Vue d'ensemble

What is a Silent Installation?

A silent installation allows the VMS (Video Management System) software to be installed on a computer without any user interaction. Instead of a user manually launching an installer and clicking "Next," "I Agree," or choosing file paths, the installation runs entirely in the background using a command-line interface (CLI) or a script.

For ACTi specifically, this feature is critical for system integrators or IT administrators managing large-scale deployments, such as a corporate office with 50+ workstations that all need the same VMS client software.

Technical Implementation for ACTi VMS

The silent installation capability was added to ACTi's NVR 3 Corporate/Business and CMS 2 product lines in 2022.

Command: setup.exe /s

The /s flag stands for "silent." When the Windows operating system sees this flag, it suppresses the graphical user interface (GUI) of the installer.

Supported VMS Versions

1. NVR 3 Corporate / Business: Supported since v3.0.15.71.
2. CMS 2: Supported since v2.0.13.21.

Execution: You typically run this command from the Windows Command Prompt (cmd.exe) with Administrator privileges.

Default Behaviors

Since you cannot manually select options during a silent install, the software applies default settings automatically:

Installation Path: The software will install to the standard Windows directory, usually C:\Program Files\ACTi\NVR3 (or similar for CMS).

Components: It will install the standard package components (Workstation, Server, etc.) that are included in the setup.exe bundle.

Shortcuts: Desktop shortcuts and Start Menu entries are created automatically.

Key Use Cases

Silent installation is rarely used for a single home computer. It is designed for:

Mass Deployment:
If you need to install the ACTi Workstation client on 100 different security guard PCs, you can write a simple script to run the silent installer on all of them at once.

Remote Management:
IT tools (like Microsoft SCCM or endpoint management software) can "push" the installation to computers overnight without a human needing to sit at the desk.

Disaster Recovery:
If a server fails and needs to be rebuilt quickly, a script can automatically reinstall the VMS software as part of a system restoration workflow.

Prerequisites & Considerations

Administrator Rights:
You must run the command prompt as an Administrator. If you try to run a silent install as a standard user, it may fail silently (do nothing) because it lacks permission to write to the Program Files folder.

No Feedback:
Because it is "silent," you will not see a progress bar. The only way to know it finished is to check if the icons appear on the desktop or by checking the Windows Task Manager to see if the setup.exe process has ended.

Reboots:
Some VMS installations require a system restart to finalize driver installations. In a silent mode, the system might reboot automatically without warning, or it might suppress the reboot (leaving the install incomplete until the next manual restart). It is best practice to plan for a reboot after the script runs.