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Requesting Permissions from NI VLM during Mass Software Installations

Hardware: PXI/CompactPCI>>Controllers

Problem:
How can I automate the process of installing NI software and configuring my client computers to check-out licenses from my NI VLM server?

Solution:
Using NI VLM, first create an individual Volume License Installer for each product.  You will invoke these Volume License Installers silently in the procedure below.  Moreover, your clients can use them to manually install an individual product.

Next, for each group of clients, create one or more batch files that each install a set of software products.  Create this batch file similar to KnowledgeBase 4H3EE0XU: Large Scale Software Installation.  However, for activatable software, invoke the Volume License Installer instead of the original installer.  You can place the spec file (a spec file is used to specify the installer configuration for a silent install) in any location, as long as you provide the relative path from the Volume License Installer's setup.exe

Restoring User/Computer Information in NI VLM

When you run a Volume License Installer silently, it overwrites the User/Computer information stored in NI VLM with blank fields.  Therefore, we now need to launch the Volume License Installer dialogue so the user can enter their information and send it to the NI VLM server.  At the same time, we do not want to send any additional permission requests to NI VLM.  To accomplish this, follow the instructions in Creating a Volume License Installer that Does Not Send Permission Requests.

Next, paste the Client folder you created from Creating a Volume License Installer that Does Not Send Permission Requests in your NI installers network location.   After invoking each of the software installers in your batch file, call vlmclient.exe as shown below (this example batch file is also attached to this document)

When the batch file execution reaches vlmclient.exe, the Volume License Configuration dialog shown below will appear, and will remain until the user enters his/her information.

If no information is entered into the dialog, owner information previously associated with the user and computer in NI VLM will be erased (license permissions associated with the user and computer are not erased).  Therefore, NI recommends that you notify users prior to this installation process.  Ask them to enter their information when prompted, and alert them to the reboot 
(notice shutdown -r at the end of the batch file) that will follow.

Related Links:
KnowledgeBase 47IAHTQA: Creating a Volume License Installer in NI VLM
KnowledgeBase 4CJDP38M: Automating the Installation of a Single Installer
KnowledgeBase 35FD966E:  Creating a Volume License Installer that Does Not Send Permission Requests
KnowledgeBase 4H3EE0XU: Large Scale Software Installation
KnowledgeBase 4IH9QMH0: How Can I use Microsoft SMS to Deploy NI Software

Attachments:

batch file for VLM 2.0 and previousVLM 2.0 and previous.zip
batch file for VLM 2.1 and followingVLM 2.1 and following.zip
VLMClient.png
DialogUserInfo.png

Report Date: 01/04/2008
Last Updated: 02/13/2009
Document ID: 4H38UPXU

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