Office 2011 14.2 update installation problems

We have received numerous reports of problems when attempting to install the Office 2011 SP2 (14.2) update remotely using Casper.  However, the update seems to deploy using ARD but you should be aware of a few peculiarities. 

Microsoft changed the format of their update package from an .mpkg to a .pkg.  While this might not sound like much of a change there are significant differences in how the two types work. .pkg files are flat packages that don't do anything more than bundle up files into an installation wrapper.  .mpkg files are much more customizable and can link to other packages.

It seems that even though the 14.2 updater is a .pkg it is not actually a flat file.  I don't know what magic Microsoft has tried to work but there seems to be many problems relating to this new composition.

While the updater runs fine from a local machine, attempting to deploy it though Casper does not work.  Even though Casper (and the Mac) report that the installation was successful, the Office version remains the same and the update does not get installed.

Installing the .pkg through ARD works, however when you launch Outlook you get the following error:

Deleting the daemon from the user's startup items and restarting fixes this problem.

If you launch Word before restarting you will probably see this error:

After a restart this error should go away.

Once you restart, launch Outlook and you will get the following message:

Before clicking "Upgrade" it is a good idea to back-up the user's Main Identity.

Once you click "Upgrade" you are committed- you must let it finish or you will get data corruption.  A 2GB profile on an i5 iMac took about 7 minutes to upgrade.

The upshot of all this is that SP2 is not a "fire and forget" update.  A good deal of intervention is required to ensure that the process goes smoothly.

How to configure a hidden account that has ARD access and also must request control from the user

I was asked to create a hidden account that had remote control access through ARD but that also had to request permission from the user before being allowed access to the computer

Running the following in ARD/Unix using the root account will create a hidden standard account called "hidden", set the password to "Hidden123", turn on "request permissions to observe/control" and add the account to the Remote Management "allowed users" list:

dscl . -create /Users/hidden
dscl . -create /Users/hidden UserShell /bin/bash
dscl . -create /Users/hidden RealName "hidden"
dscl . -create /Users/hidden UniqueID 499
dscl . -create /Users/hidden PrimaryGroupID 1000
dscl . -create /Users/hidden NFSHomeDirectory /Local/Users/hidden
dscl . -passwd /Users/hidden Hidden123
/System/Library/CoreServices/RemoteManagement/ARDAgent.app/Contents/Resources/kickstart -activate -configure -access -on -users hidden -privs -none -clientopts -setreqperm -reqperm yes

A "UniqueID" lower than 500 will create a hidden account.

To remove the account (run as root through ARD):

dscl . -delete /Users/hidden

This works for Leopard and Snow Leopard

ARD "Screen Sharing Available" problem

Many reports have come where ARD connections to remote computers display "Screen Sharing Available" next to the computer name and that although remote control and observation is possible, package install and file copies fail.

The first thing to check is to see if the firewall on the ARD console and host computers are turned off.  By default the firewall blocks all ARD connections.

Secondly, check to see if the folder /var/db/RemoteManagement exists on the client machine.  For some reason, this folder doesn't get created and it prevents proper ARD connections.

Also check A and PRT records to make sure there are no duplicate names or IPs for the client.

You can also try uninstalling and reinstalling ARD.

Uninstall instructions:

1. Open Terminal (located in /Applications/Utilities).
2. Delete the client pieces from /System/Library/ using the following commands in the Terminal application:
   

   $ sudo rm -rf /System/Library/CoreServices/Menu\ Extras/RemoteDesktop.menu

   $ sudo rm -rf /System/Library/CoreServices/RemoteManagement/

   $ sudo rm -rf /System/Library/PreferencePanes/ARDPref.prefPane

   $ sudo rm -rf /System/Library/StartupItems/RemoteDesktopAgent/





3. Delete the client preferences from /Library/Preferences/ using the following command in the Terminal application:
   

   $ sudo rm /Library/Preferences/com.apple.ARDAgent.plist

   $ sudo rm /Library/Preferences/com.apple.RemoteManagement.plist





4. Delete the client installation receipts from /Library/Receipts/ using the following command in the Terminal application:
   

   $ sudo rm -r /Library/Receipts/RemoteDesktopClient*

   $ sudo rm -rf /var/db/RemoteManagement/ 

   
   

   To reinstall download the latest ARD client from Apple.