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Installing Adobe Reader on Netowrked machines

Proposed Answer Installing Adobe Reader on Netowrked machines

  • Wednesday, February 13, 2013 11:15 AM
     
     
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    Hi,

    Before I ask the question I want to say that I am an application developer and have very limited knowledge when it comes to support and servers.

    My goal is to install Adobe Reader (essentially update) to all networked PCs remotely, so that I do not need to go around one-by-one to do the job as it will take for ever.  The reason I have to do it is because users can not install anything on their machines.

    First step I took is to create the batch file which downloads and installs the Adobe.  This worked on my local machine when tested.  

    My questions now is how can I install Adobe for all users remotely ?

    Is my batch file can be handy to do that ?

    Perhaps I need to create another procedure like .exe file ?

    As you can guess I have very limited knowledge on this and will appreciate for your help.

    Thank you

     

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  • Wednesday, February 13, 2013 12:02 PM
     
     
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    You can deploy acrobat via group policies. This works with .msi files

    You can assign a group policy to an organization unit where the computers are a mebmber of. Then the application is available on all networked PC's.

    Johan Loos

     
  • Wednesday, February 13, 2013 2:02 PM
     
     
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    Thanks for you reply.

    I don't know how yet, but I guess I can manage at the end to assign group policy to organization unit. 

    "Then the application is available on all networked PC's. "  Can you please explain a bit more on this. 

    Thanks

     
  • Wednesday, February 13, 2013 2:41 PM
     
     
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    Step by step guide by Adobe:

    http://wwwimages.adobe.com/www.adobe.com/content/dam/Adobe/en/devnet/acrobat/pdfs/gpo_ad_9.pdf

    After creating the group policy and assign the group policy to computers, after restart, the software will be installed on the computers and available for all your users.

    Johan Loos

     
  • Thursday, February 14, 2013 4:14 PM
     
     
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    Thanks Johan,

    I will be reading this and familiarize myself with it.  In the meantime can you also please suggest if this method does not need my batch file at all ?  This is what I have assumed anyway.

     
  • Tuesday, February 19, 2013 4:26 PM
     
     
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    I have followed the procedures listed on the linked document.  I am now stack on last step:

    "25. In the Group Policy Management Console, expand the list of Forests and Domains."

    "26. Right-click the Acrobat OU to which you want to link the GPO that you created earlier in this procedure, and then select Link and Existing GPO."

    But the problem is I can not find Acrobat OU or anything associated Adobe.  The list includes our Compay node, such as "companyname.local" under which there are several nodes and folders and one of which called "Group Policy Objects" where I created a new GPO.

    When I right-click our company node under "domains" I do have options like "Link an existing GPO".

    I am not sure if the GP Management Console differs from the one explained in that document or am I doing something wrong here.

    I will appreciate for some clarification, thanks.

     
  • Tuesday, February 19, 2013 5:09 PM
     
     
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    I guess "Acrobat OU" stands for "Acrobat Organisational Unit".  If this is so then that should be my company node/unit, and it's a bit confusing there by including Acrobat.

    Please confirm, thanks.

     
  • Wednesday, February 20, 2013 9:47 AM
     
     
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    It does not work.  In the linked step-by-step there is a note saying that "Abcpy.ini" file need to be amended.  But I can't find this file anywhere. Not in Windows folder, nor in the distribution location, where Adobe program files are.

    I am also not quite sure about Administrative Installation.  I used (msiexec /a "\\source_path\Adobe.msi)  Does this mean I have to install the Adobe on the distribution location ?

    I am trying to install free-version Adobe11 Reader on the machines that already have Adobe9 installed - Not Acrobat Pro etc.  Does this meake any difference?   

     
  • Wednesday, February 20, 2013 2:19 PM
     
     
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    Basicly, you need to create Organization Unit in you Active Directory, and name it Acrobat or whatever.

    After that, open Group Policy Console, navigate to the specific OU, right click, and link the GPO policy.....

    MCP,MCDST,MCTS,MCITP,MCSA,MCSE

     
  • Thursday, February 21, 2013 11:59 AM
     
     
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    But I have linked the GPO policy that I created to my OU.  Why should I create another OU for Acrobat ?
     
  • Thursday, February 21, 2013 12:38 PM
     
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    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qf7AnVR9qV0

    MCP,MCDST,MCTS,MCITP,MCSA,MCSE

    • Proposed As Answer by DinoSA Wednesday, March 27, 2013 9:51 AM
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  • Monday, April 01, 2013 3:22 AM
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    Hello Alex,

    Any progress ? did you manage to install Adobe Reader ?

    Regards, Santosh

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  • Wednesday, April 03, 2013 10:13 AM
     
     
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    Thanks for your reply Antosh, but no I gave up on it, at least for now. I was spending lot of time on this without any success.  I will give it a go again soon.