Domain Time II Installation - Command-line Options

Domain Time II
Version 5.2

Command-line Options

Most Domain Time II components can be installed or removed from the command-line, including on remote machines. If you prefer to write your own batch files, or want to install/remove individual components manually, you can use the command-line parameters.

Select Program
Pick the program you're interested in from the drop-down list, then click the "Select" button to see the command-line parameters for that program:

Command-line Options:

dtclient.exe [ directive ] [ options ] [ \\targetmachine ]

If no command-line parameters are provided, the program will display a dialog box that lets you choose whether to install, upgrade, or remove the program.

Command line parameters can be provided with either a leading dash or leading forward slash. Slashes are shown below. Parameters can usually be abbreviated to the first letter of the command. For example, you can use /install, /i, -install, or -i to specify the install directive.

Directives:
Specify one of these directives to install, remove, upgrade, or display version information:

dtclient.exe /version

dtclient.exe /install

dtclient.exe /remove

dtclient.exe /upgrade

Options:
The following options may be added to any directive:

Example: dtclient.exe -install -nocpl -vq
Installs the program without showing the control panel applet or any confirmation messages.

-noack
Suppresses confirmation questions and successful completion notices (but not error messages).

-nocpl
Does not start the control panel applet after installation.

-quiet or -q
Suppresses confirmation questions, successful completion notices, and the progress bar. -quiet implies -noack. Like -noack, -quiet will not suppress error messages.

-veryquiet or -vq
Suppresses all messages during installation or removal.

-reset or -re
Reloads the DTCLIENT.REG default settings template file (overwriting any existing values). This option may only be used with the /upgrade directive.

Settings Templates:
The Domain Time Client and Server installation routines use template files to configure most of the default settings of the component. These files are simply modified registry settings files (.reg) in REGEDIT4 format. You may use the included default settings .reg files or, as of version 5.2.b.20180303, you may specify custom files of your own.
The .reg files containing the manufacturer's default settings for Server and Client are located in the installation folders (i.e. \i386 or \amd64) for each component (DTSERVER.REG for Server, DTCLIENT.REG for Client). If you decide to modify these files to change the overall defaults, be sure to make a backup copy so you can revert if necessary.
To specify a custom template, copy your custom .reg file to the installation folders (both /i386 and /amd64) and add this directive to your command line:
-template=TemplateFilename.reg

Note:
If you specify a template when using the -install function, the contents of the template will be imported in its entirety, completely overwriting all existing settings. However, when using the -upgrade function, no existing settings on the target machine will be changed. The template will merely fill in any missing settings on the target machine. If you want to completely replace the settings on an upgraded machine, you can manually copy your template file to the \System32 folder, renaming it to be dtupdate.reg. The template will then be applied (overwriting all settings) at the next synchronization or when the service is restarted. Alternately, you can use Domain Time Manager to push out the template to your machines after the upgrade using the Reset configuration feature.
IMPORTANT: A number of registry settings on a running Domain Time system are machine-specific, and are likely to cause problems if directly copied into another machine's registry. You should not simply export the HKLM\SOFTWARE\Greyware\Domain Time Client key and apply it to other systems. Files exported using Windows Registry Editor in registry formats than REGEDIT4 may not even import correctly. Rather, use the Import/Export function to export a .reg template. Alternately, you may use the PrepClone feature of the DTCheck utility to prepare a machine before exporting the key (see this KB article).

Suppress Shortcuts
You may opt to suppress creation of the Domain Time shortcuts in the All-Users startup menu. This is controlled through a registry setting. Add the following REG_SZ (String) key if it does not exist. The value may be True or False.

HKLM\Software\Greyware\Domain Time Client\Parameters\SuppressShortcuts

If you are editing the installation template, locate the Parameters section and add a new entry if it doesn't already exist:

"SuppressShortcuts"="True"

This will prevent the shortcuts from ever being created. If you want to remove the shortcuts from a previous installation, edit the registry and add (or edit) the REG_SZ (String) value named SuppressShortcuts and set its value to True. When the service restarts, it will remove the shortcuts.

Target Machine:
You may optionally specify a remote target machine (machine where the install, removal, or upgrade is to take place).

You may combine any directive and option with the target machine. Below are some examples:

dtclient.exe -install -noack \\fred

dtclient.exe -remove \\barney - removes the service from the machine \\barney and displays both a progress bar while working and a confirmation message when the removal has completed successfully.

dtclient.exe -upgrade -quiet \\172.16.240.1 - installs the program, upgrading if necessary, to the machine with IP address 172.16.240.1, without confirmations or progress bar.

Note: For remote installation or removal using the command-line to work, both the machine you are working on and the target machine must be running on the same hardware platform (32-bit or 64-bit), and you must be logged on under an account that has administrative privileges on the target machine.

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