Defining the Preferred Client Configuration

Before specifying the preferred configuration for clients, you should:

Understand the current server and client configurations.
Select the features that will be used in the preferred configuration on clients.
Select the features that will be used to enable users to work together.
Decide where Office files will be located and how they will be installed. That is, will Office files be installed on the client's hard disk, or will they be installed on a server and accessed remotely by the client, or a will a combination of both be used?

Researching Current Configuration Variables

To deploy Office successfully, you need to understand your current hardware and software configurations. Your deployment plan will be dictated by your current system environments.

Hardware configuration
- For minimum hardware requirements, and to determine whether any clients need to be upgraded, see the Microsoft Office 97 Resource Kit.
- Laptop and desktop users have different configurations, including disk space and access to the network. Installation options will need to be selected with the specific client in mind.
Network topology
- You can install software on clients from a network server, or you can run Office applications as SMS network applications. You may need to configure differently in each of these cases.
- Installing or running Office remotely over the network may not be practical for clients connected over a slow-link network. You may need to install Office 97 on these clients from the CD-ROM.
- Use of different network operating systems can create issues such as server file-sharing methods and client-server permission schemes.
- Installing Office over the network and running Office applications over the network place different demands on network bandwidth, both in response time and in length of time connected.
- Users without network access must install Office locally, from the Office 97 CD-ROM.
Migrating existing configurations
Determine whether you need to convert existing files, macros, and custom programs, and how you will train new users of Office 97. For more information, see the Microsoft Office 97 Resource Kit.
Supporting multiple platforms
In many large organizations, users are running Office on a variety of supported platforms. For more information about these issues, see the Microsoft Office 97 Resource Kit.

Selecting Office Standard Features

The workgroup features in Office establish how your users will communicate and work together. By reviewing the Office feature set, you can determine how to configure clients for the needs of your users. Because you can choose which Office components to install, you have a lot of flexibility in tailoring client installations to include the best set of features for your users, while reducing disk space usage.

The Microsoft Office 97 Resource Kit provides detailed information on the workgroup features available in Office 97.

Determining Configuration and Installation Options

When you understand the variables in your organization and how they will affect the manner in which you deploy Office, you can decide how to configure the preferred client. You will make decisions in the following areas:

Location of Office files

When deciding where to place Office files, consider how the client will be used and evaluate the benefits of each placement option, including how each option will affect your ability to support these configurations in the future. Office can be local (files installed on the client's hard disk) or shared (files are located on a network server, and users share those files over the network). You can also put some files on the local hard disk and some files on the server. Tools in the Microsoft Office 97 Resource Kit let you specify which drive on the client computers will be used for the installation.

Installation options

Several basic installation options are available in the Office Setup program when Office Setup is run interactively by the user. You can also create customized options if the Office Setup program is to be run in batch mode using a customized script.

Installation method

Three methods can be used to perform the installation on the clients:

Interactive — allows the user to make all installation decisions.
Batch — provides a preset installation script for the user.
Push — initiates the installation for the user without user intervention.

A complete discussion of all these options can be found in the Microsoft Office 97 Resource Kit.