Distributing Applications to Disconnected Workstations

As long as a disconnected workstation has Application Launcher/Explorer installed and running, you can distribute applications to the workstation through the use of removable media such as a CD, JAZ* disk, or ZIP* disk. The removable media functions as a second workstation cache, containing the Application object settings and application source files required to install and run the application.

For example, you have a mobile user who seldom connects to the network but needs an application that you've distributed to other users. You burn a CD with the application and then send it to the user. The user inserts the CD into his or her workstation's drive, Application Launcher/Explorer reads the CD and displays the Application object's icon in the places you've configured (Application Launcher/Explorer window, Start menu, desktop, and so forth). The user then launches the application, which is distributed to the workstation according to the Application object's configuration.

NOTE:  The removable media includes an AUTORUN.INF file that causes Application Launcher/Explorer to refresh and display the Application object. If the user's workstation is not configured to autorun CDs, or you use another media type, the user may have to manually refresh Application Launcher/Explorer. This is done by right-clicking the Application Launcher/Explorer icon and clicking Refresh.

To create a cache on a removable media:

  1. In ConsoleOne, click the Tools menu > click Application Launcher Tools > click Create Virtual CD to start the Create CD Wizard.

  2. Click Add > browse for and select the Application object for the application you want to distribute. Repeat this step to add additional applications.

  3. For each application you added to the list, select the locations where you want the Application object's icon to appear and select whether or not you want to force run and force cache the application. For information about each of these options, see Associations Page .

  4. After you've finished adding applications, click Next.

  5. In the Select Directory for Virtual CD, select the location where you want to create the cache for the applications.

    IMPORTANT:  Make sure the location you select has sufficient disk space for the application cache. If enough disk space does not exist, you'll receive a message stating that an error has occurred.

  6. If you want to restrict the amount of time the user can continue to use the application (or applications) after the media has been removed from the workstation, select the When CD Is Removed Disassociation Will Occur After option > select the number of days after which the disassociation will occur.

    The time is measured from when the CD (or removable media) is removed from the user's workstation. The default time is 30 days. The valid range is 0 to 65535 days.

  7. Click Next > review the settings > click Finish to create the cache.

  8. If necessary, copy the cache to the removable media (for example, burn the CD).