Architectural Desktop (ADT) is that certain kind of application that straddles the line between a traditional, standalone desktop program and a more enterprise-centric or "client-server" type of application. ADT is of course built on an AutoCAD core, and AutoCAD's roots are firmly steeped in the early years of the microcomputer, developed before local area networks were common. ...

The first step in developing a Deployment and Installation procedure is to stop and think a moment about where you want each of your users to be after you are done, and have handed off the keys to the PC over to them. Under normal conditions, installing ADT is only part of the process. Youâ ll probably still need to fire it up and make extensive changes to the configuration (user profile), such as connecting it to your centralized customization system, setting up access to Corporate Tool Catalogs, installing standard Tool Palettes, configuring CUI workspaces, templates, plotters, plot styles, and so on.

This final condition, with everything tweaked out to perfection, is what weâ ll call Point B. There may be a hundred ways of getting from Point A to Point B, but if Point B is a moving target, those hundred ways can turn into a million. However, if Point B is a well defined situation, then you can break down all of those required steps to get there into a manageable series of procedures. That is what this class is all about â establish Point B and the steps it takes to get there.

You will want to spend a good amount of time preparing the pre-configuration of your ADT installation before you even touch the userâ s machine. If you invest the time up front developing a robust ADT installation protocol, then you will spend MUCH less time doing so after it is installed. You do not want to have to perform the same 20 lengthy operations on 30 different machines. Instead, configure everything correctly in the development process, and only have to do some little things across your 30 workstations. Remember that computers are meant to follow instructions. Write a set of intelligent instructions and they will do what you want in a dependable, predictable fashion.

When sitting at a userâ s machine, you want your perfected automated installation procedure to do the following four things automatically:

1. Prepare the system for ADT by uninstalling any previous versions of Architectural Desktop and related software, then perform any system optimization improvements, such as defragmenting the hard drive or deleting Registry items that get left over from an ADT uninstallation. Create all drive mappings to central server resources that are required by your Deployments and Corporate ADT 2007 customization system.
2. For the user on this machine, create a new, server-side RoamableRootFolder (the userâ s ADT support files) from a preconfigured prototype template folder. This RoamableRootFolder contains a preconfigured ADT user profile which connects to your standardized Corporate CAD environment, as well as a template CUI file that will become the userâ s Main CUI. It also includes all of the required Corporate Tool Palettes in the default Workspace. Part of the automated installation process will be to make the required edits to these files to â homeâ them to that particular userâ s Windows login name.
3. Install Architectural Desktop 2007 with all the correct components, bells and whistles, in a completely hands-off mode. No entering of serial numbers, no selecting of features to install, and so on. Includes the latest version of the DWF Viewer (as of this writing, DWF Viewer 7 with Service Pack 1), as well as other required Autodesk related additional software, such as the DWGTrueConvert utility.
4. Install a new desktop icon that launches ADT with the preconfigured User profile, as well as copy over any program DLLs which have been hacked modified for comfort.