Centralized distribution of Tekla Structures 2018

Tekla Structures
2018
Tekla Structures
centralized distribution
silent install
administrative install
admin install
prerequisites
install
installer
Environment
Not environment-specific

Introduction

Tekla Structures consists of the following installations:

  • Tekla Structures software installation 
  • Tekla Structures environment installation
    • Localized environments include your country-specific codes and standards.


Installing Tekla Structures software and environments one by one on each user’s computer is a time consuming task in large companies, and therefore, Tekla Structures is often installed in a centralized manner across company workstations.


This article clarifies the basic principles of building a centralized installation for the Tekla Structures installation package. Note that there are separate support articles for each Tekla Structures version.

Scope of this support article

This article describes two different methods that can be used when installing Tekla Structures in a centralized manner:
  • Installing Tekla Structures using setup.exe files, see Method 1.
  • Installing Tekla Structures using an MSI package, see Method 2.


There are also other methods available, but these methods are not described in this article.

This article is meant for a Tekla Structures main user who prepares installation packages and determines the correct installation settings for the IT department. The company IT department can then distribute Tekla Structures into workstations in the company network.

 
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The basic assumption is that you have earlier experience in centralized distribution and that you are familiar with the distribution tools used in your company. The steps to configure the actual distribution depend on the software you are using. This article only explains the steps that are Tekla Structures specific, or relevant to a Tekla Structures main user.
 

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 Do not use any self-made batch files for the centralized installation of Tekla Structures. Tekla Structures installation is designed to be run either interactively by double-clicking the installation .exe, or in a centralized manner as explained in this instruction by using proper distribution tools.

Hardware recommendations

The hardware recommendations need to be fulfilled on the client computers where Tekla Structures is going to be installed. Hardware recommendations for Tekla Structures 2018 can be found here.

Installation settings in Tekla Structures 2018

In the interactive installation of Tekla Structures, the user defines the settings in dialog boxes (installation location and default location for the model folder). In the centralized distribution, the dialog boxes are typically not visible to the user, and therefore the settings need to be defined in some other way.

The installation settings are valid for both installation methods explained in this article. The settings are the same even though they are entered in different ways depending on the installation method used.

Installation settings for Tekla Structures 2018 software

Installation folders

By default Tekla Structures 2018 is installed to the C:\Program Files\Tekla Structures\ folder and the environments to the C:\ProgramData\Tekla Structures\ folder. If you want to install to some other folder, you need to define the location with the following installer properties:

  • INSTALLDIR – Software installation folder
  • TSMODELDIR - Default location for Tekla Structures models

The software installation folder and the environment installation folder are dependent on each other:

  • If your software installation folder is C:\Program Files\Tekla Structures\, then your environment installation folder should be C:\ProgramData\Tekla Structures\.
  • If your software installation folder is C:\TeklaStructures\, then your environment installation folder should also be C:\TeklaStructures\.
  • If you want to use any other installation location, then the software installation folder and the environment installation folder must be the same.

Tekla Warehouse Offline content

From Tekla Structures 2018 onwards, Tekla Warehouse Offline content is no longer installed automatically as a prerequisite. The installation UI gives the possibility to skip the installation of Tekla Warehouse Offline content (default setting) or to include it in the installation. If a user decides to include the content, it will be installed as .tsep files to the \Extensions\To be installed folder in the environment installation folder. Tekla Warehouse Offline content will be installed when the Tekla Structures version in question is started the next time. Before starting Tekla Structures a user can manually delete the irrelevant .tsep files to install only the relevant content.

The installation of Tekla Warehouse Offline content can be controlled in the silent installation by using the installer property INSTALL_WAREHOUSE_OFFLINE_CONTENT.

  • If the property is not set, Tekla Warehouse Offline content will not be included in the installation.
  • If the property has the value "Yes", Tekla Warehouse Offline content .tsep files will be included in the installation.
  • If the property has the value "No", Tekla Warehouse Offline content will not be included in the installation.

Installation settings for Tekla Structures 2018 environments and service packs

There is no need to give any additional parameters when installing Tekla Structures 2018 environments and service packs. The installer internal logic will resolve the proper installation folder based on the installation data of Tekla Structures 2018 final software.

Installing to a computer where other Tekla Structures versions already exist

Tekla Structures 2018 installation can be done according to this instruction even though you have some previous Tekla Structures versions installed.

Method 1: Preparing a centralized distribution of Tekla Structures with Setup.exe files

In Tekla Structures 2018 you can use the original setup.exe files in the silent installation if your deployment software supports using setup.exe. You do not need to extract the setup file separately but just run the installer .exe file in the command line using the appropriate parameters. The prerequisites are installed automatically if they do not exist on client computers.

You can find more information about the setup.exe settings here. Instructions for Project Type “Basic MSI” are valid for Tekla Structures installers.

Enter the INSTALLDIR, TSMODELDIR and INSTALL_WAREHOUSE_OFFLINE_CONTENT settings as described in the previous chapter in the command line. Note that it is necessary to provide INSTALLDIR and TSMODELDIR when installing Tekla Structures 2018 software to a non-default location. See the examples below.

Examples of a command line command for running setup installation silently

Example 1:

Install Tekla Structures software and the Default environment. By default, Tekla Structures is installed to the \Program Files folder. Environments are installed to the \Program Data folder. By default, the Tekla Structures model folder will be C:\TeklaStructuresModels. The command also creates an installation log file.

  • Tekla Structures software installation command: 

    TeklaStructures2018.exe /s /v"/qn /lvoicewarmupx TS2018_logfile.log"

  • Tekla Structures Default environment installation command:

    Env_Default_2018.exe /s /v"/qn /lvoicewarmupx TS2018Default_logfile.log"

Example 2:

Install Tekla Structures software, the Default environment and include Tekla Warehouse Offline content in the installation. Tekla Structures and the environments are installed to the C:\TeklaStructures folder. Tekla Structures model folder will be C:\TeklaStructuresModels2018. The command also creates an installation log file.

  • Tekla Structures software installation command:

    TeklaStructures2018.exe /s /v"/qn INSTALLDIR=\"C:\TeklaStructures\" TSMODELDIR=\"C:\TeklaStructuresModels2018\" INSTALL_WAREHOUSE_OFFLINE_CONTENT=\"Yes\" /lvoicewarmupx TS2018_logfile.log"

  • ​Tekla Structures Default environment installation command:

    Env_Default_2018.exe /s /v"/qn /lvoicewarmupx TS2018Default_logfile.log"

Note that when installing environments you do not need to separately define the installation folder for the environments as it is read from the registry values inserted by the Tekla Structures 2018 software installer.

Note that setting /v is used in the msiexec. You need to have all of the settings in quotation marks. Also, if for example the INSTALLDIR path includes spaces, you need to enter the path in quotation marks and use a backslash in front of the quotation mark to distinguish these quotation marks from the start and end quotation marks of setting /v.

Method 2: Preparing the centralized distribution of Tekla Structures with MSI files

Checking Tekla Structures prerequisites

When you install Tekla Structures in a centralized manner by running MSI files, it is essential that all the needed prerequisites exist on the client computers before installing the Tekla Structures software. 

The prerequisites for Tekla Structures 2018 are:

  • Microsoft .NET 4.5.1 Full
  • Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 x86 Redistributable 10.0.40219
  • Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 x64 Redistributable 10.0.40219
  • Microsoft Visual C++ 2013 x86 Redistributable 12.0.40649
  • Microsoft Visual C++ 2013 x64 Redistributable 12.0.40649
  • Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 x64 Redistributable 14.0.23026
  • Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 x86 Redistributable 14.0.23026
  • Tekla Warehouse Service
  • TSEP File Dispatcher Launcher

Note: It is expected that Tekla Structures works with a newer version of the same redistributable. Microsoft .NET 4.5.1 and the latest Visual Studio redistributable installers can be downloaded from the Microsoft site. You can also extract the installers from the Tekla Structures installation setup.exe. Microsoft .NET 4.5.1 is included in Windows 8.1 as a part of the operating system and Microsoft .NET 4.6 is included in Windows 10 as a part of the operating system.

Tekla Structures 2018 installer contains Tekla Warehouse Service and TSEP File Dispatcher Launcher as prerequisite installers. Installing Tekla Warehouse Service is not mandatory before the actual Tekla Structures software installation but it needs to be installed so that the Tekla Warehouse functionality works properly. TSEP File Dispatcher Launcher adds proper file association for .tsep files so that .tsep files are opened with Tekla Structures extension manager.

Extracting the Tekla Structures software installation package

1. Save the Tekla Structures software installation package on your computer. In this example, the Tekla Structures installer is saved in the C:\TS_admin_install folder.

2. Run Command Prompt as administrator from the Start menu.

   
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3. Change the directory to the folder where you saved the installer and run the installation package with setting /a. By using setting /a, the installation package is run in the administrator mode. This means that the software is extracted instead of installed, even though the user interface is very installation-like. To extract prerequisite packages from setup.exe, add a folder path after the /a setting to extract the prerequisites to that folder. For example, use this command:

TeklaStructures2018.exe /a"C:\TS_admin_install\Prq"

  

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4. The installation shows the language selection. Select the installation language and click OK.

  
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5. The installation initializes and shows the first InstallShield Wizard dialog box. Click Next.

  

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6. Select the location where you want the system to extract the software installation and then click Install.

   
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7. Click Finish.

   

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You can now browse into the extraction folder that you defined in step 6. The folder contains the .msi package and subfolders.
 
   
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When extracting the setup, if you defined a folder after setting /a, the prerequisites are extracted to separate subfolders (Prq folder in the image above). You get nine prerequisites you need to install on the client computers if they do not already exist. The latest versions of Tekla Warehouse Service installer, Tekla Warehouse Content installer and Tekla File Dispatcher installer need to be installed on the client computers. These installers include upgrade functionality so they can be installed even if previous versions already exist.

Tekla Warehouse Offline Content .tsep packages are located in, for instance, C:\TS_admin_install\extract-sw\CommonAppData\Tekla Structures\FolderForVERSIONDIR1\Extensions\To be installed that are usually copied to C:\ProgramData\Tekla Structures\2018\Extensions\To be installed in the client computerThe .tsep packages will be installed when Tekla Structures starts for the first time.

Extracting the Tekla Structures service pack installation package

We recommend that you install the latest Tekla Structures service pack. Repeat the same extraction procedure as above (steps 1 to 7) for the latest Tekla Structures service pack, but extract the service pack to a different folder (for example, to C:\TS_admin_install\extract-SP).

Extracting Tekla Structures environment installation packages

Repeat the extraction procedure (steps 1 to 7) for all environment installation packages that you need. Environments can be extracted to the same folder as the final software. Environment installers do not usually contain any prerequisites.

If you are going to install a service pack, use the environment installers released at the same time as the service pack.

At the end of the extraction process your folder should look as follows, for example:

      

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Examples of command line commands for running MSI installation silently

Example 1:

Install Tekla Structures software and the Default environment. By default, Tekla Structures is installed to the \Program Files folder. Environments are installed to the \Program Data folder and the Tekla Structures model folder will be C:\TeklaStructuresModels. The command also creates an installation log file. The log file is stored in the %temp% folder.
  • Tekla Structures software installation command:

msiexec /i "Tekla Structures 2018.msi" /qn /lvoicewarmupx TS2018_logfile.log

  • ​Tekla Structures Default environment installation command:

    msiexec /i "Tekla Structures 2018 Default Env.msi" /qn /lvoicewarmupx TS2018Default_logfile.log

 
Example 2:

Install Tekla Structures and the Default environment. Tekla Structures and the environments will go to the C:\TeklaStructures folder. The Tekla Structures model folder will be C:\TeklaStructuresModels2018. The command also creates an installation log file.

  • Tekla Structures software installation command:

    msiexec /i "Tekla Structures 2018.msi" /qn INSTALLDIR="C:\TeklaStructures\" TSMODELDIR="C:\TeklaStructuresModels2018\" /lvoicewarmupx TS2018_logfile.log

  • ​Tekla Structures Default environment installation command:

    msiexec /i "Tekla Structures 2018 Default Env.msi" /qn /lvoicewarmupx TS2018Default_logfile.log

Note that when installing the environments, you do not need to separately define the installation folder for the environments as it is read from the registry values inserted by the Tekla Structures 2018 software installer. 

It is also possible to use transformation (MST) files to modify and add changes to the .msi files. However, in Tekla Structures 2018 you can give the needed installation properties as command line parameters so there is no need to use transformation files.

Configuring the distribution

The rest of the steps in the centralized distribution vary depending on the distribution software that is used in your company. Therefore, Trimble cannot give you any detailed instructions.

However, some general tips about the centralized distribution can be given:

  • Tekla Structures needs to be installed with administrative rights.
  • We recommend that you set the installations to write log files instead of showing messages to users.

Validating the installation result

If you want to make sure that the result of the centralized installation is correct, you can check the following items to validate the installation result.

Tekla Structures desktop shortcut

The Target and Start in fields show the value you gave for INSTALLDIR. If you did not give any value, the paths should point to C:\Program Files\Tekla Structures\2018\nt\bin\


     

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Installed programs and location paths in the Control Panel - Programs and Features

You should see all your installations in the Programs and Features list. Set the Location colum visible to check that the software installation location matches the value you gave for INSTALLDIR. The environment installation location depends on the software installation location.

 

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Tekla Structures keys and values in the Registry Editor

After successfully installed in the client computer, the Tekla Structures installer writes the registry keys and values below to the folder Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Tekla\Structures\2018. Note that the directories data can be different based on the location where you installed the software.

 

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Content of teklastructures.ini

The content of teklastructures.ini should match your settings in the installation command. To check this:

  1. Browse to your software installation folder (INSTALLDIR).
  2. Browse to the subfolder \2018\nt\bin\.
  3. Open teklastructures.ini in a text editor.
   
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The properties you gave in the installation command should match the teklastructures.ini values in the following way:
INSTALLDIR – XS_DIR
Environment installation folder – XSDATADIR
TSMODELDIR – XS_RUNPATH

Troubleshooting

If there is a problem that seems to be related to the Tekla Structures installer, but not to the distribution software, contact Tekla Structures support and provide the following information:

  • How the installation was executed; msiexec or setup commands used
  • Installer log files (can be found from %temp% folder)
  • If you used .mst files, send those to Tekla Structures support.
  • Description of the problem
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