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mass-install tool - Install software to classroom PCs (self.sysadmin)

submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by momsi to c/sysadmin

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I thought this was the right place to ask, let me know if somewhere else was better.

I have a classroom in a public school with around 30 PCs (windows) I need to install software on (python and codium). They are all the same PCs. In the past there was a management system but due to some licensing issues that does not work anymore.

How its been done before: Go to each and every PC and setup everything manually, or do it once and mirror the HDD 30 times .... both ways very time consuming.

I thought there might be a better way to do this, do you have any idea?

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[–] Dran_Arcana 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/mem/configmgr/core/understand/introduction

Configuration Manager / intune / sccm / whatever they change the name to next is the first-party solution from MS. It has always been able to modify an existing install. Push out a fresh piece of software, reconfigure one, uninstall one, force a group to update a gpo or update windows, etc...

Most universities use intune/puppet/chef for this in labs and for deployed desktops/laptops to faculty/staff to keep things up to date and consistent.

[–] surewhynotlem 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Sure. We manage about 110,000 endpoints with it at the office. It's just not infrastructure as code.

[–] Dran_Arcana 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Intune is kinda point-and-clickey for sure, but would you not consider puppet and ansible IaC? What would you classify it if not?

[–] surewhynotlem 2 points 1 year ago

As I understand it, IAC is not about managing devices. When a IAC created device needs an update, you update the config, blow away the device, and build new.

Ansible and puppet manage devices. If you need a change, you send the package or config or reg key. You can't blow away a device and build identical, like you can with IAC. At least not easily and without lots of careful group management.

That said, IAC is changing fast and I may not be up to speed on all the features of those tools. We're an MECM and intune shop, with a bit of jamf on the side.