Once you have generated the SMS package which is necessary for Silverlight, you will next need to distribute it through the creation of a job. There are a number of things that this job may include, and one is the collection of computers that will get the SMS package which is needed for Silverlight.

This will be designated within SMS as being the collection. Each computer inside the collection will get the advertisement for the job once the assignment has been made. Another thing that is needed is the schedule that is necessary for operating the package. The third that that will be needed is the advertisement package, which has to be sent to the computer of all the users.

To generate and process a job for SMS package distribution, there are a number of steps that will need to be followed:

a. Within the "SMS Administrator Console," inside the left area, you will want to expand "Site Database."

b. You will next need to "Right-click Advertisements," then point to "New," and then press Advertisement.

c. Inside the "Advertisement Properties" dialog box, you will want to pick values for these fields: Name, Comment, Package, Program, and Collection. The "Name" is the name for the job. The "Comment" is used to define the package, but filling out this field is not mandatory.

The "Package" refers to the package for Silverlight which was generated when you created the SMS package. The "Collection" offers the name you need for collections for which you wish to deploy the Silverlight package.

d. The next thing you will need to do is press the "Schedule" tab, and then pick the times and dates for which you need the program to run. Should you wish to force the installation of the package in a mandatory manner, you will need to pick the time and date which is necessary for installation. This should be done within "mandatory assignments."

e. After you have done this, you will next need to press the "Advanced Client" menu, and then press "When a distribution point is available locally." Once this is done, you will next need to press "Run Program from a Distribution Point," and then under "When no distribution point is available locally," pick "Download Program from a remote distribution point."

Once the job has been activated, you have the option of looking at it by pressing "Advertised Programs," which is under the "Windows Control Panel." The job may also generate an error log, which will look like (lesmswarp.mif), which can be found within the WindowsTemp folder.

You can search for this file by using *.mif to look for it. To truly make use of Silverlight, it is important to fully understand the installation process which is associated with it.

The Silverlight Installation Process

At the time and date which has been scheduled, SMS will transmit the package to the computers which have been specified. Once the computers identify the available package, the installation will start. The Silverlight installation process will go through a number of different steps.

It will first carry out a Pre-requisite check, make certain that another version isn't already installed, uninstall any older versions that may be present, and then install the product. During the actual installation of the product, the Silverlight registry keys will need to be written, and files will need to be created within %ProgramFiles%Microsoft Silverlight.

Once you've successfully installed and deployed Silverlight, it will next be necessary to support and maintain it. For example, the browser settings can be maintained via Group Policy. Additionally, it will also be necessary to frequently update Silverlight, and troubleshoot any issues which might occur.

Next Page: Maintaining Silverlight Settings Via Group Policy