Packages for Installing Plug & Play Device Drivers
Overview
To support the installation of a Plug & Play device, you must create a special Driver Package. This Driver Package can be treated just like any other package (releasing, assigning, etc.). Execution takes place automatically when the computer is linked to the Plug & Play device.
Special characteristics of Driver Packages
Driver Packages have the following features:
- They contain a special command for installing the driver (InstallPnpDevices).
- The Packaging Workbench also contains the task Edit Device Assignment for determining the permitted devices.
- Driver Packages cannot be added as components to Software Sets.
- The policy type Shop Policy is not supported for Driver Packages.
Installation of Multiple Devices is Possible with One Package
In some cases, multiple “logical devices” are installed for one “physical” device. Following installation of the device, multiple devices are visible in the Windows Device Manager – and these may be of different types.
To install a physical Plug & Play device, only one Driver Package is ever required –
even if the installation involved multiple “logical devices”.
Also, the same Driver Package can be used to install
multiple physical Plug & Play devices.
Permitted Devices
A Driver Package often contains information on the installation
of several Plug & Play devices
(see previous section). You can select the devices for which you actually
wish to allow the Driver Package execution. These devices are referred
to as permitted devices. Only when
a permitted device is connected to the computer is the relevant driver
package executed.
You can change your selection of permitted devices at
any time.
If you subsequently withdraw permission for a device, this does not affect the computers on which the Driver Package has already been executed. The Driver Package is not uninstalled on these computers.
Take care when using multiple
packages to install the same device:
Ivanti DSM allows you to create multiple Driver Packages to install
the same device (e.g. in different languages). You must then ensure,
however, that only one of these Driver Packages is ever executed on the
managed computer. Otherwise, it cannot be predicted which Driver Package
will be executed.
The "InstallPnPDevices" Command
Every Driver Package for installing Plug & Play devices contains the command InstallPnPDevices. This command cannot be inserted “manually” into an eScript.
Further commands
Driver Packages for installing Plug & Play devices
can also contain additional commands, e.g. for installing a special
application required to manage a Plug & Play device.
The InstallVirtualDevices
command can be used for the installation of virtual devices.