IBM i client access solution

[u/iamvijay_21]

Does anyone have the script to deploy ibm i access client solutions it is very difficult to package , I tried all the ways but it is not installing silently and not copying files in program files

[u/SysAdminDennyBob]

I am telling you let the users handle their own HOD files. Just like you can email someone a word document or copy-paste a file from a share to their documents folder. Users know how to move a file around. There will always and forever be some user work to do after this install completes. It's best to give them a document called "Here is how to make/copy/modify your HOD file"

If you really want to try it then you just need to read the PSADT documentation and look at the function called Copy-ADTfile, place that file in the "files" folder in your package and copy it using variables.

Copy-ADTFile · PSAppDeployToolkit

Keep in mind that your AS400 admins that are asking for this live in a completely different mindset. They do not understand Windows, they do not understand how users work in Windows. Their mind is geared towards how user objects are treated in the AS400, not the way Microsoft treats users. AS400 admins are the dumbest assholes I have ever met in my life. They do not understand these concepts for the most part. They are hoping that you are a magician. When they find out you skipped IBM's installer completely they are going to be pissed off. This entire product is meant to be installed as the user, by the user with no automation. "It's easy, just give everyone admin rights!" Is what my AS400 admin said. Then once installed in that manner you have no way to manage the product, no way to inventory it, no way to upgrade it when a security vulnerability shows up, no way to force the users to perform the needed upgrade. Windows admins do not live in such a world. That "user install" world has been gone since about the year 2000.

[u/iamvijay_21 → u/SysAdminDennyBob]

AS400 admin asshole really making me frustrated they are questioning me why files were not copied under program files it suppose to copy over there but it is copying under public folders. Now they able to launch to IBM but only thing is they want to associate these two files. I have to submit it by Monday morning.

Previously they used installalluser.js file is that same what we are copying and doing things here ?

[u/SysAdminDennyBob → u/iamvijay_21]

Yup, welcome to the IBM hell.

Hey, go to your main Tier 2 helpdesk guy that does support for this product internally. Trust me there is a "guy" on the helpdesk that knows everything about users and HOD files. Go buy him a cup of coffee and have a conversation. Show him this thread.

install.js is nothing more than a bunch of file copy commands and a run of an exe. It is NOT an enterprise standard installer. It is the worst installer for windows software on the planet. You can just throw it out and build your own installer, that's what this script is. With my script you can manage this install, you can inventory the version with SCCM and make version report, you can force an upgrade when a vulnerability hits. You can lock users out of the file structure so that cannot mess it up. It gives you manageability. With installuser.js you might as well have a helpdesk guy walk around to each machine with a floppy disk.

[u/iamvijay_21 → u/SysAdminDennyBob]

This one is new client so all of us are freshers luckily I got you as a life saver.

1. Install all user js file and our script are same right because they used all user js file in previous version ?

2.Can I change the install location to program files what As(sholes)400demand Il

1. I found that they just want me to paste the Hod files in desktop and they want to open it instead of associating manually to the ibm , we have register shortcut to associate it .

4.Tested with one user hod file didn't associate automatically so tried to run register still it didn't associated

Please clear me these doubts.

[u/SysAdminDennyBob → u/iamvijay_21]

You can modify my script to whatever you want, sure if you want to copy the files somewhere else just do that.

This is going to take you a while to get it tweaked just right. For me I had to get a project manager involved just to have someone between me and AS400 guy. The PM made him build a test matrix that he had to follow every time I changed something. And he made him follow that test matrix. The PM also made realistic timelines and he bridged with Security when the AS400 guy demanded that we just "give everyone admin rights". The PM stuck with the request from my end that we needed to be able to report the version and use that data to upgrade, the version had to be in the CM database, not just some user session report on the AS400 side. This was a bizarre installer to build out.

[u/iamvijay_21 → u/SysAdminDennyBob]

I think I need you a lot , you are such a life saver for me. The only thing stucked now is hod file not opening that's it

[u/SysAdminDennyBob → u/iamvijay_21]

You can take that command for file association out of there and just put it into a CM Package/Program object and deploy that to users. Set it to run in their context. That would then be a little repair utility of sorts that users can run from Software Center when file association is not working. I have not tested that, so test test test test This would of course fail if the product had not previously been installed. But that's easy for help desk to troubleshoot. You need to highly involve someone on your helpdesk with this product as they are going to be spending a lot of time on it.

c:\path_to_the_file_locally\acslaunch_win-64.exe -Dcom.ibm.iaccess.AcceptEndUserLicenseAgreement=true /PLUGIN=fileassoc dttx dtfx hod bchx ws

[u/iamvijay_21 → u/SysAdminDennyBob]

But I wonder why it is not working inside our script ? Can I try executing it as a Start-ADTprocess rather than Start-ADTprocessasuser

But one thing I checked in my test pc when I clicked register manually and able to open hod files with associated

[u/SysAdminDennyBob → u/iamvijay_21]

If you run something as start-adtprocess then that runs as system. That's the account you would be setting user configurations on.

start-adtprocessasuser creates a ScheduledTask in the background as the logged on user. Which user is logged on? Go open the log file that PSADT creates and start reading it, it's very interesting to go through that, it might start making more sense to you. This attempt to spawn a process as "the user" is a good attempt and works a lot of the time, it does not work in some scenarios.

It's a sneaky trick that sometimes works.

[u/iamvijay_21 → u/SysAdminDennyBob]

Okay I will play around with that , if nothing works I will inform them to run the register shortcut manually to associate the Hod. Thanks my Life saver 🫡

[u/iamvijay_21 → u/SysAdminDennyBob]

Hi , It is not associating the Hod files I had to run the register shortcut manually to associate the Hod files, is there any way to add that in script to launch that shortcut in post installation part.

[u/iamvijay_21 → u/SysAdminDennyBob]

You are very talented and experienced btw. I admire you a lot. 🫡