Deploying LanSchool Air Using Group Policy

Deploying LanSchool Air Using Group Policy

Overview

The LanSchool Air for Windows agent supports a number of different deployment methods and tools using a basic EXE or an advanced MSI installer. See Mass Deploying LanSchool Air for Windows for more detailed instructions. Please note that our support team can only provide limited assistance with configuring your organization's Group Policy. 

The LanSchool Air Group Policy deployment guide is designed to assist with basic settings and deployment of LanSchool Air Student for Windows using Active Directory Group Policy Settings and an MSI Transform created with Orca.

DISCLAIMER – Every customer environment is different.  Use this guide as a reference and not a requirement of the software.  It is still recommended to consult your local Active Directory administrator(s) or Microsoft support if you have questions about the repercussions of individual settings in your environment.

System Requirements

  1. Group Policy Management rights
  2. Active Directory Users and Computer rights
  3. Access to Orca
  4. Network file share 
  5. Site Admin access to LanSchool Air

Configuring LanSchool Air Group Policy Deployment

If you have multiple LanSchool Air organizations, you will need to create a unique Group Policy Deployment for each organization.

Download the LanSchool Air MSI Installer

  1. Sign into LanSchool Air as Site Admin.
  2. Select the Menu at the top left and select Settings.



  3. Select Setup.



  4. Select Setup Instructions under Windows.

  5. Select the Advanced tab and follow the checklist provided:
    1. Download the MSI installer (LSAirclientinstall.msi). Save this file in a shared network folder you will be deploying from (e.g. \\ServerName\Shared). All devices will need read access to this folder.
    2. Verify provisioning window is open. 
      1. For more information about this setting, please see our LanSchool Air Setup Guide
    3. Ensure that the following pre-requisites are installed on the student devices before deploying LanSchool Air.
      1. Visual Studio 2015-2019 Runtime x86  
      2. Microsoft .NET Runtime v4.5.2  
    4. Copy your organization's Unique Provisioning Code. This will be included in the MSI Transform file.

       


Create an MSI Transform File using Orca

We recommend using Orca to create the required transform file for the LanSchool Air Group Policy Deployment. To download the installer for Orca, click here. After installing the Windows 10 SDK, find and run Orca.msi to install Orca.
  1. Open Orca.
  2. Select File and then Open.
  3. Locate and select the LSAirclientinstall.msi
  4. Select Transform from the menu and select New Transform.

    The title bar will add parentheses after the filename – e.g. LSAirClientInstall.msi () - Orca.

  5. In the Tables pane on the left, scroll down and select Property.
  6. In the right pane, right click any property and select Add Row.
  7. Enter LSA_ENV for the Property Name.
  8. Enter the appropriate value based on the LanSchool Air region you are using.
    Region
    LSA_ENV Value
    Americas
    prod
    EMEA
    emea
    APAC
    apac

  9. Select OK.


  10. Right click any property and select Add Row.
  11. Enter LSA_PROVISIONING_CODE for the Property Name.
  12. Select Value and paste your organization's unique provisioning code (found in LanSchool Air > Settings > Setup)
  13. Select OK.


    Other installation parameters can be added to the Transform. Add the Property name and value for each desired parameter (e.g. Property Name: INSTALL_CHROME_EXTENSION Value: 0)
  14. Select the Transform menu and select Generate Transform.
  15. Enter a file name (e.g. LSA_Transform) and select Save. Save this file in the same network share location as the LSAirclientinstall.msi. (e.g. \\ServerName\Shared)

Create a Group Policy Object 

  1. On one of your Active Directory domain controllers, open Group Policy Management.
  2. Expand the domain object, right-click the Group Policy Objects folder and select New


  3. Enter a Name (e.g. LanSchool Air deployment) and select OK.



  4. Right-click the newly created policy and select Edit.
  5. Under Computer Configuration, expand the Policies folder and then the Software Settings folder.
  6. Select the Software Installation folder. 
  7. In the right pane, right-click and select New > Package.



  8. In the Open dialog box, navigate to the network share (e.g. \\ServerName\Shared) and select the LSAirClientInstall.msi file and then select Open.
  9. In the Deploy Software window, select Advanced and then select OK.
  10. Select the Deployment tab and then check the box next to Uninstall this application when it falls out of the scope of management.



  11. Select the Advanced button and then select the checkbox next to Ignore language when deploying this package and then select OK.



  12. Select the Modifications tab and then select the Add button.



  13. Locate and select the MSI Transform file from the network folder (e.g. //Server/Share) and then select Open.
  14. Select the OK button to close the Properties window.
  15. Close the Group Policy Object editor.

Assign the GPO to Student Computers

  1. On one of your Active Directory domain controllers, open Group Policy Management.
  2. Navigate to the Organizational Unit (OU) that contains the student computers you wish to deploy LanSchool Air to.
    Consider assigning the policy to a test OU that only contains a small number of computers first.
  3. Right-click the OU and select Link and Existing GPO...

  4. Select the LanSchool Air Deployment Group Policy Object that was created previously and click OK

Testing the Configuration

  1. Log into a student computer that resides in the Organization Unit (OU) where the Group Policy Object is linked.
  2. Right-click the Start Button and select Run .
  3. Type cmd
  4. Hold down the Ctrl+Shift keys and click OK to run the application as an administrator
  5. When prompted, enter administrator credentials to elevate the permissions
  6. At the command prompt, type gpupdate /force and press Enter.
  7. Type Y and press Enter to restart the device.
  8. After the restart, log into the student device again.
  9. Confirm that LanSchool Air was installed by following these steps:
    1. Select the Start Button and then Settings .
    2. Type apps in the Find a setting search box.
    3. Select Add or remove programs .
    4. Search for or locate LanSchool Air in the list.
  10. LanSchool Air should also be running in the system tray. Right-click the icon and select Status... to confirm.


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