Deploying Veeam Endpoint Backup on Windows with PDQ Deploy

[scottalanmiller]

PDQ Deploy is an easy way to deploy packages to Windows end points without the need for Group Policy or custom startup scripts. Some packages, like Veeam Endpoint Backup for Windows, do not currently support MSI files natively and this makes Group Policy difficult and cumbersome to use for software management. PDQ Deploy can do this for EXE files, however, and is a popular choice for this approach.

PDQ Deploy is not open source but does include a "Free Mode" that is free for commercial use (they are very clear about this) for unlimited users. So no worries that we have to deal with an expensive product. But, of course, consider supporting them by buying their non-free packages as well.

First we look at PDQ Deploy on our deployment server. The free mode gives us very few options, but it does give us the ones that we need. Select Create a new Package to get started.

You will want to have a proper deployment directory for packages but in this case, I just have it in the Downloads folder. Select the executable install file for Veeam Endpoint Backup. Under "parameters" it is necessary to fill in the /silent option to handle an unattended install like we are doing here. Note: whatever deployment directory you are using on the server needs to be shared as a Windows share and be readable by the endpoint(s) to which you are deploying.

Without a paid for version of PDQ Deploy we do a manual "Deploy Once" run of our package rather than a scheduled one. No big deal as we only need to deploy software once in a while anyway. So this works pretty well. Just select the package that we just made, select Deploy Once and then we can pick our deployment targets.

You can use Active Directory, PDQ Deploy itself or even Spiceworks as a data source for deployment targets. I'm using AD here. I only have one desktop under "Computers" which I selected and to which I will now choose to deploy the package.

That's it! Happy "backing up".

[IRJ]

I love PDQ's products. I ended up looking like genius bringing their products into our old environment. Once you feel your way around PDQ, you can do so many things.

Did you know if you use PDQ Inventory in conjunction with PDQ Deploy, you can target systems with specific version of applications and create dynamic lists. It is so awesome.

[scottalanmiller]

@IRJ said in Deploying Veeam Endpoint Backup on Windows with PDQ Deploy:

I love PDQ's products. I ended up looking like genius bringing their products into our old environment. Once you feel your way around PDQ, you can do so many things.

Did you know if you use PDQ Inventory in conjunction with PDQ Deploy, you can target systems with specific version of applications and create dynamic lists. It is so awesome.

I've not played with the two together. I'll add that to be "to do" list for sure.

[IRJ]

@scottalanmiller said in Deploying Veeam Endpoint Backup on Windows with PDQ Deploy:

@IRJ said in Deploying Veeam Endpoint Backup on Windows with PDQ Deploy:

I love PDQ's products. I ended up looking like genius bringing their products into our old environment. Once you feel your way around PDQ, you can do so many things.

Did you know if you use PDQ Inventory in conjunction with PDQ Deploy, you can target systems with specific version of applications and create dynamic lists. It is so awesome.

I've not played with the two together. I'll add that to be "to do" list for sure.

The enterprise versions are very powerful. You can control 3rd party updates through them very effectively. For example you can only delploy Java updates to PCs that have what you consider old versions of java. But not send updates to ones with new versions or no java. The lists update dynamically.

[IRJ]

You can do that with all sorts of 3rd party apps - chrome, firefox, greenshot, gimp, etc. (pretty much any package that AA makes.)

You can also build your own custom dynamic groups for your corporate software.

[BRRABill]

Thanks for this writeup.

Here at work we are still using the N-Able package to do a bunch of stuff on the endpoints, but I'd like to switch away from that to another product for monitoring patching, installing software, and remote control.

[Dashrender]

I'm not sure where else to mention this, but Chocolately would be another deployment method to consider.

[scottalanmiller]

@Dashrender said in Deploying Veeam Endpoint Backup on Windows with PDQ Deploy:

I'm not sure where else to mention this, but Chocolately would be another deployment method to consider.

Yes, no native package, though. So we need to make one for it. That would be my personally preferred method, of course.