Using the EV Reach software deployment tools, you can view and report on installed software packages on a remote machine. You can also remotely install, repair or un-install software on remote systems.

All information and management tasks available from this feature can also be executed on a group of machines via a Process Automation.

Software Deployment

Add New Software Application

The Add New Program option allows you to remotely and silently install an MSI and executable package on a remote computer. Before you can install a software product, you must create a Software Package for it. Once a Software Package has been configured, simply select it from the Add New Program link to start its installation on the client machine.

Managing Installation PackagesClick on the Add New Program link in the Task Panel and select Manage to open the EV Reach Objects Manager. From there, you can create, modify or remove Installation Packages.

The following Installers are supported:

• Windows: MSI, MSIX, EXE
• MacOS: PKG, DMG

Viewing Software Application Detailed Information

EV Reach Remote Access Software list view can be configured to sort or group by any column. To sort by a column, click on it. To group by a column, right click on it and select Show in Groups... from the menu. Once you have activated the Show in Group option, clicking on another column will group by this new selection. Otherwise, click on the column currently grouped to set the focus on a particular sub-category:

• To display detailed information about a particular application, select it and click on the Properties link in the Task Panel, or, simply double-click on it.
• To export the information to a text file, click on the Report Information link in the Task Panel.

Repair a Software

To repair a software product, select it from the application list and click on the repair link. The Repair action re-installs the MSI package on the remote machine replacing any missing or corrupt files, links and registry keys in the process.

Remove a Software

To uninstall a software product, select it from the application list and click on the Remove button. The Remove action silently un-installs the package on the remote machine, removing any files, links and registry keys owned by the software product.

Software Packages

Using EV Reach, you can install, repair, upgrade or un-install MSI and executable software packages on a remote machine.

Creating an Install Package

1. Click on the

   

   button.
2. Select the appropriate package type
3. Enter the new installation package's display name and description.
4. Enter the full path of the installation package.

MSI Package Options (Windows)

Run Install Package from Source Path - Choose this option if the installation package is located in a shared network folder accessible from the client machine. If you select this option, the EV Reach agent will pull down the MSI from the specified location.

Transfer Package to Client then Run Locally - Choose this option to have EV Reach first transfer the MSI package onto the client machine, then run its installation from the local copy. Note: Only the specified MSI package is transferred. Therefore, it cannot have any external dependencies.

Leave a copy of the MSI package - In order for the Repair MSI feature to work, you need to leave a copy of the MSI package on the remote machine. If you do not leave a copy of the MSI package, the repair feature will not work.

Destination folder - The default location for where to leave MSI packages is %windir%Downloaded Installations. However, you can configure any path you wish.

All Users - Select TRUE to have the MSI Package available by all users on the remote computer or FALSE to have the MSI package available only to the currently logged-in user.

Command Options - Optional command line parameter to transfer to Windows Installer during the installation of the MSI package. These options are MSI specific.

EXE Package Options (Windows)

Run Install Package from Source Path - Choose this option if the installation package is located in a shared network folder accessible from the client machine. If you select this option, the EV Reach agent will pull down the EXE from the specified location.

Transfer Package to Client then Run Locally - Choose this option to have EV Reach first transfer the EXE package onto the client machine, then run its installation from the local copy. Note: Only the specified EXE package is transferred. Therefore, it cannot have any external dependencies.

Argument String for Unattended Install - In order for EV Reach to install an executable package onto a client machine silently, you must configure the executable's argument string to trigger an unattended/silent installation. Failing to set these parameters will result in an installation wizard being displayed on the client machine.

Most installation executables support silent installations, however, the argument string to use depends on the vendor. Click on the Show Examples of Silent Argument String to view commonly used parameters.

PKG Package Options (MacOS)

Custom Application Directory

Use this setting to specify a custom mount point for the "Applications" folder on MacOS. The application will be installed in this location.

The default location of the "Applications" folder is /Applications. However, the "Applications" folder can also be in different volumes. For example, /Volumes/SomeMountPoint. 

DMG Package Options (MacOS)

Custom Application Directory

Use this setting to specify a custom mount point for the "Applications" folder on MacOS. The application will be installed in this location.

The default location of the "Applications" folder is /Applications. However, the "Applications" folder can also be in different volumes. For example, /Volumes/SomeMountPoint. 

Custom PKG file location within the DMG file

DMG files are archive zips containing PKG files in them for installation. DMG files may contain a custom PKG file path within them. Use this setting to specify the folder location within the DMG file. The default location is /PKG.

Sharing / Un-sharing an Install Package

Once you have configured a software package, you can choose to share it with other EV Reach users on your network. To learn how to share or un-share an installation package, see Configuring Team Collaboration.