HOW-TO GUIDES

Creating and managing software

A software item tells Overseer how to recognise, install, update and remove one application. This page covers adding software to the Library, managing its versions and detection, and checking what is installed across your computers.

What a software item is

Overseer cannot keep an application installed and up to date unless it knows four things about it. A software item in the Library holds all four:

Versions. The releases that can be put on a computer.
Detection. How Overseer tells whether the application is already there, and which version.
Install and uninstall scripts. The PowerShell that puts the application on and takes it off.
Configuration. Optional settings applied once the application is installed.

A software item does nothing by itself. It takes effect when a deployment declares a desired state for it, such as Installed or Uninstalled, on a set of computers.

Finding software in the Library

Open Library, then Software.

The Software screen in the Library, where software items are listed.

Items marked Global are built in. Items marked Local are yours. Search or filter the list to narrow it, then open an item to see its details: general information and notes, whether it needs a restart, any licence file or key it needs, its detection method, its scripts and its versions.

Adding software

There are two ways to add software of your own.

From the Windows Package Manager catalogue. Add the package by name. Overseer takes the installer and its versions from the winget catalogue.
From your own installer. Use this for line-of-business applications and anything the catalogue does not carry.

To add software from your own installer:

1Open Library, then Software, and create a new item.
2Decide how versions are supplied. Choose a file or a download address if you intend to add each version yourself. Choose neither if a script should work out the available versions.
3If you chose a file, upload it. A single installer can be an EXE or MSI, among other Windows installer formats. A zip archive is for an installer that needs supporting files beside it, and your install script must find and run the right file inside it.
4Give the software a name and choose its detection method.
5Choose or write the install and uninstall scripts.
6If you are adding versions yourself, enter the version number for this first version.
7Save the item.

When the item is ready, press Deploy on its row to create a deployment for it.

Disc images need mounting: Overseer copies a disc image to the computer but does not mount it. Your install script must mount it with Mount-DiskImage, run the installer from the mounted drive, and release it with Dismount-DiskImage afterwards.

Managing versions

Software can be versioned in two ways.

Versions you add. Each time the publisher ships a release, open the software item, add a version, upload the new installer or give its download address, confirm the version number and save.
Versions worked out by a script. A version script reports which versions are available and where each can be downloaded. Use this for software that should always follow the publisher's latest release. Nobody has to add versions by hand.

Choosing a detection method

Detection decides whether Overseer sees the application as present. Open the software item and choose one of three methods.

Method	When to use it
Display name	The application appears in Windows under a steady name. This suits most software.
Upgrade code	The application is installed by MSI and keeps the same upgrade code between versions.
Custom detection script	Neither of the first two can find it.

The detection settings show a live list of what the current rule matches, so you can adjust the rule until it matches the right entries and nothing else. Prefer the first two methods. Software found only by a custom script may not be listed accurately in the software report.

Scripts and settings

Use the built-in default install scripts where they fit, and copy one as a starting point when you need your own. Look up the publisher's silent install options before you write a script, and set where the script runs to suit what it does.

If the software needs settings at deployment time, such as a server address or a licence key, attach a configuration task to it and define the parameters there. The parameters then appear on each deployment of that software. If the configuration task has a script, a session runs it as a second step after the install.

Seeing what is installed

Open Reporting, then Computer Software. The report lists the software found on your computers. Filter it by software name, version, client or computer. Sort by version to find computers that have fallen behind.

Good habits

Standardise versions. Keep every computer on the same version where you can.
Test before you widen. Try a new version on one computer before it reaches everyone.
Write notes. Record on the software item any configuration a colleague needs to know about.
Review the report. Read the software report regularly for out-of-date and unexpected software.

Next steps

Software and task libraryThe software, tasks and scripts a deployment can call on. Creating and managing deploymentsDeclare what should be true, where, and how strictly it is enforced. Scripting guideWhere scripts run, how they fit a deployment, and how to write them well.

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