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Deliver and Install Applications Remotely With Only a Batch File

As a Remote Administrator for a software vendor, there’s a popular challenge I often have to overcome; I need to deliver a software package to a lot of computers without using the more popular technologies available. Why the restriction? I generally only maintain the servers that house the software my company builds. That being the case, I don’t get access to such tools as Group Policy, SMS or the latest, greatest SCCM that a lot of IT staffs will use to push out and deploy application installs. You get the keys to a few locks, but they won’t give you the keys to the kingdom.

Recently, I was faced with a new challenge. I had a client that was needing to update over 50 workstations at the same time and the updates were starting to come in weekly. Citrix wasn’t an option for them. As a result, the client would have two people stay after work one night every week and walk to every machine (stretched out between 3 different buildings) and execute the new application install updates. After employing RDP, things went a little faster, as they could sit at their desk and login to every machine remotely. That’s still not a great option though.

The following is a batch file I wrote that allows an application to be delivered and installed to every computer on the domain by using nothing more than a text file with a list of the computer names. Read more…

Jeff RSA

Using Blat, Stunnel and Gmail Together

I was looking for a way to create quick reminders for myself.  After trying a few different programs, I looked to the command line to see what I could come up with.  It turns out that “command-line email” is perfect for my needs.  By combining Blat, Stunnel and Gmail, you can create a great reminder system for taking quick notes.  Read more…

Jeff RSA