Office plugin installation manual for Microsoft RDS

Introduction

How to install the Zivver Office Plugin for Outlook in an environment with Microsoft Remote Desktop Services (RDS).

Minimal technical requirements

System requirements

  • Microsoft Windows 7 Extended Security Updates or newer.
  • Microsoft .NET Framework 4.8 or newer.
  • Microsoft Outlook 2016 or newer.
  • Memory utilization: +/- 150 MB in total for each Outlook session.

Product specific requirements

  • HTTPS connection, port 443, TLS v1.2 or higher with https://*.zivver.com.
  • Outlook in Cached Mode(1).
  • A Microsoft supported scenario when using different versions of Office, Project, and Visio on the same computer.

(1) Zivver follows the recommended practice of Microsoft and Citrix for optimal performance with Outlook in Cached Mode. Performance issues related to Online Mode will be investigated on a best-effort basis.

RDS specific requirements

  • Administrator access to the Remote Desktop Host Server(s).

Latest MSI installer download link

Installation

The plugin can be installed directly on an RDS server in one of two ways:

  1. Command line installation
  2. Control Panel installation
You can also install the Zivver Office plugin on RDS servers with one of the two Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) or Group Policy Objects (GPO).

Make sure that you implement also the additional required settings, in addition to installing the plug- in. Refer to chapter Recommended Office plugin settings.

Command line installation

  1. Log in to the Remote Desktop Session Host Server with administrator rights.
  2. Open the Command Line Interface.
    For example by running the command cmd.
  3. Make sure there are currently no users logged on to the server.
  4. If the installation is done outside of maintenance windows, then enter change logon /disable to ensure users will not log on to the server during the installation process.
  5. Enter change user /install to change the server to installation mode.
  6. Execute the MSI installer package of the plugin to start the installation process.
    Download the latest version
  7. Click Next in the plugin installation wizard.
  8. Optional: Click Browse to change the folder where the plugin will be installed.

    The plugin can only be installed on a system level with the option for Everyone. Go to the general installation manual and to learn how to deactivate the plugin for users on a shared workspace.
  9. Click Next.

  10. Click Next again.
    Wait a moment until the plugin is installed.

  11. Click Close to close the plugin installation wizard.

  12. After installing the plugin, enter change user /execute to change the server back to execution mode.

  13. Enter change logon /enable to allow users to log in to the server again.
    The plugin is now installed on the server.

Go to recommended Office plugin settings

Control Panel installation

  1. Log in to the RDS Host Server with administrator rights.
  2. Open the Command Line Interface.
    For example by running the command cmd.
  3. Make sure there are currently no users logged on to the server.
  4. If the installation is done outside of maintenance windows, then enter change logon /disable to ensure users will not log on to the server during the installation process.
  5. Open the Control Panel.
  6. Go to Programs.
  7. Select the option Install Application on Remote Desktop Server.
  8. Click Next.
  9. Click Browse and select the MSI installation package of the plugin.
    Download the latest version
  10. Click Open to confirm the selection.
  11. Click Next.
    The installation wizard of the plugin should now open.
  12. Click Next.
  13. Optional: Click Browse to change the folder where the plugin will be installed.

    The plugin can only be installed on a system level with the option for Everyone. Go to the general installation manual and to learn how to deactivate the plugin for users on a shared workspace.
  14. Click Next.

  15. Click Next again.
    Wait a moment until the plugin is installed.

  16. Click Close to close the plugin installation wizard.

  17. In the Install Application on Remote Desktop Server wizard, click Finish.
    The plugin is now installed on the server.

  18. Enter change logon /enable to allow users to log in to the server again.

Go to recommended Office plugin settings

The recommended Office plugin settings can be deployed on a RDS server via GPO. Please visit the Recommended Office plugin settings of the GPO installation manual.

Update the plugin

Download the latest MSI version of the Office plugin and repeat the steps from the previous chapter Installation. The old version will be overwritten by the newest version of the Office plugin.

Uninstall the plugin

  1. Log in to the RDS Host Server with administrator rights.
  2. Open the Control Panel.
  3. Go to Programs.
  4. Click Programs and Features.
  5. Select the Zivver Office Plugin.
  6. Click Uninstall.
  7. Click Yes to confirm.
    Wait until the uninstallation process is complete. The plugin is now removed from the server.

The recommended Office plugin settings are installed via a GPO. If you are unfamiliar with the installation steps, please visit the GPO installation manual.

  1. Open Group Policy Management.
    For example by running the command GPMC.MSC.

    If you are configuring these settings on a standalone computer, then open Local Group Policy Editor instead by running the command GPEDIT.MSC and continue from step 4.
  2. Under Group Policy Objects, right-click the GPO for additional settings.

  3. Select the option Edit… to open the Group Policy Management Editor.

  4. Select either Computer Configuration or User Configuration, depending on whether you applied the settings on a system or user level.

  5. Expand the folder Policies.

  6. Expand the folder Administrative Templates.

  7. Expand the folder Zivver Office Plugin Settings.

  8. Change all the settings back to Disabled.

  9. Close the Group Policy Management Editor.

    If you only configured the settings on a standalone computer, then close the Local Group Policy Editor and skip the remaining steps.
  10. Right-click the OU the GPO is linked to.

  11. Select the option Group Policy Update… to update the new GPO for all AD objects in the OU.
    The settings will now be undone for all systems and users they were applied to.