1 What a Software Group is
You can create a Software Group containing applications or packages.
Software Groups can be used to install applications in a given order, during an operating system deployment, or to deploy a pack of software to a running computer. See Manage Software Groups.
| You want to | Use |
|---|---|
| Install several programs in a fixed order | A Software Group; the order of the list is the install order. |
| Install the same programs during an OS deployment | The Software Group is selected on the computer; the task sequence reads the group’s variables. See Task Sequence Configuration. |
| Install a pack on a running computer | Manage Software, the Reinstall interfaces and the Deployment Manager. A scheduled install of a Software Group cannot be deleted from Edit Schedule. |
2 Best practice
- Keep Software Groups small and purposeful (for example “Office workstation”), and name them so users recognise them.
- Put software that needs a restart before software that depends on it, and use Add Reboot if your administrator has enabled reboot support.
- Update a group with Replace Package / Application when a new version arrives; editing a group does not change computers where it was already deployed.