Deploying Pinnacle Series User Tools

Applies To:

Technical Administrators.

You would like to learn about how the Pinnacle Series user tools can be pushed to users as part of a deployment package.
Your organization has decided to centrally manage the installation of Pinnacle Series user tools rather than having each user install the MSI file individually.
You would like to view the different ways the Pinnacle Series user tools can be deployed.

The Pinnacle Series User Tools are a packaged set of small applications that get deployed to end-user systems for added platform functionality. Included in the User Tools are the Pinnacle Command Launcher and the Offline Viewer.
There are three benefits to installing the user tools:
- It enables the Pinnacle Series related learning plugin in certain Autodesk software. The Command Launcher installation unpacks "plug-ins" that allow Pinnacle Series tool links to trigger Autodesk commands. These same plugins also allow the Pinnacle Series to access Related Learning Topics when a user clicks a command, in certain Autodesk products.
- It allows a user to reference an Autodesk command that has been associated with tool links in learning content e.g. inside a Pinnacle Series workflow or document to facilitate in-context learning.

- It enables the Pinnacle Series offline viewer which allows users to download selected learning content for offline viewing in environments where internet access is not available. The Pinnacle Series Offline Viewer is a thin client application that is used to view offline content.

To install the Pinnacle Series user tools you will need administrative permissions.
The MSI file can be accessed via the Pinnacle Series home page under 'Download Add-ons' as shown below.

Make sure the downloaded file is placed in a location that minimally has read access for all your users.
By default, running the Pinnacle.msi file on individual’s workstations will prompt users through the installation wizard and deploy the necessary files.
You can optionally control the deployment so that it runs silently (without prompts) when running the Pinnacletools.msi on client workstations.
Additionally, you can set certain default options and control how Pinnacle Series connects to the web services if proxy server settings dictate a special connection.
If modifications to this file are necessary, you can place a copy of the modified file into the same folder as the MSI package so that the modified file will be installed on the individual client workstations during the deployment. We highly advise you to reach out to the Eagle Point Software technical support team before making changes to the file.
Build a deployment package to 'push' the Pinnacle Series user tool installation to all user workstations.
To deploy the Pinnacle.msi file with these additional options, command-line switches can be used to set/override certain aspects of the installation. Reference Microsoft Standard Installer (MSI) Command-Line options here if needed:
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/msi/standard-installer-command-line-options
The MSI installer needs to be initiated on the client machine.
Cycle through the installation until you see finish.

After the Pinnacle Series user tools MSI file has been installed on a user's machine they will see a new desktop icon as per the below image:

There is one last, very important step that users need to take to activate their Pinnacle Series user tools on the current device.
Guide users to head to the user information icon, top right, and select user profile.

Once the user profile window displays guides users to click the button 'activate on this device'. This step is important to get the Pinnacle Series user tools to work as expected.