Deploying VeriSign PTA client software

The MSI packaging for the VeriSign Personal Trust Agent allows a Windows 2000 domain administrator to remotely deploy the VeriSign Personal Trust Agent to users within his domain by leveraging Microsoft's Windows Installer technology and active directory based group policies.

The VeriSign PTA MSI packages

Go Secure! for Web Applications contains the following MSI packages for deploying VeriSign PTA.

  1. vspta3.msi - the VeriSign PTA control for Microsoft IE. 
  2. vspta3km.msi - the VeriSign PTA and the Key Manager controls for Microsoft IE. 
  3. nppta3.msi - the VeriSign PTA control and the corresponding plugin for Netscape 4.x browsers.
  4. nppta3km.msi - the VeriSign PTA and the Key Manager controls and the corresponding plugin for Netscape 4.x browsers.
  5. n6pta.msi - the VeriSign PTA and the corresponding plugin for Netscape 6.x browsers.
  6. n6pta3km.msi - the VeriSign Personal Trust Agent and the Key Manager controls and the corresponding plugin for Netscape 6.x browsers.

These packages can be downloaded as part of the following zip files.

    • vspta3.msi
    • nppta3.msi
    • n6pta3.msi
    • vspta3km.msi
    • nppta3km.msi
    • n6pta3km.msi

Deploying the VeriSign PTA MSI packages

You can get an overview of deploying MSI packages here.

Capabilities of the PTA msi packages

The PTA msi packages will only work as specified in the following table

Package Publish to user Assign to machine Assign to user
vspta3.msi Yes Yes No
vspta3km.msi Yes Yes No
nppta3.msi No Yes No
nppta3km.msi No Yes No
n6pta3.msi No Yes No
n6pta3km.msi No Yes No

Publishing the PTA packages to a user

Following steps outline the process for publishing the msi packages. Note that not all packages support publishing. Please refer to the table above for that information.

  1. Right click on the OU in the active directory to whose users the software is to be published.
  2. Select Properties
  3. Select the Group Policy tab
  4. Select the Group Policy that applies to the OU if one exists, or create a new one if it does not.
  5. Click on Edit.
  6. This will bring up another window that specifies the group policies.
  7. Select User Configuration and expand the tree corresponding to this selection.
  8. In the expanded tree right click on Software Installation and select New Package
  9. Select the MSI file that contains the software that should be published.
  10. A dialog box will appear asking if the package should be published or assigned. Select published.

Assigning the PTA packages to a machine

Following steps outline the process for assigning the msi packages to a machine

  1. Right click on the OU in the active directory to whose machines the software is to be published.
  2. Select Properties
  3. Select the Group Policy tab
  4. Select the Group Policy that applies to the OU if one exists, or create a new one if it does not.
  5. Click on Edit.
  6. This will bring up another window that specifies the group policies.
  7. Select Machine Configuration and expand the tree corresponding to this selection.
  8. In the expanded tree right click on Software Installation and select New Package
  9. Select the MSI file that contains the software that should be published.
  10. A dialog box will appear asking if the package should be published or assigned. Select assigned.

Assigning the PTA packages to a user

This mode is not supported for any of the PTA packages.

Detailed information about deploying MSI packages is available on the Microsoft TechNet.

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