Create and deploy an application with upKeeper

In this topic, you’ll jump right in and create an application with upKeeper. In this example, you’ll create and deploy an application that contains the most common application deployed to Windows PCs called Adobe Reader, which must be installed on all PCs that are running Windows 10 in your company. Along the way, you’ll learn about many of the things you can do to manage applications effectively.

This article is designed to give you an overview of how to create and deploy applications by using upKeeper. However it does not cover all the configuration option or how to create and deploy applications for other platforms.

If you are familiar with applications in upKeeper, you can skip this topic. However, you might want to review ???Create applications – link??? to learn about all the options that are available when you create and deploy applications.  

Before you start

Make sure that you’ve reviewed the information in ???Introdution to application management – link??? So that you have prepared your site to install applications and you understand the terminology that’s used in this topic.

Also, make sure that the installation files for the Adobe Reader application are in an accessible location on your network.

Create an application file package

1. Start by creating a folder called Adobe Reader X and copy the Adobe Reader files to the created folder.
2. Create an install and uninstall command file called install.cmd and uninstall.cmd in the Adobe Reader X folder.
3. Start editing install.cmd file using Notepad or similar editor. Add following line:
   EXE /i [filename of Adobe Reader msi]
   Replace [filename of Adobe Reader msi] including brackets with the name of Adobe Reader msi file. Optional: You can add transform configuration to Adobe Reader but this is not covered in this article.
4. Save and close install.cmd file.
5. Start editing uninstall.cmd command file using Notepad or similar editor. Add following line:
   EXE /x [filename of Adobe Reader msi]
   Replace [filename of Adobe Reader msi] including brackets with the name of Adobe Reader msi file. Optional: You can use uninstall string for Adobe Reader found in registry on a computer which have the same version of Adobe Reader installed. The uninstall string can be found in the next step where you’ll test your installation file. Using the uninstall string instead of msi file will improve performance because no files will be copied local.
6. Copy Adobe Reader X folder to a test computer where you have administration rights and run the install.cmd and see that the application is installed correctly. When the installation I verified you should run the uninstall.cmd file and verify that the application is removed completely.     
7. When both installation and uninstallation is working you can copy the entire folder to stage area of upKeeper master application server. Look thru your installation documentation to get information of stage path in your environment, if missing ask you administrator or the person how installed or are hosting your upKeeper system. When application files are in place you are ready to create the upKeeper application.

Create an upKeeper application

1. In the upKeeper Manager web, choose Applications in the left menu.
2. On the Applications page, click Create and a new page with application properties will appear. There are many properties but mandatory properties will appear with red frames.
3. Type Adobe Reader X in the name property. In a production environment you should add version information in the version property. Version property does not refer to application version, but instead to a unique number or string identifying current package of files. Files can edited due to errors or changed configuration and that type of changes should generate a new application with a new version.
4. Type Adobe Reader X in the path property.
5. Type install.cmd in Command property under Install properties.
6. Type uninstall.cmd in Command property under Uninstall properties.
7. Click Save button. Application is now registered and upKeeper Master Application Server will within 5 minutes make a distributable application package of the application files.

Add the application content to a distribution point

If your environment only has one distribution point, the master application server share or your environment has automatic distribution point synchronization this section will not apply and you can go to the next.

1. In the application general tab or in the applications list you can see when an application package is created and ready for deployment. In the general tab application package id will appear in the top of the page and in the applications list there will be a check before application name.
2. Browser to the file share on the upKeeper Master Application server. (see installation documentation or ask administrator for information)
3. Look for the organization application folder. Organization application folder will have same name as the organization id of current organization where you created the application. If you are an installation administrator you can view upKeeper Administration -> Organizations for id and in other cases you can view installation documentation or ask a upKeeper administrator for information.
4. When you found the organization folder and the file with the packed id you should copy the file to all distribution points where the application should be present.
5. When the package file is present on all distribution points you are ready to go to the next section.

Deploy the application

Next, deploy the application to an upKeeper Group which contains computers. In this example you deploy Adobe Reader X to the group All Computers. (see Add group for more details) If your environment missing the All Computers group you can deploy the application to another group or single computer. Remember if you does this in a production environment you should deploy to a single computer instead of a group. A group can contain many computers and thereby affect a lot of users.

1. In the upKeeper Manager web, choose Applications.
2. From the list of applications, select Adobe Reader X that you created earlier and then select the groups tab on the specific application.
3. Click Add and in the Add group(s) dialog check the All Computers group and click the button Add group. Dialog should close and you should see selected group listed in current view.

Monitor the application

In this section you’ll take a quick look at the deployment status of the application that you just deployed.

To review the deployment status

1. In the upKeeper Manager web, choose Applications.
2. From the list of applications, select Adobe Reader X.
3. Select the tab Computers to see the list of computers affected and current status of the application.
4. Select the tab Eventlog to see more details and event in chronologic order.

End-user experience

Users who have PCs that are include in the upKeeper group All Computers and logged in will see a message telling them that Adobe Reader X will be installed.