Distributing applications is one of the primary tasks you'll perform using ZfD Application Management. The following sections provide instructions for distributing a simple application, Microsoft Notepad, from the network to a user's workstation. Once you've distributed Notepad, you'll better understand the process required to distribute more complex applications that use snAppShot packages or Microsoft Windows Installer packages.
An application's source files must be kept in a network directory so that Application Launcher/Explorer can access the files from the user's workstation to install them. We recommend that you create separate directories for each application's source files.
Create a NOTEPAD directory in the network location where you want the application source files.
Copy NOTEPAD.EXE from a workstation's Windows directory (for example, C:\WINDOWS or C:\WINNT) to the NOTEPAD directory.
IMPORTANT: Copy Notepad from a workstation that is running the same operating system as the one to which you want to distribute Notepad. For example, if you want to distribute Notepad to a Windows 95/98 workstation, copy NOTEPAD.EXE from a Windows 95/98 workstation, not a Windows NT/2000 workstation. This ensures that the workstation will be able to run that version of Notepad.
In ConsoleOne, right-click the container in which you want to create the Application object > click New > click Object.
Click App:Application in the list > click OK.
Click Manually (No .AOT/.AXT or .MSI File) > click Next.
In the Object Name field, enter Notepad. This is the name that will be given to the Application object.
In the Path to Executable field, enter:
%*windisk%\notepad\notepad.exe
%*windisk% is a Windows macro variable that represents the disk drive where the Windows directory is located (typically C:). The path specified above will cause NOTEPAD.EXE to be run from the workstation's C:\NOTEPAD directory.
Application Launcher/Explorer support a variety of macros, including Windows macro variables, environment variables, NDS macro variables, login script variables, and Application object macros.
Click Finish to create the Application object.
Notepad will be run from the workstation's %*windisk%\NOTEPAD directory. You need to configure the Application object to copy NOTEPAD.EXE from the network to the workstation's %*windisk%\NOTEPAD directory.
Right-click the Notepad Application object > click Properties.
Click the Distribution Options tab > click Application Files.
Click Add > File to display the Edit Files dialog box.
In the Source File field, enter the UNC path for the NOTEPAD.EXE file you copied to the network. For example:
\\NOVELL\APPS\NOTEPAD\NOTEPAD.EXE.
In the Target File field, enter:
%*windisk%\notepad\notepad.exe
Click OK to add NOTEPAD.EXE to the Application Files list. Only files in this list will be copied to the workstation.
Leave the Application object properties open > continue with the next section.
Before Application Launcher/Explorer can distribute the Application object to a user, it must verify that the user's workstation meets the application's requirements for the operating system.
By default, when you create an Application object, the operating system requirements are defined as any version of Windows 95/98 or Windows NT/2000. These requirements are sufficient for distributing Notepad. If you want to see where the operating system requirements are set, you can follow the steps below to verify the requirements. If not, you can skip to the next section, Associating the Application Object with a User.
To verify the application's operating system requirements:
Click the Availability tab > click System Requirements.
Verify that the list contains an OS Version requirement (Windows NT/2000 or Windows 95/98) for the workstation you want to distribute the application to. If the correct OS version is not listed, click Add > Operating System > enter the requirements for the operating system > click OK to add it to the list.
IMPORTANT: An OS Version requirement must be defined before an application will be distributed.
Leave the Application object properties open > continue with the next section.
Click the Associations tab.
Click Add > browse and select a user you want to distribute the application to > click OK to add the user to the Associations list.
Select the locations where you want the Application object icon to display. To do so, select the appropriate check boxes located in front of the user in the Associations list.
Application Launcher can display the icon in the Application Launcher window. Application Explorer can display the icon in the Application Launcher window, the Start menu, the system tray, the Quick Launch toolbar, and the desktop. Click the Help button for more information about each location.
Click OK (or Apply) to save the Application object information.
At the user's workstation, make sure the user is logged in to NDS.
If Application Launcher/Explorer is not running, start it. See Starting Application Launcher and Application Explorer.
or
If Application Launcher/Explorer is already running, right-click the Application Launcher/Explorer icon > click Refresh.
The Application object icon should appear in the locations you specified when associating the Application object with the user.
Double-click the Application object to install Notepad to the workstation and run the application.
You can verify that Notepad was installed to the workstation by looking in the C:\NOTEPAD directory.
When you are finished with Notepad, close it.