Command-Line Switches for the User Installation Package

Step 5 of the “push” method described above (see “Push” Method Deployment, If End Users Lack Installation Privileges installation package from an SMS script, with command-line switches to pass the necessary user passwords to the conversion program as it runs. This would make possible a truly silent installation and configuration, requiring no user interaction whatsoever.

For example, you might create an SMS package that runs a conversion package, and have the SMS services issue the following commands when it is run:

DT_Package.exe
    /USERNAME=bcarpenter
    /PASSWORD=password
    /FULLNAME="Burns Carpenter"
    /EMAILADDRESS="burns.carpenter@florizel.com"
    /DN="uid=bcarpenter,ou=people,o=florizel.com,o=florizel.com"

         
      

This and other command-line samples are formatted here for ease of reading, but all of the switches must be typed in one continuous string— which is likely to wrap to multiple lines of its own accord.

You could then substitute environment variables for the users (assuming that the NT usernames and the iPlanet usernames match):

DT_Package.exe
    /USERNAME=%username%
    /PASSWORD=password
    /FULLNAME="Change This"
    /EMAILADDRESS=%username%@florizel.com
    /DN=uid=%username%,ou=people,o=florizel.com,o=florizel.com

      

This command-line approach would permit a silent (or minimally interactive) installation from SMS, which would probably generate far fewer Help desk calls than asking users to click a link in an email and requiring users to enter data.

The installation package will support these command-line switches:

• /USERNAME=xxx, where xxx is the username on the Sun servers.

• /PASSWORD=xxx, where xxx is the password on the Sun servers.

• /FULLNAME=xxx, where xxx is the display name of the user.

• /EMAILADDRESS=xxx, where xxx is the email address of the user.

• /DN=xxx, where xxx is the user DN on the Sun servers.

• /NEWPROFILENAME=xxx, where xxx is the name of the created profile.

• /SAVEPASSWORD=n, where n = 1 (save) or 0 (don't save).

These switches will be useful if you are converting an Exchange profile:

• /OLDDOMAIN=xxx, where xxx is the Exchange domain

• /OLDUSERNAME=xxx, where xxx is the Exchange user name

• /OLDPASSWORD=xxx, where xxx is the Exchange password