Deploying MS Office 2016 with Munki problems

[Miq Viq]

Hi all,

anyone else testing MS Office 2016 Volume licensed version deployments?

My installer running over loginwindow was hanging here:

Aug 11 13:41:17 installd[1777]: PackageKit: Executing script "./postinstall" in /private/tmp/PKInstallSandbox.kLqkyJ/Scripts/com.microsoft.pkg.licensing.volume.NSHH45
Aug 11 13:41:19 installd[1777]: ./postinstall: _RegisterApplication(), FAILED TO establish the default connection to the WindowServer, _CGSDefaultConnection() is NULL.

And the suspected reason for the problem is in the volume licensing activator pkg (com.microsoft.pkg.licensing.volume).

It has annoyingly stupid solution in it's postinstall script:

#!/bin/sh

logger "Activating Volume License"
volumelicense_exe_path="$2/Microsoft Office Setup Assistant.app/Contents/MacOS/Microsoft Office Setup Assistant"
/usr/bin/sudo -u $USER "$volumelicense_exe_path"

/bin/rm -rf "$2/Microsoft Office Setup Assistant.app"

exit 0

###

I am planning to leave out that com.microsoft.pkg.licensing.volume pkg from the base install and fix the license with a separate pkg that installs the license file only.
let's see what happens...


-MiqViq

[Erik]

Miqviq,

Several of us have worked through the problem in a few ways.

Option A:

1. On a VM/test machine, activate it and grab the generated license from /Library/Preferences.

2. Use a ChoiceChangesXML key in the pkginfo to remove com.microsoft.pkg.licensing_volume from being installed, preventing the loginwindow issue.

3. Create a package and deploy the licensing file.

3. Deploy the updated Microsoft packages.

4. Use LaunchAgent/postinstall to trust the Microsoft AU application.

Option B:

1. On a VM/test machine, activate it and grab the generated license from /Library/Preferences.

2. Deploy the updated Microsoft packages only.

3. Create a package and deploy the licensing file.

Option C:

1. On a VM/test machine, activate it and grab the generated license from /Library/Preferences.

2. Deploy the current Office 365 package (which contains all current updates and all additional packages, minus com.microsoft.pkg.licensing_volume).

3. Create a package and deploy the licensing file.

4. Use LaunchAgent/postinstall to trust the Microsoft AU application.

Option D:

Complain to Microsoft and let them know they should fix this.

No one knows if anything beyond option D is a "support installation". For our testing users, I'm opting for Option A, but I may change my CCXML pkginfo or move to Option B/C as they are faster deployments.

Hope this helps. If you are anyone has any further questions, please move this to munki-discuss. https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/munki-discuss

[Miq Viq]

Thanks for sharing.

I think I will go with the plan B.

-MiqViq

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[Josh Malone]

Option B is essentially what I did and works well. The volume licensed installer will NOT work with Munki.

Of course, option D should also be employed :)

I just started a wiki page for Munki and Office 2016. It would be great if a 365 customer could add documentation on the 365 process.

[Erik Gomez]

The volume installer absolutely WILL work with Munki. I'm using it with a ChoiceChangesXML file. 

Sent from my iPhone

[Josh Malone]

Even with those scripts that reference $USER, etc.? If this really is a workable option, can you post your XML so I can add it to the wiki as "option c"?

[MiqViq]

This worked for me:

<key>installer_choices_xml</key>
<array>
<dict>
<key>attributeSetting</key>
<integer>0</integer>
<key>choiceAttribute</key>
<string>selected</string>
<key>choiceIdentifier</key>
<string>com.microsoft.licensing.volume</string>
</dict>
</array>

and

<dict>
<key>optional</key>
<true/>
<key>installed_size</key>
<integer>12607</integer>
<key>packageid</key>
<string>com.microsoft.pkg.licensing.volume</string>
<key>version</key>
<string>15.11.2</string>
</dict>

Modifications in installer_environment had no effect.


- MiqViq

[Josh Malone]

So you install from the VL ISO pkg, disable installing the license bits and then install the license bits yourself?

And what does your second stanza do?

[Steve Major]

Could we possibly get a copy of this? I'm interested in doing this using MS' default volume installer.

[MiqViq]

Yes, I tell Munki to ignore the volume licensing pkg and I have added the captured licensing pkg as an update for my two Office 2016 base installers.

This second stanza is a partial snip from my pkg receipts.

It means the pkg receipt of com.microsoft.pkg.licensing.volume is optional, so Munki will not get confused if it is not installed.

I have only launched Word.app once after installing Office 2016 on my test Mac but I would say that installing without com.microsoft.pkg.licensing.volume and adding the license file afterwards _will_ work.

But I will continue testing later on this week. And you should probably too do the same...

- MiqViq

[Josh Malone]

Well, I can confirm that just deploying the "Updates" along with the captured VL licensing plist is sufficient and works on other hosts that have never touched the VL installer. MS appears to be doing weird things with the VL licensing process under the hood (see bruienne's work in slack #microsoft office) but you don't have to use the VL installer on the clients.

BTW, Office 2016 is up to 15.13.1 today. You'll have to deploy the updates anyway - why not start with 'em?

-Josh

[MiqViq]

Are you sure that update packages are enough?

There seems to be some other stuff like frameworks, fonts and such that are installed with the VL installer.

I prefer to use the installer that has all the required items in it.

- MiqViq

[Erik Gomez]

Can we possibly move this to munki-discuss?

Sent from my iPhone

[Miq Viq]

This discussion has been moved to https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/munki-discuss/BiLzNhoWq9c

-MiqViq