Install Additional Files with deployment

[jgratton]

I am using the Wizard to create a network client deployment. I am referring to the white paper entitled "Creating Deployments for AutoCAD 2006 or other AutoCAD 2006-based Products". Note 12 on page 10 is where I get confused.

I have a plotlog lisp routine and a company cui file I want to put in d:\~CADD\2006\Support
I have an old lisp based program that has to be in a folder structure off d: also.

My Autodesk reseller told me I would have to pre-build the d:\ folder structure that I want to deploy these additional files to, but the add drive, add folder, select files routine in the Install Additional Files window suggests to me that they can be both built and deployed through here.

Can anyone give me guidance please?

[Wanderer]

I am using the Wizard to create a network client deployment. I am referring to the white paper entitled "Creating Deployments for AutoCAD 2006 or other AutoCAD 2006-based Products". Note 12 on page 10 is where I get confused.

I have a plotlog lisp routine and a company cui file I want to put in d:\~CADD\2006\Support
I have an old lisp based program that has to be in a folder structure off d: also.

My Autodesk reseller told me I would have to pre-build the d:\ folder structure that I want to deploy these additional files to, but the add drive, add folder, select files routine in the Install Additional Files window suggests to me that they can be both built and deployed through here.

Can anyone give me guidance please?I'm going to move this from the cad mgmt general forum to this one as I believe it will be better served here. thanks!

[glee.94356]

Curious. Why deploy individual lisp files & your office cui to all your workstations?
Why not keep it on your server where all the individual machines can find it? Then it's just a matter of setting user profiles. Same applies to any office standard based menu, fonts, plotter configurations, customizations etc.
Not trying to be a smart aleck and I know I'm not answering your question. Just curious, that's all.

[David.Hoole]

Hi jgratton

Yes, you can add folders via the deployment. I've done that whilst experimenting with our own deployment images. Just add the full path in the Install Additional Files window, as you suggested. Be sure to test carefully!

I'm also curious as to why you would put the company cui file on the local drive? Have you considered loading it as an Enterprise cui? That automatically protects it from user editing.

Glee

It is useful to be able to install custom files locally for the initial setup. Our deployment installs a custom cui file which is essentially empty, but loads the acad or adt cui as a partial menu. This gives some measure of protection to the standard menus, but still allows the user to add their own content.
The company cui file is loaded as an Enterprise menu from a network server.

[glee.94356]

David.Hoole, thanks for your explanation.
I think we both agree that the company cui should be set as an enterprise cui and deployed from the server as opposed to being on individual machines.
Having the acad or adt (i'm not that familiar with adt) cui locally is typical too. I like your idea of a custom cui where the user can muck around with it and not affect the standard menus too much. We like to train cad users that their computers are not really theirs since they get moved from time to time. The computers normally get stripped to the bone and the operating systems and software reinstalled for new users but occasionally there will be a time crunch and the user has to get on immediately. Which causes problems if they see something on the screen they are not used to. Minor stuff but enough to drive you nuts if a bunch of people start calling or IMing you during a deadline.
Is this what everyone else is doing? Would be nice to know how different firms approach their rollouts. Different tips and tricks would add to this thread.

[jgratton]

Curious. Why deploy individual lisp files & your office cui to all your workstations?
Why not keep it on your server where all the individual machines can find it? Then it's just a matter of setting user profiles. Same applies to any office standard based menu, fonts, plotter configurations, customizations etc.
Not trying to be a smart aleck and I know I'm not answering your question. Just curious, that's all.

I had to migrate old lsp that seemed to need to be in a particular local path in order to work. Not being a lsp guru, I felt it was best not to try to rewrite it.

[jgratton]

Hi jgratton

Yes, you can add folders via the deployment. I've done that whilst experimenting with our own deployment images. Just add the full path in the Install Additional Files window, as you suggested. Be sure to test carefully!

I'm also curious as to why you would put the company cui file on the local drive? Have you considered loading it as an Enterprise cui? That automatically protects it from user editing.

Glee

It is useful to be able to install custom files locally for the initial setup. Our deployment installs a custom cui file which is essentially empty, but loads the acad or adt cui as a partial menu. This gives some measure of protection to the standard menus, but still allows the user to add their own content.
The company cui file is loaded as an Enterprise menu from a network server.

I agree that your suggestion seems best, but when I started this project, IT did not want to change permissions on network folders, it was just not how they were used to doing things. If a user mucks up their cui, I can quickly overwrite it. Also, the learning curve was huge and help not so available when I started this planning 6 months ago. I have been too busy with other things to reverse course. An excuse, granted, but my boss doesn't care at this point how clever the system is, he just wants it deployed.

[glee.94356]

Having your standards on a folder residing on the server is not a particular complicated task for your IT personnel to handle. For the most part all that's happening is that the program calls the menu or whatever lisps routines from that folder. They are not really getting into and editing the content of the folder.
If IT are going to work in any environment it behooves them to have at the very least a rudimentary understanding of how the software works in their environment. Be it CAD, graphics, accounting (which is a really complicated beast and has to be handled extremely well to avoid everyone seeing how much Joe/Sue in the next cubicle makes) or whatever software is in used. Ask your IT guy to post a thread here and I am sure there will be many who can walk them through it.
Changing the paths in your lisps routines is pretty straight forward too. There are many posts within the autolisp sub forum, that just by reading you could get a handle on it. Especially if they are straight lisp routines and not part of a custom menu ( which is still doable). You can open those .lsp, .mns files in notepad to view and study (just make sure you have back ups of everything in case you accidently do something you did not intend to). Oh yeah, I'm a dinosaur who uses only notepad. Not a visual lisp guy. Heck, I do my html coding in notepad too. Cheap. Yup, that's what I am.
You could probably post your lisp routines and somebody would probably offer a suggestion, even clean it up for you or repath it. People are really helpful in this forum.
Maybe not so much for your boss but more for yourself. Jobs come and go but you take whatever you learn wherever you go. Thereby making you just that much more indispensable. Well no one is really indispensable but the pain you cause by leaving and the number of people that have to be hired to do the work you did by yourself, can be satisfying. Boses never really appreciate their employees till after they leave.
While it's probably not a good thing to interupt your deployment at the moment because of the time you have invested, you can always experiment with a server side enterprice cui later. Deploy it only to your machine and debug it. Next new employee you get, would be a good candidate. The time saved and the ability to control CAD standards eventually will more than compensate for it. Welcome to CAD management.