Simplifying Deployment with Compound Session Document Files

Applies to Reflection Desktop

This video shows how you can simplify your deployment by saving custom Reflection settings in a compound session document file.
Audio Transcript:
0:05 - 0:15
This training video shows how you can simplify your deployment by saving custom Reflection settings in a compound session document file, a new feature in Reflection Desktop 16.0. 

0:15 - 0:35
We’ll talk about the types of settings you can save in these files and compare them with regular session files.
Then we’ll walk through an example that shows how to create a session with a custom keyboard map, save these settings in a compound session document file, and then package that file in an MSI that you can deploy to users. 


0:35 - 1:03
The types of settings  you can save in compound session documents include:
* Keyboard and Mouse maps that map the keys or mouse actions to host keys or actions.
* Themes that control the look and feel of your sessions
* Hotspots that allow you to use your mouse to interact with your terminal session.
* Ribbons that customize the Ribbon interface
* And QuickPads which contain buttons and other controls that access macros or other actions


1:03 - 1:36
Let’s take a quick look at the difference between regular and compound session document files. When you save sessions In regular session documents, the settings for Keyboard and Mouse maps, Themes, Hotspots Ribbons, and QuickPads, and are saved in separate files. This offers a lot of flexibility for sharing common configurations when you are deploying a number of sessions. For example, you could use one keyboard map file for several session document files. But all these files must be deployed to specific locations so that Reflection can find them. 

1:37 - 1:54
When you save settings in a compound session document file, all these settings are saved in this file. When you use these files, you don’t have as much flexibility for configuration, but your deployment is greatly simplified because you can deploy your sessions without having to deploy dependent files.

1:54 - 2:10
Now we’ll walk through our example
We’ve already set up an administrative installation point – a network share on a file server that includes an image of Reflection – and installed Reflection on a Workstation as shown in the Reflection Getting Started with Deployment guide. 

2:10 - 2:51
To create a session document that uses a custom keyboard map. 
1.We open reflection on the workstation and select to create a new session.
2.Enter the host name. 
3.And after the session opens, we open Manage Keyboard Map and select to create a new keyboard map.
4.Then enter the key we want to map and select an action to associate with the key.
5.We’re not going to deploy this keyboard map file, but for now we need to save it.
6.Now, back in Mange Keyboard Maps, we’ll set our session to use our new keyboard map.

2:57 - 3:04
And when we save the session, we’ll select to save it as a compound session document file type. 

3:05 - 3:30
Now to package this file in a Microsoft MSI file, we’ll use the Installation Customization Tool on the administrative installation point.
 
First, we’ll perform a one-time step to make it easy to open the tool. 
We’ll create a shortcut to the setup.exe file.
  
Then in the Properties Target box, add the /admin option to the end of the command line:
 
\\shared\adminpoint\setup.exe /admin

And then save the shortcut on the workstation desktop.

3:30 - 3:38
Now we open the Installation Customization Tool …
and then choose to Create a new Companion installer.

3:38 - 3:45
First, we’ll specify the information that is displayed for the MSI in Windows Programs and Features.

3:48 - 3:54
Then we’ll Specify install locations, and choose to install the files only for a single user.

3:54 - 4:16
Before we add the file, we type the path to deploy to in the Add files to box. Reflection cannot find files unless they are deployed to specific locations. For our session document file, the final entry should be:

[PersonalFolder]\Micro Focus\Reflection\

The locations you need to deploy custom files to are listed in the Reflection Deployment Guide.  

4:16 - 4:32
We browse to the session document file we created earlier on the workstation, 

Select the file,

And then save the.msi file on the administrative installation point.


4:32 - 4:39
Now we can deploy this MSI file to users with a deployment tool or by sending a link to the file.   

4:40 - 4:46
That’s it for this video, for more information, see the Reflection Getting Started with Deployment Guide.
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Simplifying Deployment with Compound Session Document Files
