.

b Enter the path or browse to the shared network folder where you

want to create and store your administrative image.

Users install the program from this location.

c Select either 32-bit or 64-bit for the target operating system.

d Choose whether to include only the products required by this

configuration.

■ If selected, the deployment cannot be modified in future to

include additional products.

■ If unselected, the administrative image will include all possible

products, so the current deployment can be modified in any way.

5 In the Installation Settings section, select one or more of these

options:

■ Silent mode runs the installation in background, without prompting

the user for any input.

NOTE Silent mode can automatically restart the user's computer without warning after installation.

■ Log file on each workstation can enable users to review and

troubleshoot their own installations.

■ Network log file in a central location supports the network

administrator in reviewing data for all installations.

NOTE The network log file must be in a shared folder where users of the deployment have read-write access. Otherwise, log data for user installations cannot be written to the log file.

6 Review and accept the Autodesk software license agreement.

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7 On the Product Information page, select your license type, and enter

your serial number and product key. If this data is valid, green check marks appear.

8 If you are sure that the product information is correct, click Next.

9 On the Create Deployment Configuration page, select the products to

include in the deployment.

10 If you need to configure settings for a product, click the product name

to open the configuration panel where you can review and change settings.

Configuration settings vary widely by product. For more information, see the Installation Help supplement for the product.

11 Click Create to create the deployment.

After the deployment is created, the Deployment Configuration Complete page opens, showing the path to the new deployment and a link for registering products online.

12 After you have finished using this screen, click Finish.

Create a Combined 32- and 64-bit Deployment

If you are deploying products on a network that includes both 32- and 64-bit computers, consider creating a combined deployment that detects the computer type and delivers the matching deployment. You must first create separate 32- and 64-bit deployments before you create the combined deployment.

IMPORTANT Before starting this procedure, ensure that all products in the deployment support 32-bit operating systems.

To create a combined deployment

1 Create separate 32- and 64-bit deployments from the product installers

and store them in the same deployment folder. Include either '32' or '64' in the deployment name to clearly designate the type.

2 In the deployment Tools folder, double-click the CombineDeploy.exe

tool.

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3 In the tool panel, browse to the 32- and 64-bit deployments, and then

enter a descriptive name for the combined deployment.

The combined deployment is saved in the same folder as the 32- and 64-bit deployments.

Modify a Deployment

Inside each deployment folder is a Tools folder that contains a shortcut (.LNK file) named Create & Modify a Deployment. You can use this shortcut to

■ Create a new deployment configuration

■ Create a new deployment configuration that uses an existing deployment

as a template

■ Modify the configuration of an existing deployment

The installer pages guide you through the process, similar to when creating an original deployment. If your original administrative image was set to include only products required by the deployment configuration, then your options for creating or modifying the deployment are limited. In particular, you cannot add products to the deployment that are not in the original administrative image. Conversely, if your original administrative image was not set to include only the required products, then it includes all product files. As a result, you can add products when you modify this deployment or when you create new deployment configurations.

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To modify a deployment

1 Open the shared network folder that contains the deployment.

2 In the Tools folder, double-click the Create & Modify a Deployment

shortcut.

The installer opens at the Modify Deployment page.

3 Click through the deployment configuration pages, and select the

required options.

4 Click Create Deployment.

Direct Users to the Administrative Image

After you have created the deployment, users can install the program using the shortcut (.LNK file) located in the deployment folder with the administrative image. The shortcut name matches the deployment name that you specified when creating the deployment. Notify users of the shortcut name and location. Instruct them to double-click the shortcut to start the installation. If the deployment uses silent mode, advise users to keep other applications closed during the installation, because their computers might restart automatically after products are installed.

Uninstall Deployed Products

Each deployment includes a batch file that you can use to automate the uninstallation of some or all of the products in the deployment. Along with the file there is a text document that explains how to customize the batch file for your use. The files are located in the <deployment name>\SMS_SCCM scripts folder, and the file names are as follows:

■ <deployment name>_Uninstall.txt

■ Product_Uninstall_ReadMe.txt

In summary, the process involves converting the .TXT file to a .BAT file with ANSI encoding, and then uncommenting a number of lines in the file, removing the :: characters at the beginning of the ::call :funcUninstall command line for each product that you want to uninstall.

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Alternative Distribution Methods

Overview of Distribution Methods

In addition to standard deployments, you can use the following alternative methods of distributing Autodesk programs on Windows platforms:

■ Batch files

■ Group Policy Objects (GPOs)

■ Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM)

■ Imaging software

Each method is described in a separate set of topics in this guide:

■ Batch Files for Deployments (page 25)

■ Group Policies for Deployments (page 28)

■ Microsoft SCCM for Deployments (page 34)

■ Imaging Software for Deployments (page 39)

Batch Files for Deployments

A batch file executes a set of commands. Installation batch files are useful for installation of stand-alone or network licensed programs on computers that are connected to a network. These files are also useful for installing service packs, extensions, and object enablers on a network.

The batch file consists of one or more commands, as well as command switches that specify options, and flags that modify the options. An installation script also contains path names.

An installation script points to the location of the product's setup.exe file. You must point to the setup.exe file on your installation media or network location.

In order for your Autodesk product to run properly, you must have Administrator permissions on the computer where the program is being installed.

Alternative Distribution Methods | 25

Sample Installation Batch Files

The sample batch files in this section install AutoCAD in typical configurations for stand-alone or network licensed versions. To make it easy to copy this sample batch file and substitute your own information, the same names are used throughout for variables.

Notes

<mediaDriveLetter> is the drive letter where the media is mounted or the setup.exe file is stored

Install options used here include /t (setup is executed by script) and /qb (display a basic user interface). Others such as /w (log nonfatal warnings) are defined for Microsoft Msiexec command line, and documented on the MS TechNet website.

<SerialPrefix> is the first 3 digits of the serial number

<SerialPostfix> is the last 8 digits of the serial number

<ProdKey> is the Product Key

<lang> is the IETF language tag, for example en-US for English-United States

<eula_lang> is the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 standard for the country for example US = United States

Stand-Alone License

<mediaDriveLetter>\setup.exe /t /qb /language <lang> /c ACAD: INSTALLDIR="%programFiles%\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2014" ACADSERIALPREFIX=<SerialPrefix>ACADSERIALNUMBER=<SerialPostfix>

ADLM_PRODKEY=<ProdKey> ADLM_EULA_COUNTRY=<eula_lang> InstallLevel=5

Example: C:\setup.exe /t /qb /language en-us /c ACAD: INSTALLDIR="%programFiles%\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2014" ACADSERIALPREFIX=123 ACADSERIALNUMBER=12345678 ADLM_PRODKEY=001E1 ADLM_EULA_COUNTRY=US InstallLevel=5

Single Network License

<mediaDriveLetter>\setup.exe /t /qb /language <lang> /c ACAD: INSTALLDIR="%programFiles%\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2014"

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