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Active Directory GPO

Deploying WhatPulse Professional via Group Policy (Active Directory GPO)

Active Directory Group Policy allows software installation to Windows domain computers at startup, which is useful for deploying MSI installers like WhatPulse Professional across many PCs. This method uses the built-in Software Installation policy to assign the WhatPulse MSI to computers, so it installs silently on boot. It's a straightforward option if you don't have a more advanced deployment system.

Prerequisites​

  • WhatPulse MSI File: Download the latest WhatPulse Professional MSI from the downloads page and place it on a network share accessible by all target computers (e.g., \\fileserver\software\whatpulse-win-latest.msi). Ensure Domain Computers (or the relevant computer group) have read access to that share.
  • Active Directory: You need an AD environment. Determine whether you will link the software GPO at the domain level or a specific OU containing the computers.

Deployment Steps​

  1. Create a GPO for Deployment: Open the Group Policy Management console on a domain controller or admin workstation. Create a new GPO (e.g., name it "Deploy WhatPulse") and link it to the OU containing the target computers (or link to the domain for all computers). You can also edit an existing GPO if appropriate.

  2. Open Software Installation Policy: Edit the GPO and navigate to Computer Configuration → Policies → Software Settings → Software Installation. (Using Computer Configuration ensures the software installs for all users on the machine at startup.)

  3. Add the WhatPulse MSI Package: Right-click Software Installation, choose New → Package…. In the dialog, type the full UNC path to the whatpulse-win-latest.msi on your network share (for example: \\fileserver\software\whatpulse-win-latest.msi) and click Open. Important: Use the UNC network path instead of a local drive path, so clients can find the installer. Avoid using the browse button which might insert a local path.

  4. Choose Deployment Method: When prompted, select Assigned (not Published) and click OK. "Assigned" to computers means the software will be installed automatically at next reboot. The WhatPulse package will now appear in the Software Installation pane of the GPO editor.

  5. Close the GPO Editor: The policy is now configured. When each targeted Windows computer next starts up (or the next time Group Policy refresh occurs during boot), the WhatPulse MSI will install silently in the background before the user logs in. Because we use the MSI, the installation runs with elevated privileges (System context) and with no user interaction. By default, the MSI will install WhatPulse for all users on the PC and configure it to auto-start.

  6. Automatic Activation (Org ID): For a fully hands-off deployment, prepare the organization identifier file so new installs show up in your WhatPulse dashboard automatically. To have each installed client register to your WhatPulse Professional org without manual input, deploy the org ID file via Group Policy as well. You have a couple of options:

    • Group Policy Preferences File: In the same GPO (or a new one), use Computer Configuration → Preferences → Windows Settings → Files to create a file. Set the Action to "Create" and the Path to C:\Program Files\WhatPulse\wp-pro-org-id.txt. For Contents, input your organization ID. This will create the wp-pro-org-id.txt on each machine with the correct content.

    • Startup Script: Alternatively, deploy a startup script that runs a command to create the file. For example, a simple PowerShell script:

# PowerShell startup script example
$file = "$Env:ProgramFiles\WhatPulse\wp-pro-org-id.txt"
New-Item -Path $file -ItemType File -Force -Value "<Your Organization ID>"

Include this script in Computer Configuration → Windows Settings → Scripts (Startup). The script will run as SYSTEM on boot, creating the org ID file after the MSI installation. With the wp-pro-org-id.txt present containing your org identifier, the WhatPulse client will automatically show up as a "pending" computer in your WhatPulse Pro dashboard once it starts.

  1. (Optional) Default Settings Overrides: If you want to pre-configure certain WhatPulse settings (like enabling specific logging features), you can also deploy settings-overrides.ini files in the same manner as the org ID file. See this documentation for details on the format and options.

  2. Reboot Clients to Install: Finally, reboot the target computers (or wait for users to reboot on their own). Upon startup, the GPO will deploy WhatPulse. You can verify installation by checking if WhatPulse is present in Programs and Features or see the WhatPulse tray icon after login. Clients should also appear on the WhatPulse web dashboard if the org file was applied and are ready for activation by an admin.