Detailed below is the process we used to deploy AirServer (http://www.airserver.com) across our enterprise network silently. We decided to run the Beta version (1.9), there are many features and bug fixes that were important to us, one major benefit is the new authentication methods. So far we haven’t had any problems with the Beta version, but we haven’t been using it long!
If you’re struggling to get AirServer working on your enterprise network you might like to check out my earlier post on using AirServer across subnets.
AirServer Prerequisites
Installing AirServer requires that you have Bonjour and DirectX 9 installed. (Even if you have a newer version of DirectX you must install DirectX 9 also, otherwise you’ll get a warning about “D3DXCompileShader” when trying to run the program.)
We plan to install the prerequisites as part of this process, you may not need to if you’re already running iTunes and already have DirectX 9 installed.
Bonjour
Download Bonjour Print Services for Windows from Apple.
Extract the contents of the executable using your favourite tool (We recommend 7-Zip)
You do not need to install the Bonjour Print Services (BonjourPS.msi), simply install Bonjour itself (Bonjour.msi)
We use ConfigMgr 2012 and Bonjour will deploy as an Application, so we used that. If you want to use a package, ahve the older version of ConfigMgr or SMS, or use Group Policy to deploy your packages use the command:
Bonjour.msi /quiet /norestart
DirectX 9
Download DirectX 9c from Microsoft.
Extract the contents of the executable using your favourite tool (We recommend 7-Zip)
Sadly the DirectX redistributable will not deploy as an Application, so if you are using Configuration Manager you’ll need to deploy it as a package. If you’re using Group Policy for application deployment you can use the same command.
dxsetup.exe /silent
Installing AirServer Silently
Once the prereqs are installed you can go ahead and install AirServer. The command for installing AirServer silently is: (Remember to replace YOURKEY with your key to automatically activate the software)
msiexec /i AirServer-1.9.0.msi /qn PIDKEY=YOURKEY
Configuring the Firewall
When you run the program for the first time you will be prompted to open up the firewall. We don’t allow users to modify the firewall settings here, so we have made the changes globally via Group Policy.
If you’re running a mixed 32-bit and 64-bit environment you’ll need to add two rules, one for “C:program files (x86)airserverairserverairserver.exe” and one for “C:program filesairserverairserverairserver.exe”.
In Group Policy Management Editor drill down to “Computer Configuration > Policies > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Windows Firewall… > Inbound Rules” and add the rule.
Done
That’s it! You should now be able to roll out AirServer to all your clients successfully. Do let me know how you get on in the comments!