Adobe CS6 Enterprise Deployment with Mac OS X

Adobe CS6 Enterprise Deployment with Mac OS X
 
Comments below are certainly welcome but if you have questions concerning this article please see my Topic/Post over at EduGeek.net http://www.edugeek.net/forums/mac/98536-adobe-cs6-enterprise-deployment-mac-os-x.html
 
Keep in mind that this article is more for those that want a bit more of an understanding on how to push & deploy the serialization file with mass deployment. The Deployment Guides found at http://www.adobe.com/devnet/creativesuite/enterprisedeployment.html are very handy to get a better idea of what the Adobe Creative Suite Enterprise Deployment Utility is for and what it does.
 
 

Adobe CS6 for Mac has done away with the ability to license an install of Adobe CS and then image the computer and use that very image for mass deployment to labs. Now if you enter the SN# into the image it’s bound to the computer it’s installed on and will prompt to run in trial mode if imaged to another computer.

To deploy Adobe CS6 you will need to use a few things. You will need to download the Creative Suite Enterprise Deployment Utility found here http://www.adobe.com/devnet/creativesuite/enterprisedeployment.html 

 

 

Installation Package

This option allows you to build your custom package and have your Adobe CS SN#, Adobe ID and settings in place with minimal user action required to install. Use this option if you have a stand alone machine. You can run the package installer locally or push it out via ARD (Apple Remote Desktop).

Trial Package
This option allows you to build your custom package but does not include your Adobe CS SN# or Adobe ID. This will be the option to chose if you are creating a base image for mass deployment. It install as Trial but after you have deployed your image you will then use the Serialization File to then fully activate the Adobe CS.

Serialization File
You will need to chose this option is you installed adobe into an image for deployment that is running in Trial mode. This option will give you two files “AdobeSerialization” & “prov.xml”. With the help of a command script or Deploy Studio you can apply this to your deployed image.

 

How do you Serialize Adobe CS
You have a few options for deployment but for us it was not an option to push out the Install Package via ARD as we want it in the image. This helps save time and possible issues that could arise from pushing out a 7GB package to multiple Mac labs.

The following are the three options that we will use to best fit our environment. A network command script run via DeployStudio during post ghost, a network command script run manually & to run the “AdobeSerialization” command locally that uses the “AdobeSerialization” & “prov.xml” files locally.

DeployStudio (Networked Command Script)
Using DS is by far the easiest way as it requires a few mins to just add the script to the DS server and into the workflow. There is no extra steps required on the user end to Activate Adobe CS.

To do this I create a share on the server called “scripts” and here I placed the “AdobeSerialization” & “prov.xml” files. I then created a dummy account that I can use to connect to the share. Next I came up with this command line script: 

#bin/bash
mkdir /Volumes/scripts
mount -t afp afp://**username**:**password**@**server**/scripts /Volumes/scripts /Volumes/scripts/AdobeSerialization –tool=VolumeSerialize –provfile=/Volumes/scripts/ prov.xml
umount /Volumes/scripts
killall Terminal
 
In short this script mounts the share I created and runs the “AdobeSerialization” file and serializes Adobe CS. This takes only a couple seconds to run then kills terminal. Since this is done at the DeployStudio post ghost screen after the computer reboots you don’t really see this all happening.

To add this to your workflow you just need to place the above script with the adjusted username, password & server in the DeployStudio share on your DS server. You should see a folder called “Scripts”. Then when you go to adjust your workflow you just need to add “Generic – (Runs a script or any executable file.)”

In the drop down menu for “Command” you should see your new script. Check off the option to “Postponed execution” this will then run the script during post ghost. Also a good option to select the “Automate” option.

This sounds like a lot but having this in place will save you a lot of time and really is easy to setup. Once your computer has rebooted which it will do a few times but will be finished once sitting at the login screen go ahead and open a few Adobe Applications to see that it worked.

Manually apply Networked Command Script
If you already have a computer that has the Trial installed you just need to run the command script on the computer and it will run the “AdobeSerialization” file and serializes Adobe CS. This takes only a couple seconds to run then kills terminal. Now just close Terminal and go ahead and open a few Adobe Applications to see that it worked.

Locally run “AdobeSerialization” with “prov.xml”
You will need both files that were created using the Adobe Creative Suite Enterprise Deployment Utility. Doesn’t matter where they are located on the computer but the terminal command will need to match with where the Hiles are located. For this example I have a folder at the root of the HD labeled “adobe”.

Just open terminal and enter the command:
/adobe/AdobeSerialization –tool=VolumeSerialize –provfile=/adobe/prov.xml

Again this takes a couple seconds. If it ran correctly you should have a “Return Code = 0” This means it ran without an issue. Now just close Terminal and go ahead and open a few Adobe Applications to see that it worked.


Conclusion

Personally the easiest way which leaves little interaction to serialize Adobe CS is to use DeployStudio. You set it up once into a workflow and forget it.
 

Here is a copy of the script I used. Just replace “username, password & server”:
adobecs6_serialize_command.zip

Here is a PDF copy of this article:
adobe cs6 enterprise deployment with mac os x.zip 

Comments below are certainly welcome but if you have questions concerning this article please see my Topic/Post over at EduGeek.net http://www.edugeek.net/forums/mac/98536-adobe-cs6-enterprise-deployment-mac-os-x.html

 

Enjoy!