Parallels DT 8 Won't install via TMI

[pew]

I'm deploying 50 laptops with parallels for a customer. I built the deployment package and added our enterprise license. Tested the package and it works fine. However, when I deploy the same package via Target Mode Imaging (TMI) Parallels, and only Parallels, isn't loaded. If I move the package over to the just imaged system and run the Parallels installer it works great. Deploying the vm container works great via TMI as well. It's "only" the application that is the problem.

My first thought was that the installer wasn't working because it's not a "flat" installer and our distribution point is a Windows server. But if I manually mount that distribution point and pull the package down by hand and install by double click it works fine.

Any thoughts on why this .pkg won't work via TMI but will with a manual double click?

Thanks in advance,

pew

[mm2270 · Accepted solution]

Did you build the package yourself? Straight from Parallels? Built using some other package creation process?

Any dependencies in the pkg install that would require it to be installed on the target machine while booted into the OS? Or even while someone is logged in?
I'm not at all familiar with Parallels, but some packages require one of the above and can only be installed using the This package must be installed to the boot volume at imaging time option. You can try it that way, but not sure of exactly how your imaging process is working since you mention Target Mode. I assume you're using Casper Imaging in TDM, or are you doing something different?

Have you looked at this guide from JAMF? Its not the same version as what you're deploying, but I'd imagine the general process couldn't have changed all that much:
http://www.jamfsoftware.com/sites/default/files/Administering-Parallels-Desktop-7-for-Mac-with-the-C...

[pew]

Thanks @mm2270!

Once I selected "This package must be installed to the boot volume at imaging time" in Casper Admin for the package it started working. If I had deployed this via a policy to existing systems I never would have run into this because it would have already been booted from a live system and instead of target disk mode. But since we are deploying fresh systems we needed to move execution of the Parallels .PKG to be a part of the first run script after the based image and most packages were installed.

I am using the JAMF document for PD7 you list above. Even though I'm working with PD8 Enterprise it has been very helpful. No big changes so far. The main point of that document is to separate the VM container into it's own package and details how to do so.

The other important document is: http://www.parallels.com/fileadmin/parallels/documents/desktop-virtualization/Enterprise/Parallels_Desktop_Mass_Deployment.pdf

The packaging process for Parallels is non-standard but not difficult once you get it. We are doing enterprise with a site license. The basic gist is to download a Package template from Parallels, edit a file inside the package with your license and then drag the current PD 8 software into the package. No need for composer at all just upload it with Casper Admin.

Thanks again for the quick reply.

Regards,

pew