Free automatic deployment systems?

Solution 1:

If you have a Windows domain you should read up on using Group Policy to install software. Having said that, though, if the software isn't packaged in Windows Installer (MSI) format this becomes significantly harder. Using Group Policy Startup Scripts to perform silent installations of non-MSI-based packages is certainly possible, but you need some scripting skills to pull that off.

You might also have a look at wpkg. It sounds right up the alley of what you're looking for. There's a pretty strong community around it, and you can usually find "recipes" written by others for common installation needs (example: http://wpkg.org/Microsoft_Silverlight).

Personally, I go the route of Group Policy, either using MSI-based installs or custom Startup Scripts, but I've played around with wpkg and like what I see with it, too.

Solution 2:

I highly recommend WPKG. From official site:

WPKG is an automated software deployment, upgrade and removal program for Windows. + WPKG is open source software.

There are already many existing silent installers available (including Microsoft Silverlight) and writing custom packages is pretty easy.

PS: Update Windows Script on Windows 2000/XP computers if needed, and (CRITICAL) test your packages well on all platforms (XP,2k,Vista,7) before you do massive deployments - VirtualBox can be one tool for this.

PS1: Some testimonials from satisfied users.

PS2: WPKG can also do:

• Windows Updates, but WSUS is the way to go
• Change registry settings etc., but Group Policy is the way to go (if you have AD)

Solution 3:

Assuming you have AD, why not GPOs or Windows Deployment Services? Those are both included in the Server 2003/2008 software.

Solution 4:

We use WPKG (wpkg.org) -- an open-source deployment/upgrade/removal program for Windows. Cheers