Automated Deployment - Assistant and Soft Phone

[H1gster]

Hi,

I am trying to work out how to automate the deployment of V8.0 of the Assistant and Softphone. Although installation is relatively easy for users, there are quite a few configuration steps required. I would like to deploy the software with all of the configuration complete if possible.

Any suggestions very welcome

 

[hades]

I too would be interested in this.

 

[LeonidasG_3CX]

Double Clicking on the Assistant / Phone Executable and pressing NEXT NEXT NEXT and filling out a couple of boxes is as Automated as it gets.

If you need to Automatically install 50 or more assistants / clients, you're gonna have to rely on some sort of script on your side that fills all the fields for you.
I actually have something that does that, i'll need to find it before sharing it with you.

 

[hades]

What about for companies that want to use the PBX with different settings from the default?

For example, our company uses a different tunnel port for external extensions when people are working from home with the soft-phone. The ability to give them a pre-configured installer would be great as they are not all the most technical of people.

 

[LeonidasG_3CX]

If we started giving more and more options to the user during the installation wizard, in the End it would be so complex that you would be better off using Asterisk's PBX.
The only ways i see to do what you are asking is:

1) Either make a small guide for them.

2) Wait till i can modify that script of mine to do exactly what you want to do.
They install the Voip Phone / Assistant with all their Default settings, and all they need to do next is just double click on this script and that's it. it will even fill up their Extension settings and Pins automatically.

It cant get easier than that. If you want an even easier solution.... There isn't one

 

[hades]

Ok.... now take a look at something for system admins.

How about an install-builder script in a similar style to how Nullsoft Scripts work?

Basically, allow a zip download of the soft-phone/assistant that includes a couple of ini files and an additional exe. I could edit the ini files with my custom port settings (and even personalise them for each softphone user with their login details) and then I run the exe which would package it all up as an installer.

I give that installer to the end user to take home and install on their PC... They run it, it automatically installs with all the settings I configured in the ini file and the user is ready to go with zero configuration required on their end.


I could even write a .net web-app into our own corporate intranet to allow end users with softphone access to download their own custom version and (by accessing the PBX database) customise and build their personal installer programatically on the intranet server. Writing ini files and executing applications is fairly simple.

 

[bcsinfo.co.uk]

How about an MSI along with .ini file.

I have other software which installs like this. You configure server info, ports ect. into the .ini file, then when you deploy the MSI file via Active Directory - Group Policy, it reads the ini file in the same directory as the msi file itself.

 

[cloidhamer]

The msi file is created in your Temp folder in a sub folder that is the last 4 digits of the Assistant's version. So currently the version is v8.9924. So when you launch the exe it creates a folder 9924 in your temp directory that you can then copy the files from. Simple as that. I'm sure there is some command line to extract via msiexec, but this works. You do however have to apply the transform (.mst) for it to install. So from the command line you would need to type

msiexec.exe /i "E:\9924\3CXAssistantSetup8_9924.msi" TRANSFORMS="E:\9924\3CXAssistantSetup8_9924.mst"

Also to deploy via Group policy you will need to edit the msi in ORCA and Apply the Transform (.mst) then Save Transformed as a msi file that you will then use in GP. One last thing is that for the setup to be complete an Admin has to log into the computer, until they do the Assistant will throw errors.

Craig

 

[N_G]

Thank you for this feedback. A guide how to do a zero touch install would indeed be easy and will be something we will write in the near future.

 

[hannontech]

@cloidhamer This is EXTREMELY helpful. It would also be helpful to mention how to grab the MSI and MST: 3CXAssistantSetup9.exe /extract:c:\example

@admin A switch to do this silently would be even better.