Anyone who has had to work with repackaging applications to simplify deployment can appreciate that it can be an arduous task. Perhaps it is something as Admins we would love to avoid.
Yet at times it is necessary to repackage applications for installation, specifically when we talk about updating disk images, customizing installations and working with legacy applications that do not use the MSI installer.
AppDeploy, a company whose focus is as the name says application deployment, has released a new “free” Windows application repackager. AppDeploy Repackager allows you to generate a custom, silent installer based on changes that are made to a system when installing and configuring software.
“Until now, there hasn’t been a free tool available to the administrators that addresses repackaging,” said Ian Northwood of Deepnet Limited, a long-time AppDeploy community member and contributor. “I’m beyond thrilled with this offer from AppDeploy. And with its sharable format, it’s sure to become a favorite of administrators around the world who are charged with the customization of software installs which can be an incredibly time consuming and tedious process.”
For those Admins that need an extra hand or who perhaps are new to application customization and repackaging AppDeploy offers help http://www.appdeploy.com/packages/
Its community boasts more than 250,000 monthly visitors and maintains a broad knowledge base, for many applications, the press release said they maintain a knowledge base of “ hundreds of thousands of applications”, and from what I have seen I believe them. The knowledge base offers the ability to search for best practices, additions and technical issues users have encountered. The community is maintained by some 25,000 professionals.
Again the product is free and the support is there for just about any application you can think of customizing with the library of suggestions and support growing daily. That makes this product a no-brainer.
If you have worked with application repackagers, are looking into it or need something that is easy and intuitive then AppDeploy Repackager is the tool for you.
Get you’re free copy at http://www.appdeploy.com/tools/repackager/
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Ron Barrett is president of RARE-TECH, an IT Training and consulting company. He has been a technology professional for over a decade, working for several major financial firms and dotcoms. Barrett is a specialist in network infrastructure, security and IT management.
He is a co-author of The Administrator's Guide to Microsoft Office 2007 Servers, How to Cheat at Administering Office Communications Server 2007, and the Real MCTS/MCITP Exam 620 Preparation Kit and has been a contributor to Windows 2000 Enterprise Storage Solutions and Exam Cram 70-244-Supporting & Maintaining NT Server 4.
He has also contributed to several industry magazines and was featured in the book Tricks of the Windows Vista Masters. He has worked for Microsoft writing research and analysis documents for Windows Server 2008, Windows HPC, and PerformancePoint Server 2007. He has also created screencasts on Windows Server 2008 Administration for Linux Admins.
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The opinions expressed in this Weblog are those of the writer and may not represent the opinions of Network World.
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