Omnilert Desktop Alert v2: Installation Guide (Windows)

Supported Windows versions

• Microsoft Windows 7 or later is required

Installation Instructions

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

Manual installation is always "Per User", where each user of the application must enter his/her Personal Access Code to use the app.

Automated instructions include both "Per User" and "Per Machine" installation options.

Download the latest installer MSI 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, simply download and run the "Omnilert.msi" installer application.  Follow the prompts provided by Windows to install the client app. 

Please note that the MSI installer's filename can vary based on the latest version. (You can rename the file if needed.)

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

This will install the application "Per User"; each user of that PC would need to enter their own Personal Access Code. Once the PAC is entered, the subscriber can click "Login" to log into Omnilert and complete the process on the first run of the application for their profile.  

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.

Remote/Automated Installations

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

msiexec.exe /i Omnilert.msi /passive

Assuming that "Omnilert.msi" is in the current working directory, this command will install the Omnilert Desktop Alert client on the local machine.

Please note that the MSI 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 "per user". The subscriber would then need to log in with their Personal Access Code (PAC) to log in. (Note: There are options to allow you to supply the PAC to the installer outlined in detail below.)

Windows MSI installer command-line switches

If using a software management system (e.g. Microsoft SCCM), you will need to run the MSI 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 MSI installer for Omnilert Desktop Alert.

• 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, of course.) This removes the need for the user to manually enter a valid Personal Access Code (PAC) on that computer. 
  
  
• ALLUSERS=1 - Install the application "per machine". Any/all Windows users on this PC will use the designated PAC. This also removes the "Logout" option on the client side. (Setting  ALLUSERS="" performs a "per user" install, where the PAC is only used by the current user installing the app.)
  
  
• /norestart - (not recommended) Normally, the installer will restart the PC after installation completes. Use this switch to not restart after installation. Note: When this switch is used, the desktop alert client will not run until manually launched on the PC.  We strongly recommend always rebooting the PC immediately after installation or the desktop alert app may not be added to the proper "startup" process for that Windows PC.
  
  
• /passive - Runs the Windows installer without needing any confirmations or clicks by the end user.

Passing the Personal Access Code to the MSI installer ("Per User")

If managing the Omnilert Desktop Alert v2 client app remotely, you can opt to assign PCs to subscribers during the installation process.

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

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

msiexec.exe /i Omnilert.msi PAC=PAC_CODE_HERE ALLUSERS=""

The PAC=PAC_CODE_HERE section passes the code to the installer.

Each Omnilert subscriber will have a unique PAC that identifies them on the Omnilert platform. Just replace "PAC_CODE_HERE" with the Personal Access Code (PAC) for the subscriber assigned to that PC.  

The above command will insert the Personal Access Code for the "Current User" (HKCU) on the Windows computer. (ALLUSERS="" instructs the PC to install "per User" using the current windows user.)

Please note that the MSI installer's filename can vary based on the latest version. (You can rename the file if needed.)

If the normal Windows user login used for the PC is different from the user running the MSI installer, then they will be prompted to hand-enter their own PAC.  (Not advised)

Helpful Tip: You may need a list of subscribers' PACs to assign clients PCs. To get a full list of subscribers and their PACs, use the Tools > Export feature. Export the "Complete Subscribers Export", which will include every subscriber and their details, including their PAC.  You can then use that list to insert PACs into the install scripts for your desktops. 

(If seeking to run the installer upon user login using a scheduled task, see the advanced instructions at the bottom of this guide.)

Installing to use the same PAC for every user ("Per Machine")

This method is most commonly used for shared PCs, such as libraries, classrooms, etc. This method will use the same Omnilert subscriber for all users of the PC, regardless of their own Windows profiles. 

If using the same PAC for all PCs, you can use the following command to run the installer.

msiexec.exe /i Omnilert.msi PAC=PAC_CODE_HERE ALLUSERS=1 /passive

Please note that the MSI installer's filename can vary based on the latest version. (You can rename the file if needed.)

• The PAC=PAC_CODE_HERE section passes the code to the installer. Replace "PAC_CODE_HERE" with the Personal Access Code (PAC) from your Omnilert system to be used for this PC.  
  
  
• The ALLUSERS=1 switch changes the installation to a "per machine" installation.

The ALLUSERS=1 switch does the following:

• Omnilert will install with the PAC inserted into the local machine registry (HKLM). Every user on this PC will use the same PAC (subscriber) on Omnilert
• There will be no "Logout" option shown in the menu for the end-user on Windows.

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. 
• Always test your batch script/remote installation processes on a small group of PCs before mass installing. 
• It is strongly recommended that the PC be restarted immediately after installation to ensure that the proper registry settings are set to launch this application at startup.

Updating from older installations (For systems installed previous to build 1.1.1)

We have found that taking some steps can ensure proper performance when updating this application with the latest installer.

• Always uninstall the previous version on the PC before running the new installer. 
• It is recommended to delete the device from the "Device List" in Omnilert after uninstalling and before re-installing. 
• 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 Omnilert Desktop Alert.

Logging out of the Client App

If installed "per user" (e.g. directly without "ALLUSERS=1"), the end-user can "Logout" of the client app to clear their personal access code.

To clear out your PAC and unlink the PC from Omnilert, click on Omnilert's logo in the system tray and then select "Logout" on the menu. This will clear out the Personal Access Code from the current computer.

More installation options / Advanced installation options

For additional installation options and configurations such as VDIs, please download the attached PDF document below.