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Omnilert Desktop Alert v2: Installation Guide (Windows)

Omnilert Support
Updated

Supported Windows versions

  • Microsoft Windows 10 or later is required

Installation Instructions

There are two methods for installing the Omnilert Desktop Alert v2 client application: manual and automated installation.  

Download the latest installer file from the "Installers" tab in the Desktop Alert endpoint section of Omnilert.

 

Manual installation

To install Omnilert Desktop Alert v2 on a Windows computer, download and run the installer application using the link provided by your institution. Follow the prompts provided by Windows to install the client app. 

Please note: The installer filename may vary based on the latest version of Omnilert Desktop Alert. (You can rename the installer file if needed.)

After installing the Omnilert Desktop Alert v2, the end-user will be prompted to enter their Personal Access Code (PAC). 

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They will then be logged in as their personal Omnilert subscriber and have access to the features of the Omnilert App right on their desktop.

 

Automated Installations

Unattended installation can be as simple as running a command on a PC's command line:

OmnilertInstaller.exe /PAC=PAC_CODE_HERE

Replace the PAC_CODE_HERE above with the Personal Access Code (PAC) for your subscriber.

The installer's filename can vary based on the latest version. (You can rename the file if needed.)

With no additional switches, the application will install without any PAC pre-assigned. The subscriber would then need to log in with their Personal Access Code (PAC) . (Note: There are options to allow you to supply the PAC to the installer, outlined in detail below.)

 

Windows installer command-line switches

If using a software management system (e.g., Microsoft SCCM), you will need to run the installer with switches to customize the application for your environment. You can use several switches to customize the experience and installation on each PC when running the Omnilert Desktop Alert installer.
 

  • /PAC=PAC_CODE_HERE - Insert a valid Personal Access Code into the application. (Replace "PAC_CODE_HERE" with a valid personal access code from Omnilert.) This removes the need for the user to manually enter a valid Personal Access Code (PAC) on that computer. 
  • /AUTO_UPDATE=0 -  By default, the ODA client app will automatically download and install updates, keeping itself updated to the latest version. If this flag is set to "0", the Windows client app will not auto-update when new versions become available. (Not recommended)
  • /CHAT_WINDOW=0 - Enabled a "headless", full-screen takeover-only mode. Setting this flag to "0" will remove the "chat window". The PC will not receive Windows notifications for Omnilert app messages. This option is best used for kiosks or other installations where there is no need for the app window mode.
  • /HELP - Displays the available command-line switches. 
  • /S - Runs the installation silently (no user input).
     

Example:

OmnilertInstaller.exe /PAC=ABC123DEFG /CHAT_WINDOW=0

The above example would install the client app with a PAC and in a "no chat window" mode, where the desktop will only receive and display full-screen Omnilert desktop alerts. 



 

 

Passing the Personal Access Code to the Omnilert installer 

If managing the Omnilert Desktop Alert v2 client app remotely, you can assign PCs to subscribers during installation by adding a valid PAC to the installation command line.

(This removes the need for the user to manually enter a valid Personal Access Code (PAC) on that computer and ensures that the desired PAC is used.)

In such a case, distribute the application with the following command-line argument:

OmnilertInstaller.exe /PAC=PAC_CODE_HERE

Replace the PAC_CODE_HERE above with the Personal Access Code (PAC) for your subscriber.

So, if your subscriber PAC is ABC1234567, then you'd use the switch /PAC=ABC1234567

By default, Omnilert is installed as a "per machine" application; all users of the PC will have access to the Omnilert app under the PAC supplied at installation. 

 

Shared PACs (Using the same PAC for multiple computers)

This method is most commonly used for shared PCs, such as libraries and classrooms, and uses the same Omnilert subscriber for all users on that PC, regardless of their Windows profiles. 

All PCs using the shared PAC would then be targeted together, as a single unit.

To create a shared PAC:

  • Create a new Omnilert subscriber to represent the shared PCs. Go to People > Subscribers and add a new subscriber. This subscriber doesn't need a phone number or email address. (This subscriber is only used for the group of computers.)
     
  • After creating the subscriber, view their account info to retrieve their PAC.  Copy the PAC for use in your automated installation.

If you need to target groups of "shared PAC" computers independently, create a separate subscriber account (and PAC) for each logical grouping of PCs and install using the desired PAC. 

If you're using a shared PAC for PCs, you can run the installer silently with the following command.

OmnilertInstaller.exe /PAC=PAC_CODE_HERE /S

Note that the installer's filename will vary with the latest version. (You can rename the installer EXE file if needed.)

  • /PAC=PAC_CODE_HERE  - Insert a valid Personal Access Code into the application. (Replace "PAC_CODE_HERE" with a valid personal access code from Omnilert.) This removes the need for the user to manually enter a valid Personal Access Code (PAC) on that computer. 

     

NOTES AND BEST PRACTICES:

  • If using a mass installation system such as Microsoft SCCM, be sure to select the appropriate options to place this application in the "Startup" for Windows. 
  • Note that all PCs will appear as the same "user" in Omnilert's reports.
  • Always test your script/remote installation processes on a small group of PCs before mass installing on PCs.
  • Please restart the PC immediately after installation to ensure the proper registry settings are set to launch this application at startup.

 

Updating from build 1.3.4 (or later)

  • If your desktop client is set to auto-update (the default), Omnilert will display a pop-up prompting the end user to update their Omnilert client. 
  • If the client is set to AUTO_UPDATE=0 (no auto-update), there is no need to uninstall. Close the client app (quit Omnilert.exe) and run the latest installer executable to update the client PC to the current client version. 

 

Updating from older installations (previous to build 1.3.4)

We have found that taking a few steps can ensure proper performance when updating this application using the latest installer.

  • Always uninstall the previous version on the PC before running the new installer. 
  • It is recommended to delete the desktop device from the "Device List" in Omnilert after uninstalling and before reinstalling. 
  • The local Windows user's \AppData\Roaming\ directory on the PC device may still contain an "omnilert_desktop_alert" folder after uninstalling.  Windows may orphan this folder and files after uninstalling. This folder can safely be removed.
  • Please restart the PC immediately after re-installing the Omnilert Desktop Alert client.
  • It is recommended to confirm and delete the Omnilert registry folder inside HKCU/Software/Omnilert and/or HKLM/Software/Omnilert.
    • To open the Windows Registry Editor:
      • Press Win + R to open the Run dialog box.
      • Type "regedit" and press Enter.
      • Navigate to HKCU/Software/Omnilert and HKLM/Software/Omnilert to confirm and delete the folders if they exist.

 

 

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