Adobe Acrobat Reader

The process to deploy or upgrade Adobe Reader involves downloading the standalone Adobe Reader installer and deploying the installation via a BCX Custom Package Task.

Adobe software can be downloaded from their website, but you will only be given an .exe file, which will make the process more difficult when trying to add it to BCX Network Management Tools as a Package Task.

Therefore, you will need to apply for an Adobe Distribution License, which is free and enables you to download the MSI file that can be added as a Package Task. All that is required is that you spend a few minutes filling out a form. Adobe will send you an e-mail with direct download links to the requested MSI files for their software.

Visit this link to apply for an Adobe Distribution License,(Requires sign-in) and tick which software you would like to distribute or obtain the .msi file for:

https://www.adobe.com/cfusion/mmform/index.cfm?name=distribution_form

Direct download link for Adobe Reader installer (AdbeRdrxxxxxxxx.exe):

http://get.adobe.com/uk/reader/enterprise/

Now we need to extract the AdbeRdrxxxxxxxx.exe file to obtain the .msi, which can be done by opening Run command and typing the following (change the path to the AdbeRdrxxxxxxxx.exe file accordingly):

C:\Users\%username%\Downloads\AdbeRdrxxxxxxxx.exe -nos_o\\servername\packages$\MSI\AdobeReader\ -nos_ne

This will extract the .msi and other files to your packages$ share or distribution point. (You could also use 7zip to extract the files if you prefer)

Now we are going to customise the installation of Adobe Reader to make it perform an unattended installation, meaning it will auto select certain options during installation. Firstly, download Adobe Customisation Wizard from the following link and install it onto your computer (CustWizxxxxxxxx.exe):

http://www.adobe.com/devnet-docs/acrobatetk/tools/Wizard/index.html?wcmmode=disabled

Once installed, open Adobe Customisation Wizard, and click Open Package under the File menu. Navigate to \\servername\packages$\MSI\AdobeReader and open AcroRead.msi. You will now be presented with many configuration options of which you may change to customise the installation of Adobe Reader, by simply browsing the different tabs on the left.

Here are some typical configuration parameters:

Installation Options

• Under Run Installation, select Silently (no interface). This will run the installation in the background and require no user interaction, resulting in an unattended installation.
• Under the If Reboot Required at the end of Installation, select Suppress reboot. This will stop the computer from restarting after the installation.

Shortcuts

• If you don’t want a shortcut for Adobe Reader to appear on the user’s desktop, right click the Adobe Reader entry under Desktop and select Remove.

Personalization Options

• Tick the box to Suppress the Display of the EULA. This aids the unattended installation and automatically agrees to the license agreement. If it is not ticked, the BCX Package Task will error because the installation will be waiting for the user to agree to the EULA.

Online and Acrobat.com

• Tick the box to Disable all updates. This will stop updates from being automatically installed, which can consume bandwidth and become a stability issue if the update has not been tested on the network.
• Tick the Disable all Services access box. This aids security and stops users from interacting with it.

Once you are happy with the installation configuration, go to the File menu and click Save Package. Save it as AcroRead.mst and make sure it is saved in the same directory as the Adobe Reader installation files (\\servername\packages$\MSI\AdobeReader).

You can now create a Custom package task to deploy Adobe Reader. In the command box, type:

msiexec /i "\\servername\packages$\msi\AdobeReader\AcroRead.msi" /q TRANSFORMS="\\servername\packages$\msi\AdobeReader\AcroRead.mst" PATCH="\\servername\packages$\msi\AdobeReader\AdbeRdrUpdxxxxxxxx.msp"

After adding the task, select a few stations on which to test the deployment, and confirm the outcome before deploying globally.