Contents
1. Case Identification
1.1. Summary
When trying to install the Collector with a deployment tool, the installation process fails. The installation however succeeds if one installs the Collector directly on the machine (no remote installation).
1.2. More Information
When installing the driver with a deployment tool, the installation process fails and the following error is raised:
For this MSI package to be installed, Windows Installer must be run from within an interactive session.
Note: this issue only occurs if the user installing the Collector package is not the LocalSystem user.
1.3. Applies To
The case documented in the present article affects:
- NEXThink Collector 3.0.0.0 and higher.
This issue does not apply to an installation being performed under Windows 2000 as the LocalSystem user. An issue has been discovered for this case, that also raises the above error message. If you need assistance regarding the latter, please open a case using http://support.nexthink.com.
2. Analysis and Resolution
2.1. Summary
The Collector MSI package cannot be installed in non-interactive sessions, because it is using some registry hives that are loaded with the profile of the user under which the installation process is made. For solving this issue, it is necessary to run an application that calls the LoadUserProfile() Windows API function before installing the Collector MSI package.
2.2. Analysis
The present problem is due to a limitation of the Microsoft tools being used by the Collector MSI package. Because these tools use registry hives that are loaded with the user's profile, the MSI will not install the Collector properly if it is not run in an interactive session (i.e. one where the user profile has been loaded). If you encounter the present problem, this means that your deployment tool apparently launches the installation process in a non-interactive session on target machines.
2.3. Resolution
Before launching the installation process on a target machine, the profile of the user under which the Windows Installer process is run must be loaded. To do this, it is necessary to either log in with this user in an interactive session or to explicitly load this user's profile with the LoadUserProfile() Windows API function.
As a conclusion, the quicker solution is to launch an application that will call this LoadUserProfile() function just before launching the installation process. NEXThink can provide you with such an application. Please open a case using http://support.nexthink.com.
3. Supporting Material
3.1. Contact Information
If you require further assistance regarding the present case or if you want to contribute to the accuracy of published information, please open a case using http://support.nexthink.com.