Apply policies in order or as a prerequisite

[Jordan]

I have an application that needs to be installed in a certain order. It
needs to install the .Net 2.0 runtime, then the application, then some
add-on.

The app that requires the .Net 2.0 support will not install unless it sees
..Net on the computer so it will retry until it can install, however the
add-ons that are supposed to be installed last sometimes install first,
second or third even. I have set which of these three policies should come
first, but that does not seem to garrentee the order of install. What ends
up happening is that the add-ons may get installed before the primary app
and consequently they do not install the support for the primary app because
it has not been detected.

Since the primary app has embeded in it the requirement for .Net support it
will wait until .Net is installed before it installs. Is there a way I can
force the add-on's policy to check for something prior to install?

 

[Darren Mar-Elia]

Jordan-
I'm assuming you're using Software Installation policy? If so, then the only
way you can guarantee install order is by putting each package in its own
GPO and then ordering the GPOs linked to the container (site, domain or OU)
such that the one you wish to install first (e.g. .Net Framework) has the
*lowest* order of precedence (i.e. it runs first before the others), the
next GPO then gets linked one higher up, etc.

Darren

--
Darren Mar-Elia
MS-MVP-Windows Server--Group Policy

Simplify Group Policy Troubleshooting with the NEW GPExpert Troubleshooting
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Visit the GPOGUY: http://www.gpoguy.com -- The Windows Group Policy
Information Hub:
FAQs, Training Videos, Whitepapers and Utilities for all things Group
Policy-related

 

[Jordan]

That is what I did. I have three policies

MyApp - PreReq.
MyApp - MainInstall
MyApp - Addons

Inside of PreReq is .Net 2
Inside of MainInstall is the application
Inside of Addons is the add-on package.

When the test computers booted they appear to install the Add-ons first,
then PreReq, then the Main.

 

[Darren Mar-Elia]

Is that the order below in which you have the GPOs linked to your container
as viewed in the GPMC? If so, then the order is incorrect. It should be:

MyApp-Addons
MyApp-MainInstall
MyApp-PreReq.

That way, the lowest priority GPO (PreReq) runs first, etc. Also, you should
make sure that what you're seeing is not the effect of a given install
failing. Just because it appears to run does not always mean it runs
correctly.

Darren

--
Darren Mar-Elia
MS-MVP-Windows Server--Group Policy

Simplify Group Policy Troubleshooting with the NEW GPExpert Troubleshooting
Pak 1.0 at http://www.sdmsoftware.com/products.php

Visit the GPOGUY: http://www.gpoguy.com -- The Windows Group Policy
Information Hub:
FAQs, Training Videos, Whitepapers and Utilities for all things Group
Policy-related

 

[Jordan]

That is what it turned out to be. I forgot the order within the policy is
not really order, it is priority.