How to Deploy Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 in Office 2007

A server-based network is required to run SCCM.

Microsoft's System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) allows network administrators and information technology (IT) managers "to comprehensively assess, deploy, and update your servers, clients, and devices across physical, virtual, distributed, and mobile environments," according to Microsoft. So if you have a server-based network and you wish to deploy the Enterprise version of Microsoft Office 2007, you can use the SCCM to simplify and automate your job.

Things You'll Need

• Enterprise version of Office 2007 (with sufficient licenses for your full deployment)
• Microsoft Network infrastructure (including, but not limited to an Active Directory server, Microsoft SQL server, SCCM with a management point and distribution point)

Instructions

Customized Office Setup

1. Browse to the folder on your computer or server where the Office 2007 Setup.EXE file is located. Click in the address bar of that folder and select all the text, then right-click and select "Copy." Press "Windows Key"+"R" on your keyboard and type "CMD" into the text box, and press "Enter." Type "CD" and press "Space," then right-click, select "Paste" and press "Enter." Type "Setup.EXE /admin" and press "Enter."

2. Set "Display Level" to read "None", and then check the box next to "Suppress Modal." Remove any checks next to "Completion Notice" or "No Cancel." Enter the product key for Office 2007 and check the box next to "I accept the terms in the License Agreement."

3. Save the file you just created to a new sub-folder in the folder where the Office setup file is located.

User Collection

1. Open the SCCM and open the "Site Database," then "Computer Management," then "Collections." Right-click "Collections" and select "New Collection," then give the new collection a name and press "Enter."

2. Click the computer icon in the "Membership Rules" area, then click "Next." Click "Resource Class" and choose "System Resource," and click "Attribute Name" and choose "Name." Enter "%" in the field labeled "Value" and click "Next."

3. Choose to "Browse" for workstations and click "All Windows Workstations or Professional Systems" to deploy the software to all the computers on your network. Click "OK," then "Next." Check the box next to the computer resources you wish to target, then click "Next," then "Finish."

4. Click "Next," then don't assign any advertisement yet, and click "Next." Accept the default security settings and click "Next," then "Close."

Installation Package

1. Open the SCCM and browse to the "Configuration Manager," then the "Site Database," then "Computer Management," then "Software Distribution," and finally "Packages." Right-click "Packages" and select "New," then "Package."

2. Type in the details about the software you are installing, including the name (e.g. Office), version number (e.g. 2007), manufacturer (e.g. Microsoft), and language (e.g. English). Choose "This Package Contains Source Files," then click "Set" and type in the path of the Office setup files. (If you haven't copied anything else in the meantime, you can just paste the path again.)

3. Click "OK," then "Next." Accept the standard settings by clicking "Next" until you can finish the process by clicking "Close."

Deploy

1. Right-click "Programs" and select "New," then "Program." Type a name for the new program. Type "Setup.EXE" in the "Command Line" space. Click the "Run" menu and select "Hidden." Check the box next to "No Action Required" and click "Next."

2. Select "Whether or not a user is logged on" from the "Program Can Run" menu. Keep the default settings and click "Next." Check "Suppress Program Notifications" and click "Next."

3. Click "Import" in the "Windows Installer" area and browse to the location of your "EnterpriseWW.MSI" file (usually in the "Enterprise.WW" subdirectory of your Office installation folder). Click "Next" and choose to accept the default options. Click "Next" to view the summary, then "Next" again, and "Close" to finish the wizard.

4. Right-click "Distribution Points," select "New Distribution Points" and click "Next." Check the box next to your SCCM distribution point and click "Next," then "Close."

5. Right-click "Advertisements" and choose "New," then "Advertisement." Enter a name (e.g. "Office 2007") then click "Browse" for the "Package" area, and select the package you created and click "OK." Click "Browse" for the "Collection" area and select the collection you created and click "OK." Click "Next."

6. Enter the date and time you wish to deploy the software in the "Schedule" area. Click the "Asterisk" button to make the deployment mandatory. Click the "Schedule" button and re-enter the date and time, then click "OK." Check the boxes next to "Enable Wake On LAN," "Ignore Maintenance Windows When Running Program," and "Allow System Restart Outside Maintenance Windows," and click "Next."

7. Click "Next" to accept the default values for the remainder of the wizard, and click "Close" at the end to finish the process. Office 2007 will now install at the scheduled date and time.

References

• Microsoft Tech Net: Deploy the 2007 Office System by Using System Center Configuration Manager 2007

Resources

• Microsoft: System Center Configuration Manager