Installing software from a central position is a real boon for us. The assistance we got from the support staff, the demo and the videos made Desktop Management simply easy.
Christian Christensen, Vestjysk EDB Center Aps

A software repository is a storage location where you can store software packages. These software packages can be accessed and installed, when required, on computers in your network. Using these repositories facilitates easy storage, maintenance and backup of software packages.

Desktop Central enables you to store commonly used software applications in a central location and install them in the computers in your network when required. In Desktop Central, there are two types of software repositories:

• Network-share repository
• HTTP repository

Benefits

The benefits of using a software repository include the following:

• Make software management easy: Software applications can be stored and grouped logically making it easy to identify, deploy and manage them
• Avoid multiple copies of software applications: With all the software packages stored in a common folder, it is less likely that multiple copies of the same software packages will exist at different locations
• Minimize security risks: Security risks are minimized since the folder in which all the software packages are stored has the Read Only permission applied to it
• Enable easy backup: It becomes easy to take a backup of this folder because all the software packages are stored in one folder

Types of Repositories

Desktop Central allows you to store software packages in the following repositories:

• Network-share repository
• HTTP repository

Network-share Repository

A network-share repository is used when you want to deploy a software application to multiple computers in a network. It is recommended that you store the software package that you want to deploy in a network share that is accessible from all the computers in the network. The software application will be installed directly in the computers that you specify. It is useful to use a network-share repository to install software applications in computers in the same LAN.

Most software applications have a single installation file like <setup>.exe or the<softwarename>.exe. Other applications have more than one installable file, however, these files are located in the same directory. Some complex applications, like Microsoft Office, have multiple installable files. Here each installable file is located in a different directory. It is recommended that you deploy such applications from a network share that is accessible from all the computers in your network.

Advantages

Using a network-share repository enables you to do the following:

• Ensure that you do not have multiple copies of the same software application in your network
• Fill the details of your network-share repository automatically whenever you add a package
• Save your network bandwidth as executable files are not copied into the computers

HTTP Repository

An HTTP repository is used to store executable files before you install them in computers in your network. You can use this repository when you want to deploy software packages to computers using the HTTP path. You can also change the location of the HTTP repository if required.

The HTTP repository is created automatically when you install Desktop Central. It is located in the same folder as the Desktop Central server. For example, <DesktopCentral server>\webapps\DesktopCentral\swrepository. You can change the location of the repository if required.

Assume that you want to install software applications in the computers in a remote office. The computers are connected to the local office using a VPN connection or the Internet. In this case, you cannot use a network-share repository to install the software applications. Desktop Central addresses this requirement by enabling you to use HTTP repository to store the required software packages. Using the HTTP path option, you can browse and select the required executable files and upload them to the Desktop Central server. These files can be accessed from the computers in the remote office and can be used to install software applications.

Advantages

Using an HTTP repository enables you to do the following:

• Install software applications in computers that do not have access to a network-share repository
• Access computers when the computers are unable to access a network-share repository because the required number of connections have been reached
• Do not have to set any permissions when using an HTTP repository