Unable to deploy Adobe CS6 using casper Imaging after converted By Adobe AAMEE

[Annie]

Hi,

After I created a Build pkg of CS6 from Adobe AAMEE, I tried to upload onto Casper Admin for Imaging. they can upload the pkg successfully but the CS6 File size is different ( Regular File Size: 7.66GB, after added onto Casper Admin, the file size is 5.2MB, This also happens on my other pkg as well: MathType, Typing Tournament)

I thought this is the way how Casper works, so then I given them a Category as: "Adobe", Priority: "10". then "Save".

Later on I create a Policy for a test to deploy Adobe CS6 onto Testing Mac Macbook pro. An hour later, I checked on the Testing Machine, Adobe has not been install. Checked on the "Policy Log", They said, "Invalid file path..." something like this.

Is there something I did wrong?
and why there is a File size difference to my uploaded pkg onto Casper Admin.

*Note: if I install the pkg manually without using casper, it successfully installed

[tkimpton]

Hi Annie

Have a look here

https://jamfnation.jamfsoftware.com/discussion.html?id=4482

Myself and a few others are making a dmg of the package and using a script in a policy to mount the dmg and install it.

I am finding this is the only reliable method that is working for me.

[jhbush]

I'm also using the method tkimpton mentioned above via Self Service using AD security groups to define who can install the software.

[donmontalvo]

FYI, there is an active AAMEE enterprise forum, maybe post there too?

http://forums.adobe.com/community/download_install_setup/creative_suite_enterprise_deployment

[carlo_anselmi]

Hello everyone, I am facing a different issue with Adobe CS6 - both "Master Collection" and "Design&Web" - packaged with AAMEE 3 and deployed with ARD or Casper (it seems not to make a difference).

After a few days or regular and smooth usage on the user side - as soon as you open any CS app – it keeps bouncing in the dock together with Adobe Application Manager.

It looks like the CS app is trying to start up and somehow needs to "talk" to AAM but they go into a never ending loop.
The only "solution" I found so far is un-installing and re-installing the suite and hoping it does not happen again.
The weird thing is only some clients are affected and they all share the same image (OS/configuration) and CS6 installation (only recently added).

Clients are managed with MCX but it also affects the local admin (with administrative privileges).

I was wondering if anyone has seen this behavior and what the cause could be.
Many thanks for your help!
Ciao
Carlo

[donmontalvo]

@carlo.anselmi Have you tried the latest AAM patch?

http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/detail.jsp?ftpID=4774

[carlo_anselmi]

Hi Don, I haven't yet but will immediately!
Many thanks, I'll let you know how it goes.
Ciao
Carlo

[TheDecline]

I am having an issues as well. I created the C6 Web Premium pkg in AAMEE 3.1. When I put the pkg in a configuration for netbooting it skips the install. I push it from casper remote and it works. Any reason why it would install in Casper Remote but not in Casper Imaging?

[donmontalvo]

@TheDecline SMB?

[carlo_anselmi]

My experience with AAMEE pkgs and CS6 has been "various" so far. At times it works only if the Mac is at the login window, others when a user is logged in. The very same pkg can then fail when installed from a login policy and succeded when installed with SelfService as local admin.
So far the most reliable way seemed to be ARD, which of course is not quite handy
My two cents
Ciao
Carlo

EDIT: AFP only!

[TheDecline]

Don, It is AFP

Carlo, that is not good to hear..

[TheDecline]

Don, It is AFP

Carlo, that is not good to hear..

[donmontalvo]

@TheDecline For what it's worth, we've been deploying CS5/5.5/6 using AAMEE for a couple years now. There were a few issues with the older AAMEE versions, but 3.1 is really very good. The only issue I've run into, and I've spoken up about this, is the SMB issue. AAMEE packages somehow get corrupted when stored on SMB shares. JAMF provides a KB for this, although it does not address the issue at imaging time (only for pushes or Self Service):

https://jamfnation.jamfsoftware.com/article.html?id=161

We've deployed to over 1,000 users. Some during imaging time (new Macs), some via push (including removal of older versions), and some via Self Service (to controlled target groups).

Don

[jafuller]

@TheDecline: When imaging, it'll want to boot into the OS to install Adobe so you'll have to have the "This package must be installed to the boot volume at imaging time" option selected on the installer in Casper Admin. It'll use an account called Temporary Adobe Install typically behind a JAMFHelper screen (sometimes not). Allow this to finish and iti'll reboot back to the login screen.

Right now, you may actually have the PKG on the drive after imaging. I've noticed that if I don't check that box, imaging basically copies the PKG to the root.

[dderusha]

We have had varied success. also using AAMEE for standard installs.

At imaging time
we have a PKG that has "This package must be installed to the boot volume at imaging time" option selected on the installer in Casper Admin. It'll use an account called Temporary Adobe Install typically behind a JAMFHelper screen (sometimes not). Allow this to finish and iti'll reboot back to the login screen.

when it is done, it will delete the package and the adobe account.

This has been successful and have not had to troubleshoot.

Self Service

We have the installer PKG copied into /Users/Shared , after it is copied this script is called

#!/bin/sh

# Variables used for logging
logFile="/private/var/log/installCS6PKG-Users-Shared.log"

####################################################################################################
# 
# LOGGING FUNCTION
#
####################################################################################################

log () {
    echo $1
    echo $(date "+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S: ") $1 >> $logFile  
}


mv /Users/Shared/Adobe CS6 Standard AAMEEv1_Install.pkg /Users/Shared/AdobeCS6StandardAAMEEv1Install.pkg

log "PKG Renamed successfully AdobeCS6StandardAAMEEv1Install.pkg"

log "Installing AdobeCS6StandardAAMEEv1Install.pkg ......"
sudo jamf install -path /Users/Shared -package AdobeCS6StandardAAMEEv1Install.pkg

log "Package Successfully Installed AdobeCS6StandardAAMEEv1Install.pkg"


sudo jamf displayMessage -message "Soups Done! Package Successfully Installed Adobe CS6 Standard"

/bin/rm -R /Users/Shared/AdobeCS6StandardAAMEEv1Install.pkg

This ensures the user is logged in for the PKG deployment.

Caper Remote
We have had mixed results using remote.
Using the main Distribution point has been near perfect. Using a distribution point for a remote location has not been as successful. I'm not sure if something is happening to the PKG during the sync so I zipped them and moved them over using another method. this worked for a while but then the techs using those distribution points were complaining it was not working. it would go about 90% and fail. Oddly enough sending it using remote a second time would work. Not ideal, but it worked for now. JAMF support said to try and chmod -R the pkg to 755.
I did not have 100% success with chmod. Still working though it, will update if anything changes. Once we have successfully deployed, we have had 0 issues with the suite. Just getting it there has been the challenge

[TheDecline]

Thanks guys I will give this a try and post the findings.

[donmontalvo]

@TheDecline Just curious, did you exclude Adobe AIR when creating the PKG? What options did you select? Got screenshots?

[donmontalvo]

dupe

[gregp]

We use AAMEE 3.1 and its been working fine. As jafuller mentioned, be sure you select "This package must be installed to the boot volume at imaging time."

This past Sept, made the Design Std CS6 pkg with current patches (at the time). Tossed the pkg into Casper Admin and after re-imaging ~1000 machines as an upgrade to Mtn Lion, didn't run into any problems specifically related to that.

Also have a few other of the Suites packaged up for special deployment, with the current updates (as of the time of packaging). Those also work. Everyone gets Design Std, and if they want something else, then we uninstall that and install the other one (e.g. Prod Premium). Then toss on individual applications as required.

And we have AIR deselected as well.

AAMEE 3.1 seems to work pretty well and can go from nothing to a policy ready to go in less than half an hour with no fuss. (probably much less than a half hour, but I didn't time it).

[carlo_anselmi]

Hello again, @don: Thank you, I checked one of those troublesome CS6 and AAM seems broken, as an error message appear saying I should contact the customer service. On this client I cannot even update AAM with the patch you suggested.
Then I tried with another one and - I can't remebember exactly how I did - but I somehow started downloading AAM that needed to be reinstalled and asked for my Adobe ID, like if CS6 registration was lost. But even after that the "loop" between AAM and any CS6 jumping in the dock started again.
So it looks like it's AAM fault, It would be interesting to know if there's a way to clean uninstall/reinstall it and see if it's only an issue related to registration or something else.
The weird thing is that CS6 might becomes unsable after several days and I would assume that if tehre was an issue with registration/installation, it should appear immediately...
Thank you all
Ciao
Carlo

[donmontalvo]

I should have mentioned, we migrated our Distribution Points back over to AFP to avoid the SMB issue (since it "breaks" our imaging workflow). So we're able to deploy CS6 at imaging time and via push (policy or SS). I'm hoping Adobe irons out the AAMEE/SMB issues. :)

@gregp When you uninstall, are you using the AAMEE generated "uninstaller" PKG? The reason I ask, Apple never supported or recommended uninstallers (one reason thrown at me is "uninstalls can't deal with merges"). I presume AAMEE uninstalls what its installer counterpart PKG installed. The problem there is if any changes are made to the suite, the AAMEE uninstaller breaks. Thankfully CS6 handles concurrent installs with fewer issues (really haven't run into any - yet) than older versions.

@dderusha Wow, your script would be helpful to us...mind if I steal it? :)

Don

[TheDecline]

Ok I got it to work on imaging a new machine, Thank You jafuller, dderusha, gregp. I checked "This package must be installed to the boot volume at imaging time". I was hoping this was going to work when pushing from a policy but it fails and I get an error of Installation failed. The installer reported: installer: Package name is CS6 Web Premium 12_14_12
installer: Installing at base path /
installer: The install failed (The Installer encountered an error that caused the installation to fail. Contact the software manufacturer for assistance.)

@ Don yes i did exclude Adobe AIR when creating the PKG. I didn't take any screenshots. I followed Administering-Adobe-Creative-Suite-6-with-the-Casper-Suite guide pdf

[dderusha]

@dderusha Wow, your script would be helpful to us...mind if I steal it? :)

what's mine is yours! I'm pretty sure we mashed that up from another script...

@TheDecline did you have a user logged in when this policy kicked off? .pkg's need a user logged in.

Dan

[TheDecline]

@dderusha it was at log in screen, I will log a user in and test that. thanks

[TheDecline]

Still fails while pushing it with a policy and being logged in as an admin user. I watched the whole install and you can see the CS6 applications being installed but then all disappear. The log reads as follows:

"Installation failed. The installer reported: installer: Package name is CS6 Web Premium 12_14_12
installer: Installing at base path /
installer: The install failed (The Installer encountered an error that caused the installation to fail. Contact the software manufacturer for assistance.)"

[bentoms]

You need to cache the package 1st, then install from cached.

Try installing the pkg manually from a server volume, you should get the same error

[donmontalvo]

@bentoms @TheDecline Also force AFP...for some reason HTTP fails when dealing with AAMEE packages.

[bentoms]

@Don.. even when caching?

[donmontalvo]

@bentoms I remember we were having issues with HTTP so we switched to AFP, and there was another reason why we were caching, so we ended up combining AFP and caching. Hmm...can't remember if we tested HTTP and caching. I guess if HTTP works that would be great since it's a resumable download. Is that what you guys are doing? Pencil and paper in hand... :)

[bentoms]

@Don, we're looking to move to HTTPS from AFP.

Guess I'll test this! & will report back.

[TheDecline]

@Bentoms

that was it i had to cache the pkg first then install from cache. Thank you.

And thank you everyone who gave direction.

Happy New Year

[donmontalvo]

Beer for @bentoms! :)

external image link

[bentoms]

Awesome! Will hopefully cash that beer one JNUC.