Revision History

Note

All SolidPractices are written as guidelines. It is a strong recommendation to use these documents only after properly evaluating your requirements. Distribution of this document is limited to Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks employees, VARs, and customers that are on active subscription. You may not post this document on blogs or any internal or external forums without prior written authorization from Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corporation.

This document was updated using version SOLIDWORKS 2022 SP0. If you have questions or need assistance in understanding the content, please get in touch with your designated reseller.

1. Overview

SOLIDWORKS offers engineers and designers the tools necessary to get their job done. For users, the first task is to install the software and to make sure that it runs optimally. SOLIDWORKS encompasses products that meet the needs of multiple disciplines such as Design, Visualization, Simulation, Data Management, and etc. Therefore, there are an array of software options. Knowing how to install and upgrade these options quickly and effectively requires an understanding of the software and environment. This is essential to get the most from your software investment.

This best practice document will help you better understand the installation and upgrade process, the scalability of the process, and how to effectively make these tools accessible to engineers and designers. This document describes not only the upgrade and installation process, but also file versioning, general administration, and information about how to interpret errors. The focus of this SolidPractice is primarily SOLIDWORKS and SOLIDWORKS PDM environments. You should consider this document as a companion to the SOLIDWORKS administration guides, SOLIDWORKS Tech Tips, and SOLIDWORKS Knowledge Base articles.

Your Feedback Requested

We would like to hear your feedback and also suggestions for new topics. After reviewing this document, please take a few minutes to fill out a brief survey. Your feedback will help us create the content that directly addresses your challenges.

2. Preliminary Considerations

Proper installations and upgrades rely on reproducible workflows. You should document these workflows to allow future users or administrators to upgrade the software with minimal changes. Although SOLIDWORKS contains thorough documentation of these methodologies, other variables may cause your procedures to vary from the norm. This could from the addition of add-ins, third-party software, regulations, or other organizational requirements.

To avoid compatibility issues, SOLIDWORKS recommends that you standardize on the same version (major release and service pack) of the software across the organization. This recommendation should apply (but not be limited) to SOLIDWORKS, SOLIDWORKS add-ins, and the SOLIDWORKS PDM software. If possible, you should also try to standardize on similar hardware and software environment (especially the operating system) to ensure a similar user experience for all users. For the latest information about supported hardware and operating systems, visit the SOLIDWORKS Hardware & System Requirements web page.

3. Naming conventions

SOLIDWORKS recommends that users retain a consistent naming convention, especially in network environments. Users should refrain from using variable file locations such as mapped drives. For optimal use of the software, consider using the Universal Naming Conventions (UNC) for file locations and installation deployment as applicable.

An example of a UNC directory is \\servername\network_share

SOLIDWORKS supports the use of network locations for multiple areas of the software. Multiuser environments should possess consistent shared files such as templates, toolbox files, standard libraries, and if necessary settings files.

4. Templates and settings

Organizations can modify or create document templates for their particular needs. These templates may include specific organization wide unit conventions, default reference geometry, materials, specific file properties, or drafting standards (unit of measurements).

Drafting standards are stored with templates, so when modifying the templates, be sure and go to Tools > Options > Document Properties > Drafting Standard and set the drafting standard. At the same time, users should also customize the settings under Tools > Options > Document Properties > Units.

After saving your customizations, administrators can specify templates in the Tools > Options > Default Templates menu and in the Tools > Options > File Locations > Document Templates drop-down list. For multiuser environments, it is best that all users use the same templates. You can populate these settings with network directories, such as \\servername\templates_folder. Administrators may also choose to limit user access by assigning “read-only” permissions for the network share.

Be aware that some settings and defaults may change between versions. Therefore, it is always a good practice to examine all settings in Tools > Options prior to rolling out a newer revision of the software.

1. Toolbox and standard libraries

Organizations can create or customize the toolbox and standard libraries to suit their needs. In a multiuser environment, the proper set up of shared files becomes more important. These files should be shared across the organization to minimize changes in design intent. The following procedure describes how to set up a multiuser environment for file sharing.

1. Outside of the production environment, first create a local “test” copy of the toolbox or library files and then modify them as necessary within this test environment.
2. For multiuser environments, the administrator should then place the files in a shared network location that users can access. Until finalized, users should be restricted from using this location to limit contaminating the production environment.

Alternatively, these shared files can be incorporated within a PDM Vault only after ensuring that all files are suitable for the organization.

1. When the files meet the organization’s needs, administrators can “push” these shared files to the client machines simply by modifying the following paths on the client machines:
   • Tools > Options > System Options > Hole Wizard/Toolbox
   • Tools > Options > System Options > File Locations

These file locations can be pushed to customers by using the information in the Copy Settings Wizard section of this document.

1. Installing Toolbox Software without Installing Toolbox Data:

From SOLIDWORKS 2020 onwards, if your environment has a PDM or shared Toolbox/Hole Wizard location, you can set client installations to not install or upgrade Toolbox data in that location.

Do this if:

• You did not yet set up the SOLIDWORKS PDM local view before installing the SOLIDWORKS software.
• The files in the location are in use and could block SOLIDWORKS installations from completing.
• The location is unavailable and could block SOLIDWORKS installations from completing.

When you set client installations to not install Toolbox data, the SOLIDWORKS software and settings point to the Toolbox/Hole Wizard location, but you must install the data in a central location later.

To install the SOLIDWORKS software without including Toolbox/Hole Wizard data, you must install SOLIDWORKS from an administrative image.

1. In the Administrative Image Option Editor, click Settings.

2. Expand Toolbox/Hole Wizard Options.

3. When asked if you want this client to install/upgrade the Toolbox files, select No,

Install the Toolbox software without including the data files.

At least one person, typically the SOLIDWORKS Administrator, must install or upgrade the Toolbox/Hole Wizard data in the central location or the software will not function properly. Anyone in the organization can handle this task with a single manual installation of the SOLIDWORKS software. If you manage Toolbox inside of SOLIDWORKS PDM, follow the steps outlined in the “Upgrading Toolbox in SOLIDWORKS PDM” of the SOLIDWORKS PDM Installation Guide to install or upgrade the Toolbox data.

1. Copy Settings Wizard

Be aware that the first instance of a SOLIDWORKS release will use the settings from the previous version as a default. For machines with no previous instance of SOLIDWORKS, the SOLIDWORKS defaults will be used. To ensure that users do not improperly set up their templates, the organization’s templates and settings should already exist on the client machine. Once the administrator specifies the correct file paths, they should consider using the Copy Settings Wizard to obtain the customizations and to push them to end users.

The Copy Settings Wizard tool is accessible from Start > All Programs > SOLIDWORKS [version] > SOLIDWORKS Tools > Copy Settings Wizard. The wizard presents a simple user interface to either save (make a copy) or restore (apply existing settings) a file. Users should first select the Save Settings option.

Note: To ensure that any Tools > Options customizations are saved, select the System options choice on the Save Settings to File page of the wizard. This creates a settings file with the extension *.sldreg. This file is similar to a registry file and will modify the corresponding areas previously customized by the administrator.

If this is a standalone client installation, users can apply these settings by using the Copy Settings Wizard > Restore Settings option. If this file will be applied to a large deployment, the file can be used with an Installation Manager based Administrative Image installation by using Administrative Image Option Editor or via a command line script (in this case, the file extension should be renamed to *.reg and merged directly to the registry). Effective with the release of SOLIDWORKS 2018, the Settings Administrator Tool in the Admin Image Option Editor provides CAD Administrators with even more control over the distribution of settings to client machines. This control includes the option to configure and lock settings, which prevents users from changing important options.

As an alternative to using the Copy Settings Wizard, administrators can manually extract user settings and customizations from the following Windows® registry key:

Caution: Changes to the registry can severely damage your system. Before performing these steps, the SOLIDWORKS Technical Support team strongly recommends that you back up your data and consult your IT department.

• HKEY_Current_User\Software\SolidWorks

After extracting this registry key, users can simply ”merge” the file on another users machine by double-clicking on the resulting registry (*.reg) file.

• Additionally, to ensure all users have the same settings for SOLIDWORKS PDM environments, the administrator should also apply the following registry keys to the client machines:HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\SolidWorks\Applications\PDMWorks Enterprise\ConisioCAD\SolidWorks
• HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\SolidWorks\Applications\PDMWorks Enterprise\PDMSW\Options

For more information, see the SOLIDWORKS Knowledge base solution S-057238.

Applying settings in this manner will ensure that users need not modify or customize their set up on start up. To minimize user downtime, it is suggested that user customizations such as Toolbars and layout not be imposed.

From SOLIDWORKS 2022 onwards, you can use the Copy Settings Wizard in SOLIDWORKS even if your administrator has locked options. If an administrator defines options for you, the settings in your *.sldreg file merge with the administrator settings. When settings conflict, the administrator settings override the individual settings.

1. 3DEXPERIENCE Marketplace Add-In

The 3DEXPERIENCE Marketplace add-in installs by default with your installation of SOLIDWORKS 2020 SP01 and later. 3DEXPERIENCE Marketplace contains these services: PartSupply, Make, and Engineering. You access 3DEXPERIENCE Marketplace from the Task Pane (see Figure 1).

The 3DEXPERIENCE Marketplace add-in allows easier interaction between 3DEXPERIENCE Marketplace and SOLIDWORKS by bringing the tools right into your modeling environment. It also lets you search and download parts and assemblies from an online catalog populated with models from component suppliers and individual SOLIDWORKS users. You can insert these parts and assemblies directly into your active SOLIDWORKS model from the Task Pane. For information on PartSupply, Make, or Engineering, see the Frequently Asked Questions section (FAQs) available on each site.

1. 3DEXPERIENCE Add-In

The 3DEXPERIENCE add-in is a unified add-in that provides access to all the 3DEXPERIENCE services and apps that you are entitled to use based on your roles, this is introduced in SOLIDWORKS 2020. If you are a member of your organization's 3DEXPERIENCE platform, you can download and install additional add-in components that provide access to 3DEXPERIENCE collaboration apps, file sharing, and data management, including the 3DEXPERIENCE Marketplace services.

Prerequisites for installing the 3DEXPERIENCE add-in are:

• 3DEXPERIENCE platform credentials. You can sign in with your SOLIDWORKS ID and Password if it uses the same email address your administrator used to invite you to 3DEXPERIENCE platform.
• A web browser.
• The 64-bit version of the Java 11 JRE component or higher.
• A full product installation of SOLIDWORKS 2018 SP0 or later.
• To install the 3DEXPERIENCE add-in:

1. Before you begin, exit SOLIDWORKS.
2. Log in to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform.

If your company has an on-premise installation, contact your administrator to get the sign in link.

1. At the top bar of the 3DDashboard, click the Compass
2. Under My Roles, click “Collaborative Designer for SOLIDWORKS” and click “Design with SOLIDWORKS”.
   Follow the prompts to download and install the 3DEXPERIENCE Launcher and more add-in components.
3. The add-in components available to you depend on your platform roles. They download sequentially, so keep your browser window open and watch for prompts.
4. To use the 3DEXPERIENCE add-in for the first time:
5. Return to the 3DDashboard in your browser.
6. Click the Compass and click “Collaborative Designer for SOLIDWORKS” and click “Design with SOLIDWORKS”.
7. Log in if required.
8. SOLIDWORKS PCB Viewer

SOLIDWORKS® PCB Viewer is introduced in SOLIDWORKS 2020. You can download and install using the Installation Manager, making it easier to install concurrently with SOLIDWORKS or other SOLIDWORKS products. This free PCB viewer (see Figure 2) is available without a license.

You can use the viewer to access, print, and search through all of your team's design files created in Altium Designer. You can also add SOLIDWORKS PCB Viewer to your administrative image deployments.

Please note that you cannot install the SOLIDWORKS PCB Viewer on the same computer as SOLIDWORKS PCB.

1. SOLIDWORKS File Utilities

From SOLIDWORKS 2020, SOLIDWORKS File Utilities have replaced SOLIDWORKS Explorer. This utility allows you to rename, replace, copy, and move SOLIDWORKS files (.sldprt, .sldasm, .slddrw) while maintaining file references. You can access these options in right mouse click menu of SOLIDWORKS file.

You can install SOLIDWORKS File Utilities from the Installation Manager, the Administrative Image Options Editor, and its own installation wizard. It is also available from https://www.solidworks.com/sw/support/downloads.htm

1. File upgrades

For the best compatibility with the latest release of SOLIDWORKS, administrators should take care to upgrade the files previously in use to the latest version. This can be accomplished with the Convert Files task found in:

Start > All Programs > SOLIDWORKS Tools [version] > SOLIDWORKS Task Scheduler [version] > Convert Files.

You can upgrade individual files, folders, and SOLIDWORKS PDM vaults. SOLIDWORKS Technical Support strongly recommends that you create a backup of the files. You can configure this recommendation by clicking the Option button > Backup Files in the Convert task dialog box (see Figure 3). Make sure you choose appropriate backup location.

For SOLIDWORKS PDM environments, reseller’s should refer to the “File Version Upgrade Tool best practice guide”.

Prior to using the upgraded files in a production environment, you should test the files on a test client. This will ensure that the files maintain design intent after upgrade. This is important because the results of these tests can affect the migration to a newer product version. It is an expectation that organizations will take note of any major issues and await resolution before upgrading.

1. Permissions Considerations

To run SOLIDWORKS, users of the Windows® 10 operating systems require only standard user accounts and permissions as outlined by Microsoft®. Installations and upgrades require elevation of permissions. For more information about standard account elevation and standard account privileges, please consult with the Microsoft article.

1. Licensing

To minimize downtime during the implementation of an upgrade, licensing should be in place prior to starting an installation or upgrade for network license based deployments. The SolidNetWork License (SNL) Manager software is backwards compatible and therefore supports previous versions of the SOLIDWORKS software that may still be in use. For more information, see the SolidWorks Knowledge Base solution S-068058.

Standalone licensing users will be presented with the appropriate prompt after the installation process. Refer to the “Upgrade installation files” section of this document.

1. SolidNetWork License Server upgrade

SNL based licensing users should upgrade their license server prior to rolling out any newer major version of the software (such as upgrading from SOLIDWORKS 2021 to 2022). To do this properly, follow these steps:

1. On the SolidNetWork License (SNL) server machine, go to the Start > All Programs > SolidNetWork License Manager > Server Administration > Modify.
2. Within the Modify option, select the Move your product license(s) to a new/upgraded computer option.
3. Follow the onscreen instructions to deactivate the license from the server.
4. Go to Server Administration > License Server and stop the service if it is still running.
5. As necessary, go to Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs (or Programs and Features) and uninstall the SolidNetWork License Manager software.
6. Using the latest version of the SOLIDWORKS Installation Manager (available at the SOLIDWORKS download page), download and install the latest version of the SNL Manager software from the appropriate “Server” installation option.
7. After installing the latest SNL Manager software, you can run the program from Start > All Programs > SOLIDWORKS Tools [version] > SolidNetWork License Manager [version]. Users are then prompted to activate the software (to acquire the latest licenses). If this does not happen, go to the Server Administration > Modify > and select the Activate/Reactivate option.
8. If the SNL Manager software that you install in step 6 remains on the same server as the original SNL Manager installation, it is not necessary to update the network clients. If the server moves to a new machine, modify ‘Server List’ (Start > All Programs > SOLIDWORKS Tools [version] > SolidNetWork License Manager [version]) on SNL Manager Client. In case of administrative image installation, before SOLIDWORKS deployment, make sure to enter new server name in SOLIDWORKS Administrative Options Editor.
9. Upgrade Installation Files

Users can obtain all the latest installation files by using the SOLIDWORKS Installation Manager. The Installation Manager software is available from the SOLIDWORKS download page by clicking the on the SOLIDWORKS version that you need. You should use the Installation Manager to manage all download, installation, and upgrade processes and to ensure successful download and installation of all necessary files. This applies to both SOLIDWORKS Installation Manager individual installations and administrative image installations.

For command line or Active Directory® based installations, SOLIDWORKS recommends that you use the Installation Manager to download and create administrative images. These images will include any requisite components as well as the SOLIDWORKS installation files.

1. Preparing Client Machines for Upgrade

One or more older major versions of SOLIDWORKS are installed on this computer. You can create a new installation, which will coexist with the older version, or you can upgrade, which removes the older version (see Figure 4).

1. Create a New Installation of SOLIDWORKS version.

If you choose to create a new installation, you can select which SOLIDWORKS products to install.

For each of the selected products, a new installation of this major version is created. The older major versions remain on the machine, except for SOLIDWORKS Electrical and SOLIDWORKS PDM Client.

If you clear a product, the new version does not install.

Create a new installation is useful if you want to access the older version of SOLIDWORKS after the newer version is installed. For example, if you are sharing files with other users who are still running the older version, you can avoid version incompatibility with files saved using the newer version.

1. Upgrade SOLIDWORKS previous_major_version to SOLIDWORKS 2022 current_major_version.

If you choose to upgrade, you can select which SOLIDWORKS products to upgrade. For each of the selected products, a new installation is created, and older versions are removed.

If you clear a product, the new version does not install, and the older version remains on the machine.

Whenever possible, users should keep the latest version of SOLIDWORKS on the client machines. If this is not possible, make sure that the client machines apply upgrades to the version-specific directories. If a current installation is on a machine that will no longer be used, the following information can help clean up the client prior to a new installation.

1. Uninstalling Individual Installation

To properly uninstall all previous installation files, go to Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs (or Programs and Features) > select the appropriate version of SOLIDWORKS > and then select the ‘Uninstall’ option. For a more complete uninstall, users may select the ‘Change’ option in the Advance Options menu of the Installation Manager. Select all of the check boxes to perform a more complete uninstallation (see Figure 5).

1. Uninstalling Administrative Image based installation

Similar Uninstall operation can be performed using Administrative Image Option Editor (see Figure 6).

You can also choose to automate this process by creating a script (batch file). For Installation Manager based administrative images, it is possible to implement this uninstall script by using the Run a program before installation option of a subsequent administrative image. To select this option, run the file admin_image\sldadminoptioneditor.exe. In the Administrative Image Option Editor, select the “edit” option > Administrative Options > Run a program before installation > browse for and select the script (batch) file. For more information about this type of script, see this Tech Tip. There is an associated and helpful tool for this in the Knowledge Base solution S-012431).

1. Upgrading SOLIDWORKS Clients
2. Individual Installation upgrades
3. Updating an existing SOLIDWORKS installation using Check for Updates

Check for Updates looks for later versions of SOLIDWORKS. If you have administrator privileges on the machine, you can run Check for Updates manually:

In Windows, click Start > SOLIDWORKS Installation Manager > Check for Updates

In SOLIDWORKS, click > Check for Updates

Note: Check for Updates is not available on clients installed from administrative images.

Newer Version Available

SOLIDWORKS Installation Manager has detected a newer version of SOLIDWORKS products. You can update to a newer version by selecting the SOLIDWORKS Installation Manager for that version.

This newer version can download installation files based on the products you specify in the installation. You can share the downloaded files with other users who install using SOLIDWORKS Installation Manager.

Note: These downloads are only for use by SOLIDWORKS Installation Manager.

These options are available:

• If there are multiple versions available, you can select a version from the list.
• For details about this version, click Check to see what this upgrade includes. (see Figure 7 and Figure 8).

Note: Clicking Next obtains and runs the selected version of SOLIDWORKS Installation Manager.

 

Figure 7: Check for Updates – Updating a service pack.

Figure 8: Check for Updates – Updating major version.

To enable automatic periodic checks for updates, when SOLIDWORKS Installation Manager completes its processing select Check for Updates every __ days and specify the frequency of checks.

No New Downloads Available/Unable To Check for New Versions

SOLIDWORKS Installation Manager has not found a newer version of SOLIDWORKS products, either because you are installing the latest version available or because it could not connect to the SOLIDWORKS site to check.

1. Download Installation Media from the Customer Portal

   All your installation media is available from the SOLIDWORKS Customer Portal.

   If you cannot access the Customer Portal, contact your Value Added Reseller to obtain DVDs.

   To download the installation media from the Customer Portal:

   1. Log in to the SOLIDWORKS Customer Portal as a Subscription Service Customer, using your email address and password, or your SOLIDWORKS serial number.
   2. In the Download section, click Downloads and Updates.
   3. In the Downloads page, for Select Version, select the year.
   4. Select the SOLIDWORKS tab for SOLIDWORKS products.
   5. In the Product area, select a service pack.
   6. For the latest major release, select SOLIDWORKS Products version 0.0.
   7. Click Accept Agreement and Continue in the EULA page.
   8. Click Download.
   9. The Installation Manager downloads the installation media for you.

You must have a working internet connection.

You must be a Subscription Service Customer with login access to the Customer Portal site.

Note: The Installation Manager uses new download methods that can deliver faster downloads compared to SOLIDWORKS 2020 and earlier. Now, the download and extraction processes of the Installation Manager use parallel threading. Users who are downloading more than one product will see the greatest benefit.

1. Administrative Image Installation upgrades
2. Deploying Manually

You can use this method if users have the privileges required to install on their systems. To deploy installations manually using email:

1. In the Option Editor, click Deploy. Installation availability and status for each machine appears.

2. Click Send Email.

3. Specify the network path to the administrative image installation directory.

Typically, the directory path to the administrative image installation directory is shown initially as a Windows file path (for example, C:\SOLIDWORKS Admin\SOLIDWORKS 2022 SP0). The dialog box indicates This path is not a network path.

a) Click Browse to specify the network location for this administrative image installation directory.

b) Navigate to the computer where the administrative image is installed, and select the Windows shared directory specified for the administrative image installation directory.

Note: Do not navigate inside the administrative image shared directory (for example, into the 64bit subdirectories).

c) Click OK. The dialog box indicates This path is a network path. An email is created to instruct the machine owner how to install from the administrative image using the network location for the StartSWInstall.hta file in the administrative image.

4. Send the email to the users responsible for installing SOLIDWORKS. Users can double-click the link to the network location for StartSWInstall.hta in the email to install SOLIDWORKS from the administrative image.

In the Option Editor, Installation Status shows:

Pending - The user has not yet run the installation on this machine.

Successful - The user successfully completed the installation on this machine.

Failed - The user ran the installation on this machine, but it failed.

Other status messages that might display are Installed Successfully, Uninstalled Successfully, Installing, Uninstalling, Requires Reboot, Install Failed, and Uninstall Failed.

1. Deploying Automatically

Prerequisites for Deploying Automatically:

With automatic deployment, installation tasks are pushed to target machines and carried out by the Microsoft Task Scheduler on each system, without requiring any actions by users. You can use this method when users do not have administrative privileges to install software on their systems. With a push installation, the Task Scheduler runs a task that starts the SOLIDWORKS Installation Manager on a client machine using credentials specified by an administrator in the Options Editor. The Task Scheduler runs under the computer's LocalSystem account. 29 Multiple Installations This account is represented on the network as a computer security principle. The computer security principle must have the following access: • Read access to the Admin Images folder. • Read and write access to the Admin Images folder\x64\logs folder. In Active Directory, when you add a computer to a group of a Shared Folder, select Object Types and Computers. In addition, the computer serving the administrative image and the target client machines must be members of the same Active Directory domain.

Deploying Automatically:

To deploy automatically by pushing installations to user systems:

1. In the Option Editor, click the Deploy Automatically tab. Installation availability and status for each machine appears.

2. Under the Deploy column, select the target client machines, and groups in the Deploy column.

Note: Select one or more machines or groups under the Deploy column before initiating the deployment process.

3. Under Install Time, select Now to deploy immediately or Later to schedule a specific date and time for the deployment.

4. Under Client Options, select the following:

• Install or Upgrade SOLIDWORKS 2022
• Uninstall SOLIDWORKS 2022

If you select to uninstall, you can specify whether to uninstall registry entries and data files and folders along with the program files and folders.

5. Select Reboot computer automatically if you want one or more target machines to reboot if required during or after the deployment.

6. Enter the Client Credentials of one or more target machines.

7. Click Deploy to initiate the deployment process.

In the Option Editor, Installation Status shows:

Pending - The installation has not yet run on this machine.

Successful - The installation successfully completed on this machine.

Failed - The installation on this machine failed.

Other status messages that might display are Installed Successfully, Uninstalled Successfully, Scheduling, Connecting, Installing, Uninstalling, Requires Reboot, Install Scheduled, Uninstall Scheduled, Install Failed, Uninstall Failed, Connection Failed, and Scheduling Failed.

You can create subgroups in the Administrative Image Option Editor. For example, if you have a group for all users in a country, you can create subgroups for users in different sites in the country, or with different roles. The parent group inherits the administrative image settings, but you can change those settings for subgroups. You can also move settings between groups and edit groups of machines.

1. Administrative Image Types

In the Administrative Image Option Editor, administrators can create a standard image, a remote client administrative image, or a compressed administrative image (see Figure 9).

1. Standard Administrative Image

This image is a standard Windows Installer Administrative image. All files required to install the selected SOLIDWORKS products are uncompressed into a shared folder.

1. Remote Client Administrative Image

The remote client administrative image helps remote users who cannot reliably pull an installation from a shared image folder on the company network. When installing this type of image, remote users inherit all the installation options you specify, such as the serial number and the products to install. Remote users download these images from the Dassault Systèmes SOLIDWORKS download site. Accessing and installing these files from the internet is more reliable and may reduce the load on company networks. Remote users install this image using the same techniques supported by the standard administrative image. Administrators who script installations using sldim.exe or startwinstall.exe can still push them from a remote client administrative image. Before installing, installation files download to a path specified in the Administrative Image Option Editor.

Installing from a remote client administrative image requires more disk space since the client machine stores the download and installation files. Users can delete the download after the installation completes. Please note, to start installing, remote users must still connect to the admin image folder and run any batch or settings files hosted there.

1. Compressed Administrative Image

The compressed administrative image is for organizations that copy images to multiple sites or client machines as part of their install process. This image is 60% smaller than a standard administrative image. Installations from a compressed administrative image take the same amount of time to install as a standard image. All install operations, such as modify and repair, are supported. Compressed administrative images also have shorter file paths, which help to avoid problems when hosting an image stored in deeper folder structures.

A limitation of the compressed administrative image is that when you upgrade it to a new service pack, it requires that you download all the installation files. When you upgrade a standard administrative image to a new service pack, you can download and apply smaller patch files instead.

1. Testing Installations

For a multiuser environment, administrators should consider testing in an environment similar to the end users. Sandbox testing can be useful, but administrators should try to emulate the user environment as closely as possible without affecting the production environment.

Prior to deploying SOLIDWORKS in a multiuser environment, some preliminary testing will ensure that the installation will succeed.

1. Installation Manager based individual deployment

Single user environments can simply activate the Create Windows Installer Logs option from the right-click context menu in the Installation Manager (see Figure 10).

This will create a verbose installation log. By default, the verbose installation log exists in the following folder:

%appdata%\SOLIDWORKS\Installation Logs\[version]

1. Installation Manager based administrative image deployment

For Installation Manager based administrative images, you can activate this option by selecting the Administrative Options > Create a Diagnostic Log during each installation (slower.) option from within the Administrative Image Option Editor (admin_image\sldadminoptioneditor.exe). The resulting verbose installation logs is saved in the following directory:

admin_image\64bit\logs\[Computer_name]

The IM logs for the client machine are saved in the following directory;

• Deploy Manually

%appdata%\SOLIDWORKS\Installation Logs\[version]

• Deploy Automatically

C:\Windows\SysWOW64\config\systemprofile\AppData\Roaming\SolidWorks\Installation Logs\[version]

1. Testing a Setup for a Push Deployment

The Deploy Automatically tab in the Administrative Image Option Editor contains a test feature. You can run a mock installation that exercises the systems used for the deployment, such as:

• Connecting to the target computer.
• Creating an install task on that computer.
• Completing the install task on that computer.
• Updating the status and logs on the administrative image.
• Detecting a program to run before or after the installation.

The test checks for file paths, validates permissions, and reports that the installation ended successfully. It does not install any software or modify the registry on the target system. If any one of the systems fails on any of the target computers, the test indicates which system failed. Tooltips provide more information about failures. You can export the results to an .xml spreadsheet (or .csv), which is helpful for reviewing multiple failures or sharing results with other support personnel.

To test a setup for a push deployment:

1. Using the Installation Manager, create an Administrative image.
2. Start the Administrative Image Option Editor.

You can start the option after the Installation Manager completes creating the administrative image or double-click sldAdminOptionEditor.exe in the administrative image folder.

1. On the Setup tab, add one or more computers.
2. Click Deploy Automatically:
3. Supply a domain administrator's username and password.
4. Select one or more computers to test.
5. Click Test.
6. When the Setup Test appears, click Run Test.
7. Allow several minutes for the test to complete or click Cancel Test at any time.
8. Review and correct any setup problems.
9. Command prompt based deployments

For command line based administrative images, administrators can create a verbose installation log by using the following command line syntax:

msiexec /I installation file.MSI /l*v C:\install_log.txt /qb

Use of the /qb parameter helps to increase the visibility of errors. The resulting verbose log will be saved on the C-drive with the file name install_log.txt. The file name and location are customizable as necessary.

1. Active Directory deployment

Active Directory® based installations can use similar command line syntax as follows:

msiexec /I path/filename.MSI TRANSFORMS= “path/filename.MST” /l*v C:\install_log.txt /qb

1. Interpreting errors

SOLIDWORKS and related programs use Windows Installer technology as the basis of the installation process. If the installation fails due to errors, users can interrogate the resulting verbose log by using the Windows Installer Log Utility. The error records in this utility are standard Windows installer error codes that you can review and troubleshoot similar to any Windows installer error.

IMPORTANT

In addition to installation testing, it is also advisable to perform usability testing to ensure that there are no issues affecting an organizations standard practices and workflows. Having users in a non-production environment simulate normal design processes and practices can help surface possible issues prior to the deployment of a software upgrade. Users are strongly encouraged to test the software prior to pushing it out to all production users.

1. The Upgrade Process
2. Individual based installation

After completing the test process, users can install the software on their client machines. In addition to the previous comments, users should also consider the following.

1. Multi-version installation

When users require installations of multiple software versions on the client machine, the recommendation is to use an installation directory structure that is similar to the following example:

For SOLIDWORKS 2021: Install to “C:\Program Files\SOLIDWORKS 2021”

For SOLIDWORKS 2022: Install to “C:\Program Files\SOLIDWORKS 2022”

Note that you can only install one service pack of a major release. For more information, see the Knowledge Base solution S-032932.

1. Administrative image based installation

After the Installation Manager creates the administrative image, users should browse to the administrative image folder and run the Administrative Image Option Editor (admin_image\sldadminoptioneditor.exe) and ensure that all of the proper settings are set.

When managing several deployments (several installation directories) consider using a folder structure that is similar to the following example:

\\servername\SOLIDWORKS_2021_SP4

\\servername\SOLIDWORKS_2021_SP5

\\servername\SOLIDWORKS_2022_SP0

Etc.

Before sending the link to the StartSWInstall.hta file, the administrator should right-click on the installation folder and share the folder with users (Properties > Share). It is a recommendation to change the name of the default share name to a descriptive name such as “SOLIDWORKS2022”. In this way, users can instead browse for and install from the “\\servername\SOLIDWORKS2022” folder as opposed to the version-specific folder. On subsequent upgrades, the administrator can create a new administrative image and simply disable the share on the previous folder and apply it to the latest version. If necessary, it is possible to apply (roll back) a previous version in a similar fashion to the upgrade process.