The Symantec LiveState Delivery AutoConfig Service is installed as part of the Symantec LiveState installation, and resides on the Symantec LiveState Configuration Server. This service is used in conjunction with the Symantec LiveState Delivery AutoRun utility to automatically provision Pocket PC devices.
The AutoRun utility is a Pocket PC application that the Microsoft Pocket PC 2003 (Windows CE) operating system is designed to detect and launch automatically, based on certain conditions.
AutoRun is used for the following purposes:
To provision or re-provision using the AutoConfig service
To auto-start from a storage card when the storage card is inserted
To perform agent updates to patch the agent
AutoRun can be launched:
When used from a storage card for recovery provisioning
When used in a CAB-based install of the Agent files (using the Pocket PC's Internet Explorer to download and install from the Web)
When installing an Agent Update
When the user double-clicks AutoRun.exe using the File Explorer on the device.
The AutoConfig service is an optional service that resides on the Symantec LiveState Configuration Server using the Symantec LiveState Web Service. This service is used by the AutoRun Utility to automatically provision or re-provision Pocket PC devices.
To use this service, you must:
Install the AutoConfig service from the Pocket PC Administrator's Toolkit installation on the Configuration Server.
Configure AutoRun to Prompt the User for the Group and Profile
Define Groups using the Symantec LiveState Delivery Console.
Optionally customize AutoConfig server settings. Format fields to customize how the server creates display names of newly added devices.
AutoRun does the following:
Indicates whether AutoConfig service is required
Provisions without a profile
AutoRun is used when the agent is installed and needs to be configured, activated, and launched to add itself to the Configuration Database. If AutoConfig=1, all existing jobs are reassigned and install on the device.
The following are the AutoRunCfg.txt settings:
AutoConfig=1
PromptUser=0
Use Provision with Profile when the device doesn't exist in the Server Database, but needs to be assigned a set of packages associated to a selected group and profile.
The AutoRunCfg.txt settings are as follows:
AutoConfig=1
PromptUser=1
Use Re-Provision with Profile when the device already exists in the server database and needs all existing packages to be cleared so that it can assign a new set of packages associate to a selected group and profile.
The AutoRunCfg.txt settings are as follows:
AutoConfig=1
PromptUser=1
To ensure that any existing agents are overwritten by the new agent, set Force=1 in the AutoRunCfg.txt. If you do not set Force=1, your existing agents are not overwritten, thereby leaving your device in its existing state.
Use Agent Update when an Agent Update package is installed by an agent.
Use Recovery Provisioning (from a Storage Card) when a Storage Card containing agent files is inserted to trigger AutoRun to install, configure, activate, and launch the agent.
This is typically used after a hard reset of a device to quickly provision the device, and then install, configure, activate, and launch an agent.
When AutoRun starts, the user is prompted for the name of the group of profiles to use.
After entering a valid group, the user is presented with a list of one or more available profiles in the group.
After selecting a Profile, the Configuration Server will try to identify if the device already exists in its list of computers.
If the device does not exist in the list, the server will add the device. If the device already exists, it will update the details (display name, hardware address, host name, etc.) and remove any existing packages associated with it.
Next, a new list of packages associated to the selected group and profile will be assigned to the device.
Once the server finished assigning the packages to the device, AutoRun launches the agent to start installing the packages.
See also...
Configuring the AutoConfig Service