Reflection Customization Manager Features

  • 7021629
  • 01-Mar-2000
  • 01-Apr-2018

Environment

Reflection Windows-based Products version 13.0 through 14.x

Situation

Reflection Customization Manager is a utility that helps you make installing and running Reflection as simple as possible for your users. This technical note describes many of the new features in Reflection Customization Manager.

Resolution

Use Reflection Customization Manager to customize your Reflection installation prior to deployment to your end users. When customizing Reflection, you are making decisions about which Reflection components will be installed, how Reflection will look and function for your end users, and how you will make Reflection (as well as associated files and applications) available to your end user. You can accomplish all of this with Customization Manager by opening each panel and using the buttons provided to open dialog boxes and quickly assemble your installation package, transform, and companion database as needed.

Features and Functions Available in Version 12.0-14.x

The following enhancements and modifications in Reflection 12.0 were designed to maximize performance and usability in a Windows XP, Windows 2000, and Windows NT environment.

For information about preparing to deploy Reflection using Reflection Customization Manager, see the Preparing to Deploy Reflection guide at https://www.attachmate.com/docs/reflection/14.1/deploy.pdf.

Apply metering at the user's desktop

You can now set metering so that a user cannot start Reflection if the allocated number of users is already at its limit. To do this, click Customize > Set Client Metering Options to display the Set Client Metering Options dialog box. Here, set the requirement and then specify the web server for the metering host.

Ability to move files between installation packages

You can now decide to move files you added to a Reflection installation package to another installation package. Do this by clicking Prepare > Copy Added Files Between Installations to display the Copy Added Files Between Installations dialog box. Here, choose to copy the added files from one Reflection installation package to either another, using a transform, or to a companion package that is a standalone installation package.

Features and Functions Available in Version 11.0-14.x

The following list of changes and additions were designed to maximize performance and usability in a Windows XP, Windows 2000, and Windows NT environment.

New Deployment Panel

Deployment Manager is now divided into an introductory panel and four separate task-oriented panels with the addition of the Deployment Utilities panel. Use this new panel to create a Windows shortcut for installation of Reflection from a file server or create a web link for web server-based installation of Reflection via a web deployment package. Using options in the dialog boxes, the administrator can specify the name, shortcut or link action, language, rebooting control, and tooltip or web page link text the end user will see.

Web-based deployment made easy

Click Prepare Reflection Installation for Deployment from a Web Server on the Prepare panel to quickly prepare a web server-based installation at a web server. For deployment, use the Deployment Utilities panel's Create Web Deployment Packages button to view options that let you configure the installation of one or more Reflection products from a single web link in an HTML page Deployment Manager will automatically create for you.

Important Security Note:

If installing Reflection from a web server, firewalls, proxy servers and settings, and external access to your site are issues that can both prevent installation of Reflection to the end user and/or permit an unauthorized user to gain access to the product and your site. For more information see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 328748.

"Chain" installation of Reflection

You can now configure Deployment Manager to install two or more Reflection products from a single Windows shortcut or web link in an HTML page.

Remove Security with a single click

With all security components now integrated in Reflection, an administrator may want to remove this functionality from the end user's desktop. Simply select "Do not install security components" in the Set Application Properties dialog box to prevent the required files from being deployed.

Reflection "Administrator's Toolkit" new feature

Reflection 11.0 adds a new feature, the Reflection Group Policy template file, to the list of tools made available in the Reflection Administrator's Toolkit, version 10.0.

Features and Functions Available in Version 10.0-14.x

The following features are new to Reflection Deployment Manager, version 10.0.

Reflection "Administrator's Toolkit"

Reflection's administrative tools, such as the Profiler and Reflection Deployment Manager, are now included in the Reflection Administrator's Toolkit, a standalone installation that keeps administrative tools off the user's desktop and in the control of the system administrator working with Reflection. Choose the Reflection "Administrator's Toolkit" product during installation to include these tools on your machine.

A New Look

Deployment Manager is now divided into four separate panels, each available by clicking a button on the left pane. Use each panel to view introductory, preparation, customization, and utility functions of this utility.

Administrative installations to a file server or web made easy

The Prepare Installation panel lets you quickly execute an administrative installation to either a shared network resource (file server) or web-based location. This is the first step in customizing your Reflection product.

Customization Features

Included in this new version of Deployment Manager are many new features that let you quickly customize a copy of Reflection at an administrative installation point for deployment to end users. Here are just a few:

  • A new feature selection dialog box that lets you choose the feature and the mode of installation.
  • Specify how shortcuts should be installed at the end user's machine. Decide the name, location, tooltip, and any parameters you want to associate with the shortcut. Or, choose to not install a shortcut at all.
  • Create a deployment shortcut that can execute the installation anywhere from quiet mode to prevent user interaction all the way to full user interaction. You can also specify the language in which the installation should run: English, German, French, or Japanese.
  • More detail and an improved format make reviewing your customization decisions easy. Click Show Customization Details to review your customization decisions in a browser for printing or archiving purposes.

Copy Customizations between same or different versions of Reflection

Using Deployment Manager's Customization Copier utility, you can now copy customizations from one version of Reflection to another (this is often the case when upgrading to a new version of Reflection). You can also copy all customizations from same-version copies of Reflection or extract added files (that is, file customizations) to a separate, companion installation package.

Companion Database Feature

Deployment Manager now lets you create a separate, standalone Installer database, or package file (*.msi). A Companion Database is a separate Installer package that, because it is separate from the Reflection package, can "span" upgrades of Reflection, thereby retaining added file sets that would typically be lost during an upgrade.

Split-pane Explorer-style Help

Reflection Help has a new look. Contents, Index, and Search tabs appear to the left of the topic pane, making it easier to navigate the help system.

Edit Installation Properties (available in Reflection 10.0-14.x)

In Reflection 10.0-14.x, you can customize the Reflection Installer's property table to include new properties or override existing properties. For example, you can set the installation user and company names, add URLs to Windows 2000 Add/Remove panel, or control the rebooting of a PC. In the Installation Property dialog box, you can select a public property provided for the Microsoft Installer or a Reflection specific property, such as setting the default type of the host system.

Additional Information

Legacy KB ID

This document was originally published as Attachmate Technical Note 1443.