Avast Pro Unattended Install Options

[Dewg]

I have a large network of users with 4.8 Pro installed.  With 4.8, I was able to create an TASKS.XML and ADMIN.INI file to control the install and make it unattended.  It controlled which features of 4.8 Pro were installed and configured.

With the new Avast Pro 6, how do I duplicate that install capability?  For example, I want to install Avast Pro without the WebRep feature enabled.

Is it a simple matter of modifying the TASKS.XML and ADMIN.INI files for the new features of 6?

If you are referring to a central console, we are not using one.  We just have 4.8 Pro installed on a large number of systems.  Installation is provided by ADMIN.INI and TASKS.XML files in the setup folder along with the setupengpro.exe file.  Those two files control the install of 4.8 Pro.  They control which components are installed, the name of the company registered and the license key to use.

When a new computer is put onto the network, the login script automatically launches the SETUPENGPRO.EXE file for Avast, which installs and configures 4.8 Pro automatically with no user input required.

I'm looking to duplicate that functionality on Avast 6 Pro.

Does the Business Protection console install 6 Pro, or is there a specific version of the client AV software that BP installs?  Will the BP console create that unattended installation script for me, so that I can install the clients without the need for the BP console?

- Dewg

[wpn]

Hey Dewg

Maybe not a conclusive answer but this is what i found recently

the console creates a setup line filled with switches, from what i remember also a verysilent switch.
I will dig up a logfile when im at work and post the line that is in the logs


for my own curiosity: any specific reason not to use central administration, control and update?

[Asyn]

for my own curiosity: any specific reason not to use central administration, control and update?

I wonder, too...??

[Dewg]

Thanks very much for your efforts on this, I appreciate it!

As for your question - we've never needed a console before.  Avast has been an outstanding "set it and forget it" application that manages itself well.

Also - with a central console I need to manage a new "server" and the costs associated with maintaining that.  As well as the WAN costs for all the clients coming to the console from remote offices for updates (40 people over a 1.5Mbps WAN link) instead of directly from low-cost high-speed Internet connections (40 people over a 10Mbps Internet) at each office.  If the WAN connection is saturated, or for some reason down, do the clients not get updated?

I'm not totally against having to use the console - but I would love if I could get the same functionality in Avast 6 Pro as I had in Avast 4.8 Pro, which is to customize the install through files allowing an unattended install.

[wpn]

the purpose of the console is to have control and a central point for updates inside the network.

For your office all clients now connect to the internet over your WAN connection while this would be only the console might you be using it.

for your remote clients, as long as they dont have a VPN connection they get the updates form the internet servers automatically since they cant find the set update console server.
The console can run co-along other software on a server thats in your domain already.

next to that with the console you can do scheduled scans and have reports about infections and such.


I will look into the log file if the swithes for the exe file i saw are useable and post them for you and ofcourse its your own descision not to use the console

[wpn]

as promised these are two lines in the remote installation log file when deploying a client

07/27/11 15:39:30:   Init 1 10 d:\AV\MIRROR\Packages\admin.ini d:\AV\MIRROR\Packages\setup.exe NULL NULL 60 9

07/27/11 15:39:30:   Starting "d:\AV\MIRROR\Packages\setup.exe" /verysilent /managed /reboot "no" /edition "9" /netcl_addr "TEST-BPP-01.bozw.local" /netcl_port "25322" /admin "d:\AV\MIRROR\Packages\admin.ini" /sfxstorage "d:\AV\MIRROR\Packages"

[Dewg]

Excellent!  Thanks wpn!  I'm going to look at the admin.ini file and try the following:

setup_av_pro.exe /admin "c:\temp\admin.ini"

See if the admin.ini edits allow it to install with the features I want enabled or disabled.  You've given me alot to play with, thanks again!

[wpn]

your welcome

let us know how it went and maybe shed some light on the settings in de admin.ini file too, i'm interested in that part

[Dewg]

I'm having no luck with it.  I just don't think that the Pro v6 "setup_av_pro.exe" file has hooks for an unattended install, or if it does it's not documented so we can use it.

I tried a few different ADMIN.INI and TASK.XML files with logical changes from 4.8 as well as modified versions from the Business Protection install.  No luck.

It will take the Avast team giving us a "setup_av_pro.exe" with a documented ADMIN.INI file for the unattended install.  I'm not sure if this is any priority for them, though I would be overjoyed for it.

I'm reading that the Business Protection Console is good for about 250 clients.  Our 4.8 licenses is up in November of this year, and I'll be getting a new license possibly for over 300 users (we're expecting a large growth spurt over the next year or two), which may not work well with BP.

[wpn]

i suggest u shoot in an official ticket for the settings your looking for.

According to VLK in one of the threads here the SBC can handle a lot more but the target officially always has been 200. Maybe you can run 2 SBC servers if your really worried about the suggested limits. Just contact tech/sales support for seperated license files i think