Deployment preparation

Thorough preparation is the key to a successful deployment.

• System requirements. Confirm that your network, servers, and client computers meet the system requirements for each product included in the deployment.
• Languages. If your product is available in multiple languages, choose the language for each deployment.
• Configuration options. Evaluate product configuration options, which vary from product to product. For example, products may include options for search paths, location of support files, or the inclusion of extensions and log files.

Administrators manage three types of licenses:

• User license—Based on your Autodesk ID and authenticated automatically
• Standalone (device-based) license—Tied to specific devices with serial numbers. Authenticated either automatically or when you are prompted to enter a serial number
• Network license—Managed by Network License Manager software and authenticated by preconfigured network license servers. Check your license server name and the license server model (single, distributed, or redundant) that you chose at the outset. Install the latest version of Network License Manager (NLM).

To identify the license type of a product, see the All products and services section of Autodesk Account. 

Before you create a deployment, set up a network share for the administrative image. A network share is an installation folder that all users can access. You create deployments in the network share, from which users can install the software or administrators can distribute it.

Follow these recommendations when you create a network share:

• Keep the share name simple and short, without spaces.
• Create the share folder at or near the top of the drive, such as \\serverXX\Deployments. If you nest your deployment folder in a series of subfolders, you may exceed the path length limit set by Windows.
• Create a separate folder for each deployment. Include all products for a specific workflow in a single deployment. In this way, it’s easier to distribute the deployment to a user group that uses that workflow.
• Use UNC (Uniform Naming Convention) shared paths instead of mapped drives. However, if you use drive mapping, make sure that all users map to the same drive letter.
• If you plan to create a network log file, give all users read-write access to the share.