Deploying Parallels w/preferences set

[tpeterson]

We can deploy Parallels with the untouched dmg downloaded from the Parallels web site with Casper. But we need to be able to lock down the preferences. After we have set the preferences and create a new snapshot and dmg using Composer we can't get it to install.

We have also used the untouched dmg in the Auto Deploy Pkg provided by Parallels and could get that to deploy but the dmg created with prefs set would not install.

Any help or ideas is appreciated.

[talkingmoose]

Which preferences are you trying to manage? Are they system level preferences or user level preferences?

FYI, you cannot lock down user-level preferences unless you're using MCX or Profiles. Deploying user-level preference files will at most set your default preference choices but that will not prevent users from changing them.

[donmontalvo]

There are some issues with the current Parallels Auto Deploy package...should see an updated one released fairly soon.

[donmontalvo]

So we're working with Parallels engineers on a few issues, regarding Parallels Auto Deploy wrapper package.

These issues were resolved:

1. PKG now properly registers for 10.5/6/7 users (no prompts to serialize or register).
2. PKG now installs /Users/Shared/Parallels/virtualmachine.pvm with correct permissions.

Issues not resolved:

1. New user launches Parallels and is prompted to add "New Virtual Machine".
2. New user then is faced with navigation window that starts at ~/Documents/Parallels directory.
3. New user must then navigate to /Users/Shared/Parallels/virtualmachine.pvm
4. New user must then have admin rights to add /Users/Shared/Parallels/virtualmachine.pvm.

Just an observation...the Parallels engineers are very talented but they don't seem to have a LAB where these kinds of deployment solutions can be properly tested. So things take longer than necessary to get reproduced and resolved.

We extended an open invite to work with our team to resolve. Thankfully they're hapily obliged. :)

Currently the Parallels Auto Deploy wrapper package that is posted is the one that still has all the above issues. Will post when these last issues are resolved and the new package uploaded by Parallels.

Here's their paper:

http://www.parallels.com/fileadmin/parallels/documents/desktop-virtualization/Enterprise/Parallels_D...

Don

[jhbush]

We went through the same issues, and still have the same issues you have. We're meeting with one their Russian engineers to discuss these issues and other features. I really wanted to have default settings for new VM's like a profile. We've also noticed that Windows installs done via PXE only seem to work well when you choose Win7. The others fail. Have you setup the update server?

[donmontalvo]

@jhbush1973 They should have an updated postflight script that we tested over roughly a month of WebEx sessions, they finally nailed the registration problem.

On the first launch problem, where users must navigate to the virtual machine and then add the virtual machine (and of course needing admin rights to do so), hopefully we'll make some headway there too. We have a WebEx session scheduled for Monday.

Profiles...hmm...that would be awesome, especially if you can manage via Casper. I wonder if the prlctl command line tool can be leveraged there? Incidentally, man prlctl tool shows the tool was updated 14 April 2011 but the guide hasn't been updated since 2008:

http://download.parallels.net/desktop/v4/docs/en/Parallels_Command_Line_Reference_Guide.pdf

We recently signed an enterprise agreement and we're getting tons of requests...so it's good to see Parallels taking these issues seriously and throwing resources on it. Hopefully the updated Parallels Auto Update tool will be available for download soon.

Don

[donmontalvo]

see next post

[donmontalvo]

OK, so Vlad created a script that needs to run at login, as the user. This script will use prlctl to register /Users/Shared/Parallels/*.pvm for that user. If any *.pvm are already registered, prlctl is intelligent enough to skip it.

The script runs fine when manually invoked...how can I get it to run as a login script? I know I need to add $3 but how do I add it to this script?

#!/bin/bash

IFS=':'
for pvm_file in $( "/Users/Shared/Parallels" | grep .pvm | tr '
' ':' ); do
prlctl register "/Users/Shared/Parallels/${pvm_file}" --preserve-uuid no
done
unset IFS

[donmontalvo]

FYI...spinning this off as a separate thread:

https://jamfnation.jamfsoftware.com/discussion.html?id=4310