Deploying Google File Stream.
Anybody following this sequence of posts and expecting a simple deployment procedure along the lines of the Chrome browser is in for a bit of a surprise.
Unfortunately Intune for Education only recognises three native deployment types (web link, Windows Store item and packaged msi) and Google Drive Stream doesn’t fall into any of those categories so it’s time to roll up your sleeves and log into the Azure InTune portal.
The Azure InTune portal supports a wider range of application types including generic Win32 apps but these need to be converted to a specialised file format (.intunewin) before they can be used. As it turns out converting the Drive Stream executable into a .intunewin file is very straightforward.
The first step is to use the Microsoft Intune Win32 App Packaging Tool to pre-process the Google File Stream executable. The packaging tool wraps the application installation files into the .intunewin format and detects the parameters required by Intune to determine the application installation state.
Although this post references File Stream the process is much the same for any .exe installer.
Download the packaging tool and extract the executable (IntuneWinAppUtil.exe) onto a local subdirectory - C:\Intune for example.
Download and copy the Google File stream exe installer file into the same directory.
Open a Command Prompt as administrator, navigate to C:\InTune, run IntuneWinAppUtil.exe and provide the following information when requested.
Please specify the source folder: C:\InTune
Please specify the setup file: googledrivefilestream.exe
Please specify the output folder: C:\InTune
Once the process is complete a file named googledrivefilestream.intunewin is created alongside the original file. This is your new “InTune friendly” install package for File Stream.
In Azure InTune navigate to Client Apps - Apps - Add.
From the App Type dropdown select Windows app (Win32).
In the next section select the googledrivefilestream.intunewin file you have just created. In the App Information section fill out the relevant fields. Load up a logo file, it has no purpose but it looks nice in the console.
The Program section requires an install and uninstall command. Fortunately these are listed on the Google support site.
GoogleDriveFSSetup --silent --desktop_shortcut
%PROGRAMFILES%\Google\Drive File Stream\<VERSION>\uninstall.exe --silent --force_stop
In the requirements section check in both 16 bit and 32 bit operating system architectures and a minimum OS version of 1607 or whatever suits your deployment plan.
The detection rule is the only tricky thing left. This is the logic that InTune uses to determine if the software is installed. In this case we’ll look for a registry entry.
Select Rule Format - Manually Configure... and then Add.
Rule Type: Registry
Key Path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\{6BBAE539-2232-434A-A4E5-9A33560C6283}
Value Name: <blank>
Detection Method: Key Exists
The Tag section is not required. Select Save when complete and the installer file will be uploaded and the application prepared for deployment.
This normally takes a few minutes after which Google File Stream will be presented in the list of applications (type Win32) to be allocated in the same manner as the other apps.
It's important to realise that this process can only be managed using Azure InTune. Even after the app is created don’t expect it to appear within the InTune for Education portal.
In the next post we'll take a look at the new Chrome Managed Browser feature in G Suite and explain why things are about to get a whole lot easier for the serverless school.
Acknowledgements to Roger Nixon at Wheatley Park School UK for working through this example.
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