When you install a Configuration Manager 2007 International Client Pack (ICP) on a U.S. English site server, the client source files on the site server are updated. Clients access the site systems to download the client source files. Because the ICP has a version number higher than its corresponding U.S. English version, existing clients detect that an upgrade is available and download the ICP version of the client source files.

Apply the procedures and details that you have developed in other phases to your entire production system. Ideally, this is done using a staged, systematic plan with continual monitoring. Continual monitoring ensures that any missed problems are dealt with before they affect too many systems or users.

Monitoring the ICP Deployment

Monitoring your ICP deployment is important because you must ensure that the deployment proceeds successfully. If problems occur, you can quickly isolate them.

Monitoring ICP deployments is done using a combination of the status subsystem, log files, and relevant classes in the Configuration Manager 2007 site database, and hardware inventory. The following table lists items in the Configuration Manager 2007 console that are updated when each Configuration Manager 2007 component is upgraded, classes that reflect upgraded Configuration Manager 2007 components, and files that can be checked for the correct version number.

Updated items Update status indicators

Site version

To determine which version of the ICP is installed on a site server, check the version value of HKLM\Software\Microsoft\SMS\Setup in the registry of the site server. Also, the SMSsetup.log on the site server has an entry that displays the installation version of the ICP.

Note: the version information displayed in the Configuration Manager 2007 console and SMS_Site class Version property do not include ICP version information.

Management points

Language directories are created and contain language resource files (.mst) files.

Clients

Create a custom query and include the Client Version property from the System Resource class. Create a custom report and include the SMS_R_System class, ClientVersion property.

Client components

Click Configuration Manager in Control Panel. The version is displayed on the Components tab, in the Version column on each client.

Monitor the ICP deployment and answer the following questions:

  • Which sites have been upgraded?

  • What percentage of site servers have successfully upgraded?

  • What percentage of clients has successfully upgraded?

  • Which site servers were unsuccessful in the upgrade?

  • Which clients were unsuccessful in the upgrade?

You can use the Configuration Manager 2007 console to answer these questions, or you can prepare reports to provide these answers for you, as described in the "Planning to Monitor" section in Designing the International Client Pack (ICP) Deployment. From the reports that list unsuccessful server and client upgrades, you can see where you have problems that require further investigation. You can use the status messages at the site for the appropriate Configuration Manager 2007 components. You might also want to look at the log files for the relevant components, and randomly check the files on upgraded computers. These systems include the site server, management points, secondary sites, and clients. The frequency and depth at which you monitor the deployment will be based on several factors including the following:

  • How confident you are that the upgrade will succeed. Good testing and pilot testing, and past experience, will help to increase your confidence.

  • How sensitive users at the site are to problems.

  • How large or complex the site is, and how likely it is to encounter problems.

Installing the ICP

Installing the ICP involves implementing your deployment plan. The installation at each site proceeds automatically after you run the ICP setup program. However, if the installation affects many computers or more than one physical site, then consider whether you need to control the deployment in an automated fashion.

Automating the installation

If you have many sites, you might want to consider automating the site server ICP upgrade. The Icpsetup.exe has an /icpunattended switch that you can use to instruct the setup program to proceed without user interaction, though not silently. You can also install an ICP remotely by using an advertisement or by using Remote Control. You can also install an ICP remotely by using Courier Sender.

A package and advertisement can be created to install the ICP on your primary and secondary sites according to a schedule. If you include the ICP source files in your package, you can configure the package and advertisement as a typical software distribution.

When you automate the installation of ICPs, consider the following issues:

  • If you copy the ICP files to the site server or use the local CD drive, and use a package with no source files, you must create a batch file that calls Icpsetup.exe /icpunattended.

  • The ICP does not install on a server running Terminal Services unless you first change the user mode to install mode at the command prompt using change user /install. You might want to incorporate the command into a batch file. The server should be set back to its Terminal Service mode after running the ICP installation. However, you might want to do that after the ICP installation has been completed, and you have verified the installation was successful.

  • Even if an advertisement runs successfully on the site server, the ICP might not be installed correctly. You must still monitor the site servers, management points, and clients.

ICP setup command-line switch support

ICP Setup (ICPSetup.exe) supports the /icpunattended command-line switch. This switch allows ICP Setup to run without user intervention and is used to silently install ICPs on remote or local systems. Unattended installation is supported in the following scenarios:

  • Install English Configuration Manager 2007 and then install ICP from the CD to a primary or secondary site.

  • Install ICP silently by using an advertisement and program sent to a primary or secondary site system that has the ICP CD already in that system's disc drive.

  • Install ICP by remote controlling the targeted Configuration Manager 2007 site system, then run ICP Setup from the ICP CD in that system's disc drive.

  • Install ICP on a primary or secondary site silently by creating a Configuration Manager 2007 package containing the ICP CD files, create a program that uses the Icpsetup.exe / icpunattended switch, and then create an appropriate assigned and unattended advertisement.

  • Install ICP silently on a remote Configuration Manager 2007 primary or secondary site system by using a Courier Sender package.

Using Software Distribution

If you create a package for the ICP, you can reduce the size of the package by including only the \SMSSETUP folder contents.

Note
An incorrect status message is generated when ICPs are deployed with Configuration Manager 2007 software distribution. When you install an ICP with Configuration Manager 2007 software distribution, the status returned for that advertisement always states that the installation failed because Icpsetup.exe reports a non-zero status code. To verify whether the ICP installation has been properly installed, you can check the SMSsetup.log for the actual installation status.

Controlling the ICP installation

Installing a Configuration Manager 2007 ICP can cause considerable network traffic at large sites or in large organizations and might need to be controlled, because the software is copied to a large number of servers and clients. The load on servers can also be heavy. These effects also occur if your network links are slow.

The following table lists methods that you can use to control the deployment of Configuration Manager 2007 service packs to the Configuration Manager 2007 components.

Upgraded Configuration Manager 2007 component Method of control

Site server (primary or secondary)

Manually, or by a scheduled advertisement

Secondary site server (optional)

Manually, or by a scheduled job

See Also