Quick Guide for Team Plan

GPO is a feature of the Microsoft Windows NT family of operating systems that controls the working environment of user accounts and computer accounts. It offers the centralized management and configuration of operating systems, applications, and user settings in an Active Directory environment. 

GPOs are created and configured in the Group Policy Management Console (GPMC). They can be used to control various aspects of computer and user settings, such as registry settings, file permissions, login scripts, software installations, and more. GPO Deployment simplifies the management and control of configurations in an enterprise environment by providing a centralized and automated approach.

This article will show how to use GPO to assign PDF Reader Pro to users or computers. 

• Create a Distribution Point

• Create a Group Policy Object

• Assign a Package (Deploy)

• Redeploy a Package

• Remove a Package

• Troubleshooting

Create a Distribution Point

Create a distribution point on the publishing server by following these steps:

1. Log on to the server as an administrator;

2. Create a shared network folder where you'll put the Windows Installer package (.msi file) that you want to distribute;

3. Set permissions on the share to allow access to the distribution package;

4. Copy or install the package to the distribution point. For example, to distribute a .msi file, run the administrative installation (setup.exe /a) to copy the files to the distribution point.

Create a Group Policy Object

To create a Group Policy Object (GPO) to use to distribute the software package, follow these steps:

1. Start the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in by clicking Start, choosing Administrative Tools, and then clicking Active Directory Users and Computers;

2. In the console tree, right-click your domain, and then click Properties;

3. Click the Group Policy tab, and then click New;

4. Type a name for this new policy, and then press Enter;

5. Click Properties, and then click the Security tab;

6. Clear the Apply Group Policy check box for the security groups that you don't want this policy to apply to;

7. Select the Apply Group Policy check box for the groups that you want this policy to apply to;

8. When you're finished, click OK.

Assign a Package (Deploy)

To assign a program to computers or to users who are logging on to one of these workstations, follow these steps:

1. Start the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in by clicking Start, choosing Administrative Tools, and then clicking Active Directory Users and Computers;

2. In the console tree, right-click your domain, and then click Properties;

3. Click the Group Policy tab, select the policy that you want, and then click Edit;

4. Under Computer Configuration, expand Software Settings;

5. Right-click Software Installation, select New, and then click Package;

6. In the Open dialog box, type the full Universal Naming Convention (UNC) path of the shared installer package you want. For example, \\\\.msi.

• • Important: Don't use the Browse button to access the location. Make sure that you use the UNC path of the shared installer package;

7. Click Open;

8. Click Assigned, and then click OK. The package is listed in the right pane of the Group Policy window;

9. Close the Group Policy snap-in, click OK, then close the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in;

10. When the client computer starts, the managed software package is automatically installed.

Redeploy a Package

Sometimes, you may want to redeploy a software package (for example, if you upgrade or change the package). To redeploy a package, follow these steps:

1. Start the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in by clicking Start, going to Administrative Tools, and then clicking Active Directory Users and Computers;

2. In the console tree, right-click your domain, and then click Properties;

3. Click the Group Policy tab, click the Group Policy Object that you used to deploy the package, and then click Edit;

4. Expand the Software Settings container that contains the software installation item that you used to deploy the package;

5. Click the software installation container that contains the package;

6. In the right pane of the Group Policy window, right-click the program, choose All Tasks, and then click Redeploy application. You will receive the following message:

• • Redeploying this application will reinstall the application everywhere it is already installed. Do you want to continue?

7. Click Yes;

8. Exit the Group Policy snap-in, click OK, and then close the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in.

Remove a Package

To remove a published or assigned package, follow these steps:

1. Start the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in by clicking Start, choosing Administrative Tools, and then clicking Active Directory Users and Computers;

2. In the console tree, right-click your domain, and then click Properties;

3. Go to Group Policy tab, click the Group Policy Object that you used to deploy the package, and then click Edit;

4. Expand the Software Settings container that contains the software installation item that you used to deploy the package;

5. Click the software installation container that contains the package;

6. In the right pane of the Group Policy window, right-click the program, select All Tasks, and then click Remove;

7. Do one of the following: 

         -> Click Immediately uninstall the software from users and computers, and then click OK;

         -> Click Allow users to continue to use the software but prevent new installations, then click OK.

8. Close the Group Policy snap-in, click OK, and then close the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in.

Troubleshooting

PDF Reader Pro does not troubleshoot deployments via GPO, if you are having issues deploying PDF Reader Pro via Microsoft Windows GPO, please contact your superior or Microsoft directly.   

Click HERE to get a reference from Microsoft.

Feel free to contact us at [email protected] if you need GPO deployment.