This property page determines general options to be used by Novell® Application LauncherTM/Explorer when distributing the application to a workstation.
Options
These options let you determine if the
application should always be distributed and if the user should be
prompted to accept or reject the distribution.
Distribute Always
By default, Application Launcher/Explorer will make the distribution changes associated with the Application object at the following times:
- The first time the application is launched on a workstation.
- The first time the application is launched after the application's version number has been changed.
To force Application Launcher/Explorer to redistribute the application each time it is launched, check Distribute Always.
This option is useful to ensure that all application settings and files are updated every time the application runs. If the user has a NALCACHE directory on his or her local machine, the files and settings are distributed from the NALCACHE directory. If the user does not have a NALCACHE directory (for example, the user is running Application Launcher/Explorer through a terminal server client session) or if writing to the cache has been disabled for the user (User object > Application Launcher tab > Launcher Config tab > Enable Writing to Cache option), the application files and settings are updated from Novell eDirectory. To force a distribution from eDirectory even if the user has a NALCACHE directory on his or her local machine, you need to change the application's version number or have individual users right-click the Application object and click Verify.
If you need only specific files or settings to be distributed each time, you can update these on a case-by-case basis. For example, if you want to always distribute a particular registry key and value, you can set the Distribute Always option on the Registry Settings page (Distribution Options tab) for that particular key and value.
Because this setting causes all application files and settings to be distributed each time, it overrides the Distribute Always option on the Registry Settings, INI Settings, Application Files, Icons/Shortcuts, and Text Files pages (Distribution Options tab).
Prompt Before Distribution
Check this option to prompt users whether or not they want the application distributed to their workstation. Users are prompted the first time they click the application icon; all subsequent times they are not prompted. To better help users make a decision about installing the application, the prompt includes the text you've entered in the Description page (Identification tab).
Reboot
Select how a workstation reboot should occur. The
available options are:
Prompt Reboot
Select whether or not the user is prompted
to reboot the workstation.
Version Number
The version number is a unique number
between 0 and 65535 that you can increment as you make revisions to the
Application object. If you increment the version number, the application
is distributed again the next time the user launches the Application
object.
GUID
The GUID (global unique identifier) is generated using
the version number and is changed each time you change the version number.
When Application Launcher/Explorer distributes an application to a
workstation, it adds the GUID to the registry's HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE for
tracking purposes.
You can use the GUID to track and troubleshoot distributed applications. For example, if you want to ensure that a particular application has been distributed to a workstation, you can compare the GUID as recorded in the Application object's Distribution page with the GUID that is currently included in the workstation's registry. Using the Synchronize Distributed GUIDs option (Tools > Application Launcher Tools menu), you can make several Application objects share the same GUID. This is useful if you are distributing a suite of applications. Using the Generate New GUIDs option (Tools > Application Launcher Tools menu), you can also ensure that two or more applications have different GUIDs.
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