Silverlight delivers the next generation of Microsoft .NET–based media experiences and rich interactive applications for internet browsers. Silverlight compliments other Microsoft products such as ASP.NET, Windows Server and Windows® Media® to deliver unprecedented cross browser, cross platform rich interactive web application experiences.
Benefits of deploying Silverlight in an enterprise:
• Compatibility with Silverlight-enabled websites
• Ability to offer and consume media as part of the web experience on Windows and Macintosh operating systems
• Simple integration with existing Web technologies and assets such as ASP.NET and SharePoint® services
• Better user experience for web application without deployment considerations
How to deploy Silverlight
The process of deploying Silverlight to your organization's users' computers is organized in this deployment guide as follows:
Step Page
Plan the deployment Part 1: Preparing for Deployment
• Planning the Silverlight Deployment details how to plan your deployment processes and strategies.
Test the deployment strategy • Setting Up and Administering a Pilot Program describes the testing process for Silverlight deployment.
Deploy Silverlight Part 2: Deploying Silverlight
• Manual Install options for Silverlight focuses on how to effectively use shared folders, Web, and e-mail procedures to deploy Silverlight. It also details the switches for the installation executable file.
• Using Group Policy to Install Silverlight details the procedures to deploy Silverlight using Group Policy.
• Using SMS to Install Silverlight explores methods for using Microsoft System Management Server (SMS) to deploy Silverlight.
Maintain Silverlight in your environment Part 3: Maintaining and Supporting Silverlight
• Managing Settings Through Group Policy describes how to manage Silverlight in the Active Directory® services environment by using Group Policy.
• Keeping Silverlight Updated reviews system management, automatic update, and other tools to deploy updated versions of Silverlight to your users' computers.
• Troubleshooting helps you troubleshoot Silverlight installation, Group Policy settings, and features in your corporate environment.
Part 1: Preparing for Deployment
Silverlight Deployment Guide describes how to deploy Silverlight to your organization. It includes information about planning for the deployment and performing a successful pilot program.
Planning the Silverlight Deployment details how to plan your deployment processes and strategies.
Setting Up and Administering a Pilot Program discusses how to prepare your users for Silverlight through a training program and describes the testing process for Silverlight deployment.
Planning the Silverlight Deployment
To install Silverlight successfully, you must carefully plan your deployment processes and strategies. This section of the deployment guide contains information about how to evaluate and plan your deployment, including:
1. Evaluating users' computers for compatibility with Silverlight System Requirements for Silverlight
2. Identifying your deployment method Select Your Deployment Method
System requirements for Silverlight
Silverlight will install on the 32-bit or 64-bit editions of any version of either Windows XP running Service Pack 2 (SP2), Windows Server 2003, or Windows Vista. Silverlight also installs on Apple Mac OS X
Windows-based PC Requirements
Computer/processor Intel Pentium III 450-megahertz (MHz) or faster, equivalent processor
Operating system Windows XP with SP2
Windows 2003 Server
Windows Vista
Memory 128 MB
Browser (must be this revision or later) Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 or 7, Mozilla Firefox 1.5.0.8, or Firefox 2.0.x
Macintosh Computer Requirements
Computer/processor • Power PC G3 500-megahertz (MHz) or faster processor OR
• Intel Core Duo 1.83-gigahertz (GHz) or faster processor
Operating system Apple Mac OS X 10.4.8 or higher
Memory (only for Intel Processor) 128 MB
Browser (must be this revision or later) Firefox 1.5.0.8, Firefox 2.0.x, and Apple Safari 2.0.4
Select your deployment method
You might want to use additional tools as part of the deployment process. Consider the following applications and how you can use them to support your deployment of Silverlight:
• Microsoft Systems Management Server can help you automate a large-scale deployment of Silverlight by distributing and installing Silverlight on your users' computers. This automated installation requires no intervention from you or your users. You can create a package definition (.sms) file that defines how Silverlight is installed on users' computers. Then you can create a job to distribute your package to users' computers. For more information about incorporating SMS into your deployment process, see Using SMS to Install Silverlight in this deployment guide.
• Group Policy is ideal to deploy Silverlight in small to medium sized organizations or where it is not being deployed to a large number of users simultaneously. Group policy allows flexibility to distribute Silverlight to individual or groups of users and computers as well as specific OUs. For more information about incorporating group policy in your deployment process, see Using Group Policy to Install Silverlight in this deployment guide.
• Manual Options exist in this section to lightly assist deployments in an environment not using group policy or SMS – such as environments using 3rd party software deployment tools. Install file selection and installation switches are covered here.
Setting Up and Administering a Pilot Program
Before you deploy Silverlight to your users, test your installation of Silverlight in a lab, and then conduct the pilot program with a limited number of participants to refine your deployment configurations and strategies. This process will help you validate your deployment plan and ensure that you are ready for full-scale deployment
Conducting Lab Testing
Install Silverlight on the lab computers in the same way that you plan to install Silverlight on your users' computers. setting up the network installation location on the server and then installing Silverlight on the lab computers from the server.
Automating your installation is an important step in reducing the cost of migration. You can choose to run the installation process from start to finish without user intervention. You can also install Silverlight from the server so that you do not need to configure individual computers. Complete any automation work in the lab before you conduct the pilot program.
After you install Silverlight on the lab computers, verify that the software runs correctly by visiting the website http://www.microsoft.com/silverlight/. The site will transition to an animation that notifies you that Silverlight was installed correctly.
Planning the pilot program
After you test the deployment process in the lab, plan your pilot program. This program provides a scaled-down version of the final deployment.
To plan the pilot program, complete the following tasks:
• Select appropriate pilot group participants, and prepare them for the pilot program. Select groups that represent the diversity of your computer users. If your organization includes large user groups or groups with various computing environments or requirements, you might need to select several pilot groups.
• Create a document or database to track your progress and record issues that might require further action.
Part 2: Deploying Silverlight
After planning and testing, the final step in the deployment process is rolling out your installation of Silverlight to your users. Part 2 of the Silverlight Deployment Guide describes the processes that are used to deploy Silverlight.
Manual Install options for Silverlight provides some basic information about the install file selection, installation switches, and MSI/MSP extraction to assist deployments in an environment not using group policy or SMS.
Using Group Policy to Install Silverlight details the procedures to deploy Silverlight using Group Policy.
Using SMS to Install Silverlight explores methods for using Microsoft System Management Server (SMS) to deploy Silverlight.
Manual Install options for Silverlight
This section provides basic information for deploying Silverlight by providing file version information, installation switches, and MSI extraction. Deploying Silverlight through SMS or group policy can be performed silently without user intervention and is explained later in this document. This section may be useful for companies who do not have an Active Directory infrastructure or SMS and utilize a separate means for software distribution in the company or desire to deploy Silverlight to Apple clients.
Selecting the right version of Silverlight
Silverlight is available for Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, and Apple Mac OS X 10.4. The following table lists the operating systems supported by Silverlight, along with the Setup file name for each.
Operating system File name
Windows XP SP2, Windows Server 2003 or Windows Vista Silverlight.1.0.exe
Apple Mac OS X Silverlight.1.0.dmg
All versions of Silverlight can be downloaded from the Silverlight Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/silverlight/downloads.aspx
Installation Switches
The Silverlight install executable file has a number of different switches to customize the installation. The syntax of the setup file is as follows:
Silverlight.1.0beta.exe
/q = quiet install. This installs Silverlight without seeing the GUI.
/qu = quiet uninstall. This uninstalls Silverlight without seeing the GUI.
Using Group Policy to Install Silverlight
Group policy is ideal to deploy Silverlight in small to medium sized organizations or when it is not being deployed to a large number of users simultaneously. For large organizations, Silverlight is best deployed using SMS or another third-party software distribution tool. A limitation of the group policy deployment method is that it applies only to Microsoft operating systems, ignoring Apple operating system clients.
Group Policy Scripts Extension Overview
The Group Policy infrastructure includes a Scripts extension that consists of the following components:
• A Microsoft Management Console (MMC) server-side extension of the Group Policy Object Editor MMC snap-in that is used for administering and configuring scripts. The administrator uses the scripts extension to specify scripts policy settings in a Group Policy object (GPO), and then links the GPO to the site, domain, or organizational unit to which the administrator wants to assign the scripts.
The Group Policy Object Editor snap-in includes two extensions for script deployment:
o Scripts (Startup/Shutdown). Administrators use this extension to specify scripts that run when the computer starts up or shuts down. These scripts run as Local System. Scripts (Startup/Shutdown) is located under the Computer Configuration\Windows Settings node of Group Policy Object Editor.
o Scripts (Logon/Logoff). Administrators use this extension to specify scripts that run when the user logs on or logs off the computer. These scripts run as User, not as Administrator. Scripts (Logon/Logoff) is located under the User Configuration\Windows Settings node of Group Policy Object Editor.
• A client-side extension, which is a dynamic-link library (DLL) on the client computer that interacts with the Group Policy infrastructure and implements Group Policy scripts on the client computer. A separate process called Userinit.exe runs the scripts.
Important:
Group Policy provides the ability to affect configurations across hundreds and even thousands of computers in an organization. Therefore, it is critical that you rigorously test all new Group Policy configurations or deployments in a non-production environment before you move them into your production environment. For detailed information about staging Group Policy deployments, see Staging Group Policy Deployments in the Designing a Managed Environment book of the Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Deployment Kit.
Example Script
setlocal
REM *************************************************************************
REM Environment customization begins here. Modify variables below.
REM *************************************************************************
REM Set DeployServer to a network-accessible location containing the Silverlight installer
set DeployServer=\\server\share\Silverlight
REM Set InstallerName to the name of your copy of the Silverlight installer
set InstallerName=Silverlight.1.0.exe
REM Set LogLocation to a central directory to collect log files.
Set LogLocation=\\server\share\SilverlightLogs
REM *************************************************************************
REM Deployment code begins here. Do not modify anything below this line.
REM *************************************************************************
reg query HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Silverlight
if %errorlevel%==1 (goto DeploySilverlight) else (goto End)
REM If 1 returned, the product was not found. Run setup here.
:DeploySilverlight
start /wait %DeployServer%\%InstallerName%
echo %date% %time% Setup ended with error code %errorlevel%. >> %LogLocation%\%computername%.txt
REM If 0 or other was returned, the product was found or another error occurred. Do nothing.
:End
Endlocal
Deploying Computer Startup Scripts
To set up scripts on the domain controller
• Copy the script and dependent files to the Netlogon shared folder or another shared folder on the domain controller from which you want the script to run.
Note:
The target computer account needs Read permission to the Silverlight source files location, and Read and Write permissions to the log file location. The log file can be stored on the local computer.
To assign computer startup scripts
1. Click Start, click Control Panel, click Administrative Tools, and click Group Policy Management.
2. In the console tree, double-click Group Policy Objects in the forest and domain that contains the Group Policy object (GPO) that you want to edit. This is located in Forest name/Domains/Domain name/Group Policy Objects.
3. Right-click the GPO you want to use to assign scripts and click Edit. This opens the Group Policy Object Editor console.
4. In Group Policy Object Editor, in the console tree, click Scripts (Startup/Shutdown). This is located in the Computer Configuration\Windows Settings node.
5. In the details panel, double-click Startup.
6. In the Startup Properties dialog box, click Add.
7. In the Add a Script dialog box, do the following:
• In Script Name, type the path to the script, or click Browse to search for the script file in the Netlogon shared folder on the domain controller.
• In Script Parameters, type the parameters you want to use as you would type them on the command line. For example, if your script included parameters called //logo (display banner) and //I (interactive mode), type: //logo //I.
8. In the Startup Properties dialog box, specify the options you want to use. The following options are available:
• Startup Scripts for Group Policy object. Lists all the scripts that are currently assigned to the selected Group Policy object. If you assign multiple scripts, the scripts are processed in the order that you specify. To move a script up in the list, select the script and click Up. To move a script down in the list, select the script and click Down.
• Add. Opens the Add a Script dialog box, where you can specify additional scripts to use.
• Edit. Opens the Edit Script dialog box, where you can modify script information, such as name and parameters.
• Remove. Removes the selected script from the Startup Scripts list.
• Show Files. Displays the script files that are stored in the selected Group Policy object.
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