Microsoft Office Updates

[MarcosMunoz]

I am trying to build a policy that installs Microsoft Office 2016, then have it install the latest Microsoft Office 2016 update immediately following.

I have tried adding "sudo jamf policy -id 123" as a script with the "after" trigger and that didn't work.

I also tried adding that same line into the "Execute Command" portion of the Files and Processes configuration. That also did not work.

Which leads me to my question. Is there a way to accomplish what I am trying to do without having to make use of a smart group?

Thanks.

[Aziz]

Try using a Custom Trigger.

Command "sudo jamf policy -trigger <custom trigger name here>"

[maurie_b]

Could it be just a typo? sudo jamf -policy id=123
did you check the logs?
btw, sudo is not required as Casper runs all commands as super user.

[Aziz]

btw, sudo is not required as Casper runs all commands as super user.

@maurie I know, I'm just so use to it. Old habits die hard.

[pblake]

I'm with @maurie is this a typo of not having the equal sign?

[cmarker]

I do this the same way, but as @Abdiaziz suggested, use a custom trigger instead.

jamf policy -trigger office2016-updates

[scottb]

What would the advantage be in using a custom trigger for this?

[Look]

@scottb In this specific instance, none really they should both work.
If they are not working then it's most likely a frequency (once per computer and it's already run for example) or a scoping issue, them machine is not in scope fort he policy. Calling a policy directly or by custom trigger doesn't override scoping and frequency requirements.

In general, quite a few advantages, the biggest being you can add additional tasks/policies to the process simply by using the same trigger, but you can also do things like make a copy of the policy, make changes to it and when your happy simply remove the custom trigger off the original and apply it to the updated policy without having to worry where and how it's being called by other policies scripts etc...

[McAwesome · Accepted solution]

Seems like having the updates pushed after install is just adding more time to each install. Have you considered capturing the updated version from a machine?

Also, the "updates" are really the full programs without the license. You can also try making a separate pkg of just the license(/Library/Preferences/com.microsoft.office.licensingV2.plist) and push that along with the "update" pkgs. That would save time and bandwidth while ensuring that each machine gets the newest version pushed to them. I do that for a subset of our machines that don't need Outlook.

[calumhunter]

the com.microsoft.office.licensingv2.plist is going to soon be tied to a hardware serial number.
that means you can't just copy the plist across devices, it will be hardware activated.

MS will soon be making a package available with the VL installer that is able to serialise a machine

This means you can simply take the latest suite or app installers from the MS site and then apply the serialiser package to them. No mess, no fuss.

If you don't want to wait, and want to try that out now.

I wrote a little bit about it here

https://themacwrangler.wordpress.com/2015/11/17/fun-with-microsoft-office-2016/

[McAwesome]

@calumhunter I just followed your instructions, and the resulting serializer does not actually work on my test machines. Any word on when the official one will be pushed out or when they'll break the alternative approach?

[calumhunter]

can you be more specific when you say it does not actually work? Can you list the steps you took?

What version of the office installer did you download from the VLSC site? The latest is 15.14.

The serialiser will be included in the 15.17 release on the VLSC site

The copying of the v2 plist has been recognised as a bug by MS, they are looking to fix it the 15.20 release - approx 3-4 months

[McAwesome]

@calumhunter I used the two commands provided at your link with the 15.14 VLSC installer. This made a pkg just fine. The problem is that running that pkg on a machine with unlicensed installs of Office did not license it.

[claven]

@McAwesome and @calumhunter We are seeing the same result on our test lab. I grabbed the VL installer yesterday and we then copy the VL installer and the newly created serializer to a temp folder. We then run the VL installer with a Choices.xml (Below) and then finish up with running the serializer via a postinstall script.

Previously we had use the method of dropping in the "com.microsoft.office.licensingV2.plist" file and then running the VL installer with success. However, after hearing about the pending changes we are relooking at our deployment strategies. Luckily we only have 5 people in the field with the "com.microsoft.office.licensingV2.plist" method as beta testers.

Curt

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<array> <dict> <key>attributeSetting</key> <integer>0</integer> <key>choiceAttribute</key> <string>selected</string> <key>choiceIdentifier</key> <string>com.microsoft.licensing</string> </dict> <dict> <key>attributeSetting</key> <integer>0</integer> <key>choiceAttribute</key> <string>selected</string> <key>choiceIdentifier</key> <string>com.microsoft.licensing.volume</string> </dict> <dict> <key>attributeSetting</key> <integer>0</integer> <key>choiceAttribute</key> <string>selected</string> <key>choiceIdentifier</key> <string>com.microsoft.autoupdate</string> </dict>
</array>
</plist>

[jhbush]

@McAwesome I had the same issue you are experiencing. I'm guessing there is some sort of difference at the moment in those installers. I used my VL installer from version 15.14 and extracted the license package. It worked fine run from the Finder. I'll have to test it from an automated install to be sure.

[MarcosMunoz]

Thank you, All! I just captured the updated version from a different machine like @McAwesome suggested. Seems like I was over-complicating things.

[calumhunter]

It sounds like you are all using the updaters with the serialiser package extracted from the VLA installer.

This will not work.

You need the standalone app installers, or the full sku-less suite installer

this is the link to the full 15.16 suite installer http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=525133

That above installer combined with the volume_licencing package extracted from the full VLA installer from the VLSC site will work. You need to install the full suite first, then install the serialiser package.

The app updates packages that you might get from AutoPKG or similar do not contain the licensing helper stuff that is required for the serialiser package to do its thing. That is why they will not work.

Example:
The standalone installer is on the left, and includes the licencing helper packages.
The app update installer is on the right and does not include the licensing helper packages.

If you want the individual standalone app installers here are the links

Word
Excell
PowerPoint
Outlook

Just a reminder that in the coming months, if you have copied the v2 plist across machines, those machines with the copied v2.plist will no longer be VLA activated. The post marked here as the answer which describes packaging up the v2.plist while correct now, will be incorrect shortly as MS fixes this "bug"

[calumhunter]

@claven

The problem is that with your choices XML you have chosen not to install com.microsoft.licencing as well as com.microsoft.licensing.volume

You need to keep com.microsoft.licencing, this sets up the helper tools that the VL serialiser package uses. This is the same reason that app update installers can not be used and should not be used. Instead only full app installers should be used as these full app installer packages contain the licensing helper tools

the com.microsoft.licensing.volume will only exist on the VL installer package from the VLSC site

Here is an example

On the left is the VL installer from the VLSC site and on the right is the sku-less full installer suite on the right. the full installer on the right installs without a Volume licence, but still installs the licence helper tools. You run the serialiser afterwards to license Office as a VL install.

Hope that help clears it up for everyone

[McAwesome]

@calumhunter That is correct. My answer works but is sloppy and will soon be depreciated. Your way works longer term if you grab the newer serializer. Unfortunately for me, the one I have access to (15.14) is the bugged one that doesn't work well with Casper. It does work fine if run manually though. I just need to yell at the higher ups that control access to it.