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Central Deployment for System Administrators

System Requirements

  • PC with Windows 10 or later (64-bit)
  • Office365 (64-bit)
  • .NET Framework 4.8.1 (included)
  • Internet connection for license activation

Installation Sequence

The following sequence is recommended for central deployments in an enterprise environment:
  1. First, deploy the certificate via Group Policy or script.
  2. Then, deploy the GraphicSchedule installer using your preferred method.

Jump To Section

  1. Extracting The Certificate from the Setup.exe File
  2. Installing the Certificate via Group Policy
  3. Installing the Certificate via Script
  4. Extracting the .msi file from the Setup.exe File
  5. Installing GraphicSchedule with a Script
  6. Uninstalling GraphicSchedule with a Script

Extracting the Certificate from the Setup.exe File

The GraphicSchedule Setup.exe file is digitally signed with the Grit City Labs Inc. Root CA certificate. Before deploying the certificate via Group Policy or script, you must first extract it from the signed installer and save it as a .cer file. To extract the certificate using Windows Explorer:
  1. Locate the GraphicSchedule Setup.exe file in Windows Explorer.
  2. Right-click the file and select Properties.
  3. Select the Digital Signatures tab.
  4. In the Signature list, select Grit City Labs Inc. Root CA, and then click Details.
  5. In the Digital Signature Details dialog, click View Certificate.
  6. In the Certificate dialog, select the Details tab.
  7. Click Copy to File to launch the Certificate Export Wizard.
  8. Click Next to begin the wizard.
  9. On the Export File Format page, ensure DER encoded binary X.509 (.CER) is selected, and then click Next.
  10. On the File to Export page, click Browse and specify a location and filename (e.g., GritCityLabsInc.cer), and then click Next.
  11. Click Finish to complete the export.
The certificate file is now saved and ready for deployment.

Installing the Certificate via Group Policy (Recommended)

For domain environments, deploying the certificate via Group Policy is the recommended approach. This method automatically distributes the certificate to all computers in the target organizational units without requiring manual intervention. To deploy the certificate using Group Policy:
  1. Extract the certificate file using one of the methods described in the previous section.
  2. Copy GritCityLabsInc.cer to a network share accessible by domain controllers.
  3. Open the Group Policy Management Console (GPMC).
  4. Edit the desired Group Policy Object or create a new one.
  5. Navigate to Computer Configuration > Policies > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Public Key Policies > Trusted Root Certification Authorities.
  6. Right-click Trusted Root Certification Authorities, and then select Import.
  7. Follow the Certificate Import Wizard to select and import GritCityLabsInc.cer.
  8. Link the Group Policy Object to the target organizational units containing the computers where GraphicSchedule will be installed.
  9. Allow time for Group Policy to replicate and apply or force an immediate update by running gpupdate/force on target computers.

Installing the Certificate via Script

For environments where Group Policy is not available or when deploying to specific computers, you can install the certificate using a script. At an elevated command prompt, enter: certutil -f -addstore Root “GritCityLabsInc.cer” The `-f` parameter suppresses the confirmation dialog that would otherwise appear when installing a root certificate.

Extracting the .msi file from the Setup.exe File

The GraphicSchedule installer is currently supplied as a setup.exe file. If you need an .msi file for central deployment, you can perform an administrative installation and store the extracted .msi file in a specified folder. To perform an administrative installation and store the extracted installation files:
  1. In Microsoft Windows, select Start, and then Run.
  2. Enter cmd in the edit box to open a command prompt window.
  3. Use cd and dir to move to the folder where the GraphicSchedule setup.exe file is located.
  4. Enter the following at the command prompt:
    setup.exe /extract
The contents of setup.exe, including the GraphicSchedule .msi file, are extracted to the folder for review and further use.

Installing GraphicSchedule with a Script

When installing GraphicSchedule on a number of computers, it can be helpful to install and license using a script. If you have access to the GraphicSchedule setup.exe file, possibly through a download from the Web, you can perform a silent installation with this statement: runas /user:DOMAIN\GSUser “GraphicSchedule Setup.exe /qn”

Uninstalling GraphicSchedule with a Script

To perform a silent uninstall using the msiexec command:
  1. In Microsoft Windows, select Start, and then Run.
  2. In the edit box, enter cmd.
  3. At the command prompt, type an msiexec uninstall command in this form: msiexec /x <GraphicSchedule Setup.msi | {product GUID}> /qn
Use the name of the GraphicSchedule msi or use the product GUID for the installed version of GraphicSchedule. For more information on msiexec, visit http://www.microsoft.com or type msiexec /? at the command prompt.