[KB2185] How do I install ESET Smart Security or ESET NOD32 Antivirus using Group Policy?

Solution

ESET home product no longer supported

This content applies to an ESET product version that is currently in End of Life status and is no longer supported. This content is no longer updated.

For a complete list of supported products and support level definitions, review the ESET End of Life policy for home products.

Upgrade ESET home products.

When deploying programs in large networks, it is important to use a tool capable of performing remote program installations on each and every computer in the network. In the Active Directory environment, this task can be elegantly solved by a Group Policy installation. Installation uses the MSI installer, which is distributed directly to all clients connecting to the domain via Group Policy.

To configure a domain controller to automatically install ESET Smart Security or ESET NOD32 Antivirus on each workstation after logging in, follow the steps below:

Create a shared folder on your domain controller. All workstations should have ”read” permission to this folder.
Copy the ESET Smart Security or ESET NOD32 Antivirus installation package (.msi) to the folder.
Insert an xml configuration file, which is to be applied to the program, to the same folder. The file should be named cfg.xml. To create a configuration file, the ESET Configuration Editor can be used.
Click Start → Programs → Administrative tools → Active Directory Users and Computers.
Right-click the domain name and select Properties → Group Policy → Edit → User Configuration.
Right-click Software Settings and select New → Package.
In the Open window, specify the UNC path to the shared installation package, i.e. \\computer_name\path\installation_package.msi and click Open. Do not use the Browse option to locate the installation package, because it will be displayed as a local network path rather than a UNC network path.
In the next dialog window select the Assigned option. Then click OK to close the window.

NOTE:

If you wish to give users the ability to accept or deny the installation of the package, select Publish instead of Assigned. The next time the user logs in, the package will be added to Control Panel → Add or Remove programs → Add new program → Add programs from your network. The package will then be available to users for future installations from that location.

By following the steps above, the installer package will be installed on each computer that enters the domain. To install the package to computers which are currently up and running, those users should log out and log back in again.

How can I install a preconfigured installation package locally instead of a push install?

Last Updated: Nov 22, 2022