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PrintPilot: Silent & Mass Deployment

Learn how to deploy PrintPilot across multiple computers in an enterprise environment using silent MSI installation and Active Directory Group Policy (GPO).

1. Silent Installation via Command Line

You can install PrintPilot silently without any user interaction using the standard Windows Installer (msiexec). This is ideal for script-based deployments or RMM tools.

msiexec /i "\\server\share\PrintPilot_Setup.msi" /qn /norestart
  • /i: Installs the package.
  • /qn: Specifies no user interface (silent mode).
  • /norestart: Prevents automatic restart after installation.

2. Pre-configuring Accounts and Licenses

To prevent users from having to manually link their accounts on each device, you can create a setup.ini file and place it next to the PrintPilot MSI installer.

[PrintPilot]
; PrintPilot Setup Configuration File
; Rename this file to setup.ini and place it next to PrintPilot-Setup.exe or the MSI
; to automatically provision these settings during silent installation.

; Administrator Email (Used for login / identification)
Email=admin@example.com

; Administrator Password
Password=secretpassword123

; Optional Referral Code
ReferralCode=
  
  ; Optional PrintPilot Server IP (For cross-subnet license fallback)
  ServerIp=
  
  ; Optional Custom Installation Directory
; Note: If deploying via MSI, the MSI INSTALLDIR property takes precedence.
InstallDir=C:\Program Files\PrintPilot

During the silent installation, the MSI will automatically read this setup.ini file, authenticate with your Alacam IT account, and pull its routing rules without requiring manual login.

3. Mass Deployment via Active Directory GPO

For large networks, distributing PrintPilot via Active Directory Group Policy Objects (GPO) is the most efficient method.

  1. Place the PrintPilot MSI installer in a shared network folder with read permissions for "Domain Computers".
  2. Open the Group Policy Management Console (GPMC) on your domain controller.
  3. Create a new GPO (e.g., "Deploy PrintPilot") and link it to the desired Organizational Unit (OU).
  4. Edit the GPO and navigate to Computer Configuration > Policies > Software Settings > Software installation.
  5. Right-click and select New > Package, then point to the shared MSI file using a UNC path (e.g., \\server\share\PrintPilot_Setup.msi).
  6. Select Assigned as the deployment method.

Note: Since the installer reads from setup.ini in the same directory, you just need to ensure the setup.ini file is placed in the same shared network folder as the MSI package when deploying via GPO.