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Home > RingCentral app > Overview
Desktop & web

Deploying .MSI file for the RingCentral desktop app to
your company employees using Group Policy
| RingCentral app 

Last updated on July 28, 2021
IT personnel can use .MSI files to deploy the RingCentral app to users or computers in a corporate setting. By design, MSI doesn’t support the auto-update feature giving IT complete control over the app version that their employees will use. 
 
 
You can use Group Policy to deploy the .msi file by using either of these methods:
  • Assigning software: Assign a program distribution to users of computers.
  • Publishing software: Publish a program distribution to users.
Note: This applies to Windows Server 2012 R2.

Assigning software

When you assign the program to a user, it will be installed once the user logs on to the computer. The installation is completed after the user first runs the program.
 
When you assign the program to a computer, it is installed once the computer starts, and it’s available to every user who logs on to the computer. The installation is completed once a user first runs the program.
 
Before assigning the RingCentral .msi package, you must first create a distribution point and a Group Policy Object (GPO).

Creating a distribution point

Create a shared folder and a distribution point on your publishing server to publish or assign a computer program.
  1. Log in to the server as an admin user.
  2. Create a shared network folder that will contain the .msi file that you’ll distribute.
  3. Set permissions on this shared network folder to allow access to the distribution package.
  4. Install or copy the .msi file in the shared folder.

Creating a Group Policy Object

The .msi file is deployed through a Group Policy Object (GPO).
  1. Click Start > Administrative Tools > Active Directory Users and Computers.
  2. Right-click your domain in the console tree, then click Properties.
  3. Click Group Policy, then select New.
  4. Type a name for this policy (for example, RingCentral), then press Enter on your keyboard.
  5. Click Properties, then select the Security tab.
  6. Select the Apply Group Policy checkbox for the groups where this policy will be applied.
  7. Click OK.

Assigning the RingCentral .MSI package

The RingCentral .msi package is assigned on a per-machine basis. It will be installed when the machine starts.
  1. Click Start > Administrative Tools > Active Directory Users and Computers.
  2. Right-click your domain in the console tree, then click Properties.
  3. Click Group Policy. Select the policy you want, then click Edit.
  4. Expand Software Settings under Computer Configuration.
  5. Right-click Software Installation, then click New > Package.
  6. In the Open dialog box, type the Universal Naming Convention (UNC) path of the shared installer package you want to assign. For example, \\<file server>\<share>\<file name>.msi.
  7. Click the Open button.
  8. Click Assigned, then click OK. The package will be listed in the right pane of the Group Policy window.
  9. Close the Group Policy snap-in, then click OK. Close the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in. Once the client computer starts, the RingCentral .msi package will be automatically installed.

Publishing a package

Before publishing the RingCentral .msi package, you must first create a distribution point and a Group Policy Object (GPO).
  1. Click Start > Administrative Tools > Active Directory Users and Computers.
  2. Right-click your domain in the console tree, then click Properties.
  3. Click Group Policy. Select the policy you want, then click Edit.
  4. Expand Software Settings under Computer Configuration.
  5. Right-click Software Installation, then click New > Package.
  6. In the Open dialog box, type the Universal Naming Convention (UNC) path of the shared installer package you want to assign. For example, \\<file server>\<share>\<file name>.msi.
  7. Click the Open button.
  8. Click Publish, then click OK. The package will be listed in the right pane of the Group Policy window.
  9. Close the Group Policy snap-in, then click OK. Close the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in.
  10. Test the package.
    • Log in to a computer using an account that you published the package to.
    • Click Start > Control Panel.
    • Double-click Add or Remove Programs, then click Add New Programs.
    • In the Add programs from your network list, click the package you published, then click Add. The program will be installed.
    • Click OK, then click Close.

Redeploying the RingCentral .MSI package

In cases such as upgrading or changing the package, you can redeploy the RingCentral .msi package.
  1. Click Start > Administrative Tools > Active Directory Users and Computers.
  2. Right-click your domain in the console tree, then click Properties.
  3. Click Group Policy. Select the policy you want, then click Edit.
  4. Expand the Software Settings under Computer Configuration.
  5. Click the software installation element that contains the deployed package.
  6. Right-click the package in the right pane of the Group Policy window, then click All Tasks > Redeploy application.
  7. Click Yes for reinstalling the program wherever it is installed.
  8. Close the Group Policy snap-in, then click OK. Close the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in.

Removing a package

  1. Click Start > Administrative Tools > Active Directory Users and Computers.
  2. Right-click your domain in the console tree, then click Properties.
  3. Click Group Policy. Select the policy you want, then click Edit.
  4. Expand the Software Settings under Computer Configuration.
  5. Click the software installation element that contains the deployed package.
  6. Right-click the package in the right pane of the Group Policy window, All Tasks > Remove.
  7. Perform one of the following:
    1. Click Immediately uninstall the software from users and computers, then click OK.
    2. Click Allow users to continue to use the software but prevent new installations, then click OK.
  8. Close the Group Policy snap-in, then click OK. Close the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in.
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