Installing Pulse Client on Windows Endpoints Using a Preconfiguration File
The following procedures apply to Windows installations only.
After you create client connection sets and specify the connections to include within a client component set, you can create a preconfiguration file with all of the connections you want to distribute with Pulse Client. You specify the preconfiguration file as an option when you run the Pulse Client MSI installer program using an msiexec (windows\system32\msiexec.exe) command.
To create a preconfigured Pulse Client installer for distribution to Windows endpoints:
1.Select Users > Pulse Secure > Connections and create a connection set with the connections that you want to distribute.
2.Select Users > Pulse Secure > Components.
3.If necessary, create a new component set with the connection sets you want to distribute.
It does not matter which component option you select, All components or No components. The Pulse Client installer installs all components.
4.Select the check boxes next to the component sets that you want to distribute.
5.Click Download Installer Configuration.
You are prompted to save the preconfiguration. You can also specify the name of the target Pulse Secure server for the connections, which enables you to create configuration files that are the same except for the target server.
The default filename of the .pulsepreconfig file is the name of the selected component set. Make note of the filename and location where you put the file. The preconfiguration file must be available to the clients either through a network share or distributed along with the Pulse Client installation file.
6.Select Maintenance > System > Installers.
If necessary for your environment, download and install the Pulse Client Installer. To install Pulse Client, users must have appropriate privileges. The Pulse Client Installer allows you to bypass privilege restrictions and allow users with limited privileges to install Pulse Client.
7.Download the appropriate Pulse Client installer for your Windows environment:
•Pulse Client installer (32-bit)
•Pulse Client installer (64-bit)
For a Windows installation (.msi) that uses an automated distribution mechanism and where the users do not have administrator privileges, you should ensure that the installation is run in the proper context, typically the USER context. To install in USER context, first advertise the .msi while in the SYSTEM context. For example, to advertise the 64-bit Windows installation to all users, use the following msiexec command:
The advertisement allows the installation to be run in USER context even if the user is a restricted (non-admin) user. The location where the advertisement is run and where the actual installation is run must be the same. If the installation is an upgrade, you must advertise the upgrade version before running it. (Note that it is much easier to upgrade Pulse Client by not disabling the automatic upgrade feature on the Pulse Secure server.) After the installation is run by the user, Pulse Client will use the correct user certificate and context.
Installing Pulse Client Using Advanced Command-Line Options
The Pulse Client installer includes Pulse Client and all the software components for all related services. The preconfiguration file contains the definitions of the Pulse Client connections that provide client access to specific Pulse Secure servers and services.
Usage Notes:
•The preconfigured installer installs all Pulse Client components.
•When you run msiexec, you should append /qn or /qb (msiexec options) to the command line to suppress the installation program user interface.The /qn option specifies a silent install, so no user interface appears. The /qb option also hides the user interface but it displays a progress bar.
•The procedures in this topic are valid with Windows installations only. For information about installing Pulse Client on OS X endpoints, see Installing Pulse Client on OS X Endpoints Using a Preconfiguration File.
You run the Pulse Client preconfigured installer program with msiexec (the command line for launching .msi programs on Windows platforms) and specify the following options.
Command-line options CONFIGFILE is case sensitive and must be all caps.
If the path to the pulsepreconfig file includes spaces, be sure to use quotes around the path.
•CONFIGFILE: This property specifies a configuration file to be imported into Pulse Client during installation. The property must include the full path to the configuration file. For example:
msiexec /i PulseSecure.x86.msi CONFIGFILE="c:\temp\my configuration..pulsepreconfig "
Examples
To install Pulse Client on a 32-bit Windows endpoint using a configuration file:
msiexec /i PulseSecure.x86.msi CONFIGFILE=c:\temp\myconfiguration.pulsepreconfig /qb
To install Pulse Client on a 64-bit Windows endpoint using a configuration file:
msiexec /i PulseSecure.x64.msi CONFIGFILE=c:\temp\myconfiguration.pulsepreconfig /qb
Repairing a Pulse Client Installation on a Windows Endpoint
Pulse Client uses an MSI installer, which supports a repair function. If problems with Pulse Client on a Windows endpoint indicate missing or damaged files or registry settings, the user can easily run the installation repair program. The repair program performs a reinstallation and replaces any missing files. The repair program does not install any files that were not part of the original installation. For example, if the file that holds Pulse Client connection configurations is damaged, the file installed by the repair program does not replace any Pulse Client connections that were created by the user or deployed to the endpoint after the original Pulse Client installation.
To repair a Pulse Client installation on a Windows endpoint:
1.On the Windows endpoint where Pulse Client is installed, click Start > Programs > Pulse Secure > Repair Pulse Secure.
2.Follow the prompts for the installation wizard.
When the program is finished, you might be prompted to reboot the system.