DNSWatchGO Client CLI and GPO Installation

You can use the Windows command line interface (CLI) to install the DNSWatchGO Client .MSI file. You can also use the command line option for deployment through Active Directory Group Policy Objects (GPO).

To install DNSWatchGO Client on a Windows computer, you must have:

  • DNSWatchGO Client .MSI installer file
  • DNSWatch API token

You must run the installer as a Windows Administrator.

Download .MSI Installer File and API Token

To download the Windows .MSI installation file and copy the API token:

  1. Log in to your DNSWatch account in the WatchGuard website.
  2. Select Deploy > DNSWatchGO Clients.
  3. Click Download DNSWatchGO Installer.
  4. If prompted, save the installer package to an appropriate location.
  5. To copy the token to the clipboard, in the Account API token for DNSWatchGO Client section, click .

    If you have more than one token, it does not matter which token you copy.

Install DNSWatchGO Client from the Windows Command Prompt

To run the .MSI installer:

  1. In the Windows Start menu, right-click Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator.
    A Windows Command Prompt window opens.
  2. Change directory to the location of the .MSI file.
  3. To run the installer, in the Command Prompt window, type:

msiexec /i "<MSI FILE>" AGENTAPITOKEN=<DNSWatchGO API Token> /qn

After you install the DNSWatchGO Client, check the status on the Report > DNSWatchGO Clients page in the associated DNSWatch account.

Use an Active Directory GPO to Install DNSWatchGO Client

You can use the command described in the previous procedure to remotely install DNSWatchGO Client on multiple hosts through an AD Group Policy Object (GPO). You must use an installation method that supports command line parameters.

There are two methods to set up a GPO to install an .MSI file with command line parameters:

Option 1 — Create a System Startup GPO That Runs a Batch File

Configure a GPO for a startup script or logon script that runs a batch file that installs DNSWatchGO Client. The batch file contains only one line, which specifies the network path to the .MSI file. The other parameters are the same as described in the previous procedure for installation from the Windows Command Prompt.

msiexec /i "<MSI FILE>" AGENTAPITOKEN=<DNSWatchGO API Token> /qn

Option 2 — Create a Software Installation GPO That Uses a Transform (MST) File

Create a transform file (.MST) that contains the required command line parameters. The Orca tool to create the .MST file is in the Windows SDK, which is available from Microsoft.

  1. Open Orca.
  2. Select File > Open and open the original .MSI file.
  3. To start a new transform, select Transform > New Transform.
  4. In the Property list , add the AGENTAPITOKEN property with the API token for your DNSWatch account.
  5. To generate the transform file, select Transform > Generate Transform.
  6. To save the transform file, select File > Save Transformed As.
  7. Copy the original MSI file into the directory where the .MST file is located.
  8. To manually test the installation, type this command: 
    install: msiexec /i [DNSWatchGO msi file] /q TRANSFORMS=[DNSWatchGO mst file]

After you create the .MST file, create a Software Installation GPO that includes both the .MSI and .MST files.

  1. Open the Group Policy Management Editor software installation settings.
  2. In the white space, right-click and select New > Package.
  3. Specify the network path to the .MSI file.
  4. Select Advanced.
  5. Select the Modifications tab.
  6. Click Add.
  7. Specify the network path to the .MST file.
  8. Click OK.
  9. Use gpupdate to refresh the group policy settings.
  10. To test the GPO, reboot a computer in the domain.