Creating Software Packages

Thanks to the pandemic, we have remote, roaming, and hybrid users, in addition to our regular office-going employees. In scenarios like these, distributing software to all users can be challenging, especially when considering different departments within the office.

Software deployment with Endpoint Central is a flexible tool that allows automated software deployment across various OS flavors. The fundamental step in software deployment is package creation. To install software on your network, you'll need an installer package, which can either be purchased along with the software (MSI) or downloaded from the Internet (EXE). IT administrators can create and deploy DEB, PKG, SH, MSI, and EXE packages using Endpoint Central. While MSI is a Windows installer, Endpoint Central enables administrators to install MSI packages silently. For EXE packages, administrators may need to manually enter silent switches.

Endpoint Central also allows you to store commonly used applications, which can be installed on client machines as needed. The common applications that include msi, exe, appx and msu files are stored in the Software Repository. The software packages that are added to the repository can then be used while defining the Software Installation Configuration.

Follow the steps below to create a software package manually:

1. On the main console click on Software deployment. Under the left tree, click on Templates.
2. Select the application of your requirement and select multiple applications if you want to create multiple packages and click on create package.
3. You have successfully created a package. The new package will be created and listed under the packages section. The package can now be modified or deployed to your target.
4. To modify or remove a package, you can click on Actions next to the corresponding package and perform the action of your choice.
5. Once a package is created you can proceed with pre-deployment and post-deployment activities.

Here's how you create packages for Mac computers.

Learn more about deploying software to Linux machines using Endpoint Central templates.

Accessing the location of a package

When you create a package, you are required to download the binary from the vendor's web site. You can access the executable link for each package location through the application details. To access the executable links for the location of a package, follow the steps given below:

1. Navigate to Software Deployment -->Templates and click on the required application.

2. In the Application Details window, click on the link against Location for accessing the location of the application.

3. Ensure that the URL of the executable link is added to the exception list in the proxy server.

4. You can now recreate the package and deploy it.

5. These links will redirect you to the location from which the package is being downloaded. The possibility of getting a download error reduces if the link is accessible. However, if you get an error while trying to access the link, then you will get an error while trying to download the required binaries, from the Endpoint Central server. You should verify the functionality of the executable links for packages only from the system on which the Endpoint Central server is installed. Refer our KB document for error while downloading binaries.