VMware VCENTER CONFIGURATION MANAGER 5.3, Getting Started Manual

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Getting Started with Software Provisioning
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Getting Started with Software Provisioning
The VCM Software Provisioning components consist of VMware vCenter Configuration Manager
Package Studio, software package repositories, and Package Manager.
VMware vCenter Configuration Manager Package Studio
Package Studio is the application used to build software packages for installation on target Windows
servers and workstations.
A software package provides the files and metadata necessary to install and remove programs. One of the
most useful features of a package is the metadata regarding dependencies, conflicts, and other
relationships that are not represented by software installation files. This metadata is used to determine if
the necessary dependencies are in place so that an installation is successful, and if not, what is necessary to
make the installation successful. This use of metadata is similar to rpm on Linux.
Packages support commercial and custom software that may be installed using any installation
technology, including .msi, .exe, or scripts (Python, VBScript, PowerShell, and others).
Once a package is created and ready for distribution, it is published to a software repository. You use
Package Manager to download the package from the repository to the local machine and install it on your
Windows systems.
Software Repository for Windows
Software Repository for Windows is the shared location to which packages are published by Package
Studio and the location from which Package Manager downloads packages for installation.
Package Manager for Windows
Package Manager is the application installed on each machine to manage the installation and removal of
the software contained in packages. Package Manager is configured to use one or more repositories as
sources for packages.
If you are using the software provisioning components in conjunction with VMware vCenter
Configuration Manager (VCM), you can use VCM to add and remove sources, and to install and remove
packages.
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