O365 install on Remote Desktop Server....arggg can't get her installing

[YeOldeStonecat]

So last summer or fall Microsoft started supporting doing full install of Office on Terminal Server (remote desktop server), from an E3 or E4 account.

Went to do it this weekend on a new install, after reading the guides. Seemed wicked simple.
Download the OfficeDeploy tool.
Create a folder
Run the tool, unzip it in that directory you made.
Edit the configuration.xml to have the updated path, or directory, where you unzipped those two files.
Go to CMD prompt w/Admin rights...or PowerShell...and do two lines.
setup.exe /download configuration.xml and it will download the CAB files and a few others. This works no problem.
Then the second part...
setup.exe /configure configuration.xml and it's supposed to silently install Office in proper mode.
But I get an immediate error. See below.
Error just points to generic Office Home/Biz botched install telling you to run the Office cleanup tool Fixit. That got boring after the 20th time.
Logged in as a domain admin acccount, tried another domain admin account.
RDS box joined to domain
UAC turned off
RDS roles kicked in
No folder redirection on admin accounts...so Docs 'n all those are default location in C:\Users
Have tried putting local path (c:\o365) for the folder...had tried it there, as well as the UNC path of shared folder. \\servername\sharename\o365
Full read/write permissions to folder checked
Have blown away and re-downloaded fresh at least several times.
Pissing me off!

 

[FremontPC]

Cruzin' the web for some clue.... Check your XML file:

For reference to future readers of this page, the xml contained an invalid path. It read \\”server\share” and not “\\server\share”.

 

[FremontPC]

Also, from this page:

http://blog.powerbiz.net.au/office-...inal-server-using-shared-computer-activation/


1. Problem with code copied from a web page (paste it into Notepad first, check your syntax)

2. Check DNS

Others too

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Yeah that Aussie blog you linked above was one of the several I referenced when starting the task.
I always edit in Nutpad to make sure to drop extra copy/paste fluff.

 

[FremontPC]

Any clues from the log?

 

[AndyM]

This worked for me:

http://blogs.technet.com/b/catastro...ng-quot-when-you-install-office-2013-c2r.aspx

However, the images linked in the blog are now AWOL, but I'm sure you can work it out.

In addition, with one client, they had an old router that just wouldn't let you run the setup like this. I replaced it with a newer router, and that fixed it.

Andy

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Thanks Andy...I'll check those out later. Some lethal links towards bottom of that blog...lots of fake Microsoft scam imposter-support phishing sites were posted there are "this site worked for me" suggestions by spammers...my laptop start shaking on the desk.

But I'll dig into those later tonight and see if I can find something I haven't tried.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

So no luck trying ....at least 10x hours of ripping out what's left of my hair....called. Microsoft support this morning...
First 3 people said it's not supported...need volume license.

One of them didn't even want to listen to me and insisted it wasn't possible. At least two of them just said they didn't know.
Server guys keep referring me to cloud team
Cloud team keep referring me to server guys.

On 4th one now...I think he acknowledges, after I sent him many MS article links on "how to do it"...that it's at least possible.

....tis the problem with keeping on cutting edge sometimes....even the support people don't know about it yet.

...still on hold while Wajid checks his references.
Omkar gave up on me.

..these names...you can't make them up!

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Going on day 2....worked with M$ support for around 4 hours last night, just started again this morning....
He got it installed..but the activation is not kicking in.
I believe the issue is related to the O365 integration services on the Essentials DC....as it has termination errors in eventviewer, seems a .NET Frame update broke it. I'm trying to steer the MS support guy to look in that direction..but he's stubborn and won't leave the terminal server....keeps thinking the issue is there.

 

[FremontPC]

Thanks for getting back to us, Stonecat!

 

[marley1]

how did this go?

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Forgot to update this thread...I remembered it as I'm going around another client of mine I just flipped this week..and they have quite a few workstations that multiple users sit down at.

I found the trick when doing this, that I wasn't doing in my first attempt when I created this thread....is to specify the path of the configuration.xml file.
After downloading the Office install....
I was typing in \\[location]\setup.exe /configure configuration.xml which was not working.

What I learned...was to specify the location of the configuration.xml file too. So...as in doing the installs right now...run a CMD prompt as Administrator, and type in
\\host-17\O365\setup.exe /configure \\host-17\O365\configuration.xml

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

And here's the configuration.xml I'm using at this client. Where is says \\host-17\O365....that is the UNC path of the share on the file server I downloaded it to...as well as run the setup from. When I ran the click to run Office downloader...I had it extract to that path.

<Configuration>

<Add SourcePath="\\Host-17\O365\"
OfficeClientEdition="32">

<Product ID="O365ProPlusRetail">

<Language ID="en-us" />

</Product>


</Add>


<Display Level="None" AcceptEULA="TRUE" />


<Property Name="SharedComputerLicensing" Value="1" />

</Configuration>

 

[Moltuae]

Got a few RD session hosts with ProPlus 2013 installed a while ago using this method. Need to upgrade them to 2016 but can't seem to find any info on the correct procedure.

Is it just a case of running an upgrade installation from an admin account on each session host or is it necessary to repeat the shared computer activation config?