There are several tools available to aide in the deployment and management of Lenovo's ThinkVantage Technologies. Select the application for which you would like to view the Administrative tools:
To view PDF files you must have the latest version of Adobe Acrobat installed on your system.
Toolkits have been created to assist in the deployment and management of Rescue and Recovery and Client Security Solution. These toolsets include:
- Point and click wizard to make the creation of Antidote scripts easy.
- RRUtil.exe is an administrator tool which can be used to customize parts of the Rescue and Recovery PreDesktop Area
- Convdate utility is used to determine the HEX values of date and time and to convert date and time values into HEX values. It can be used to set a custom data and time in a backup field of TVT.TXT
- PowerQuest file for installation of the Rescue and Recovery Environment in a Type 12 partition
- Rescue and Recovery and Client Security Solution Active Directory Administrator Templates
ThinkVantage Technologies Deployment Guide
These guides are intended for IT administrators or those who are responsible for deploying ThinkVantage Technologies to computers throughout their organizations. The major components are:
- Rescue and Recovery
- Client Security Solution
- Fingerprint Software
This guide is intended to provide the information required for installing the ThinkVantage Technologies on one or many computers, and to describe and instruct the many aspects of the tools which can be customized to support IT or corporate policies. The guide provides best practices for installation and deployment as well as a variety of command line tools available.
The fingerprint reader management console will enable command-prompt script-driven customization of fingerprint software settings.
To customize the Productivity Center for deployment, download the Customization Guide and relevant tools.
ADM Template
Access Connections is able to import and export location profiles for the wireless adapter. This feature does not export the wireless security configuration and all profile settings. However, you can download and install the optional profile-deployment feature, which enables Access Connections to export wireless security configurations (including static WEP, password, and so on) and all profile settings. Download the Access Connections Deployment Guide or view the Access Connections location profile-deployment feature to learn more.
System Update 4.0 including all supported languages
System Update downloads data updates for software, drivers, and BIOS from a Lenovo server directly over the Internet without requiring specific user knowledge of where the package is located or if it is needed by the target system.
New for this release
- Microsoft Windows 7 support
Note:
System Update 4.0 ONLY supports Microsoft Windows 7
For Microsoft Windows XP and Windows Vista Users, kindly refer to the System Update 3.14 below
System Update 4.0 Deployment Guide
This guide is intended for IT administrators, or those who are responsible for deploying the System Update program on computers in their organizations. This guide provides the information required for installing System Update on one or many computers, provided that licenses for the software are available for each target computer. The System Update application provides application help, which administrators and users can consult for information about using the application. This guide also includes information about using Update Retriever and Thin Installer.
System Update 4.0 Administrator Tools
The Administrative (ADM) template file defines policy settings used by applications on the client computers. Policies are specific settings that govern the application behavior. Policy settings also define whether the user will be allowed to set specific settings through the application. Settings defined by an administrator on the server are defined as policies. Settings defined by a user on the client computer for an application are defined as preferences. As defined by Microsoft, policy settings take precedence over preferences.
System Update 3.14 including all supported languages
System Update downloads data updates for software, drivers, and BIOS from a Lenovo server directly over the Internet without requiring specific user knowledge of where the package is located or if it is needed by the target system.
New for this release
- Adds support for Vista (32-bit and 64-bit) with Service Pack 2.
Note:
For Windows Vista (32-bit and 64-bit) Service Pack 2, it is required to install the ThinkVantage System Update patch before running System Update. For more information click on the link below:
System Update 3.14 Deployment Guide
This guide is intended for IT administrators, or those who are responsible for deploying the System Update program on computers in their organizations. This guide provides the information required for installing System Update on one or many computers, provided that licenses for the software are available for each target computer. The System Update application provides application help, which administrators and users can consult for information about using the application. This guide also includes information about using Package Builder, Update Retriever and Thin Installer. System Update 3.14 shares the same deployment guide as System Update 4.0. Kindly download the latest deployment guide from the link below:
System Update 3.14 Administrator Tools
The Administrative (ADM) template file defines policy settings used by applications on the client computers. Policies are specific settings that govern the application behavior. Policy settings also define whether the user will be allowed to set specific settings through the application. Settings defined by an administrator on the server are defined as policies. Settings defined by a user on the client computer for an application are defined as preferences. As defined by Microsoft, policy settings take precedence over preferences.
Version control for System Update
You can control the version of System Update that is available to your users by configuring your network repository to store specific versions of System Update locally using the SSClientCommon.zip tool. Storing versions of System Update locally enables the System Update application to search for upgrades within your network. For additional information, see the Deployment Guide.
Thin Installer is a smaller version of System Update.
Thin Installer searches for the update packages from a repository that you create. The repository can be created on your local hard drive, a network share, or external media such as a CD, DVD, or USB hard drive. When Thin Installer finishes installing applicable packages, no registry keys relating to Thin Installer exist - thus the user only needs to delete the folder containing Thin Installer to remove all files associated with Thin Installer and the associated repository (e.g. zero-footprint).
New for this release
- Thin Installer supports Windows 7.
The Package Builder program is meant to standardize the packaging format and content for software updates. Moving to a common packaging standard provides consistency for software distribution applications to develop around and improves the overall customer experience when installing software updates originating fromdifferent sources.
The benefits derived from this packaging specification include:
- Updates are self-extracting and self-installing, which means if a customer must manually download an update without the use of a software distribution tool, the installation can occur by simply launching the update (no further user intervention required). This is a current requirement from the Support Center.
- General update information, such as name and version, are available in the update properties (accessed by right clicking on the update).
- Command line switches needed for an unattended installation are common for all updates.
- Each update has an XML descriptor file that contains the update meta-data to describe the conditions that must exist on the target system for the update to be applicable to the target system.
- Text README files follow a common format and describe the update.
New for this release
- 5 new methods are added to reduce dependecies for external routines.
- Saves comments in XML Descriptor.
- Replaced "Redirect" tag to simple logic to detect version of the packages installed.
Due to the overwhelming popularity of ThinkVantage Update Retriever (TVUR) and ThinkVantage System Update (TVSU), Lenovo has made many improvements to the back-end infrastructure. TVUR has also been enhanced in several areas to provide better performance, usability, and improved error-code handling. To take full advantage of these end-to-end improvements, Lenovo strongly recommends updating TVUR to version 4.00.0010. For a complete list of features, please refer to the Readme file.
Note: While getting the new updates, if you are receiving the message, "The Package Index Server is temporarily unavailable," please update TVUR to this version.
The ThinkVantage Base Software Administrator (BSA) program is a versatile software utility that you can use to customize the recovery process for the Lenovo Preload. With BSA, you can customize the recovery process for computers and you can create personalization files used to automate the setup for Windows based on the Lenovo Preload. Customizing the recovery process is controlled with manifest files.
- Now supports Microsoft Windows Vista (32-bit and 64-bit)
The ThinkVantage Base Software Administrator program can create, modifyand deploy custom manifest files. Manifest files have the extension .cfi, and contain information about the components within the service partition where it resides. Manifest files also control the selections available to the user during a custom recovery. The information contained in a manifest file includes component categorization such as required, optional, and restricted. In addition, manifest files contain meta-data, such as descriptions and comments.
You can save time and effort by using the Base Software Administrator program to customize personalization files to be used on all computers during initial deployment. For example, you can create a personalization file set to join a specific Windows Domain and then use that personalization file on all Lenovo computers;therefore, IT willnot have to manually join the Windows Domain and would have automated the Windows setup process.
The Administrative Template file (ADM) defines policy settings used by applications on the client computers. Policies are specific settings that govern the application behavior. Policy settings also define whether the user will be allowed to set specific settings through the application. Settings defined by an administrator on the server are defined as policies. Settings defined by a user on the client computer for an application are defined as preferences. As defined by Microsoft, policy settings take precedence over preferences.
Note:
- Thinkpad Power Manager ADM and the Desktop Power Manager ADM use the same entry in the Active Directory.
- Currently the Desktop Power Manager ADM for Windows Vista supports Power Agenda.
Power Manager Deployment Guide
This guide is intended for IT administrators, or those who are responsible for deploying the Power Manager program on computers in their organizations. This guide provides the information required for installing Power Manager on one or many computers, and the information about the common administration tasks associated with managing Active Directory. Enforcing a power management strategy on the systems throughout the entire organization can add up to substantial savings.
System Migration Assistant helps get your end-users up and running by quickly and accurately migrating their individual data and settings to their new Lenovo systems, which are then familiar and ready to go. It's ideal for a large corporation moving hundreds of users' data over an enterprise network, or a small business with just a few systems in a peer-to-peer environment.
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