Installing silently through a command line shell (explained)

With silent installation, system administrators can install and upgrade the XProtect VMS and Smart Client software over a large network with no user interactions from their part and with as little disturbance to the end users as possible.

The XProtect VMS and Smart Client installers (.exe files) have different command line arguments. They each have their own set of command line parameters that can be invoked directly in a command line shell or through an arguments file. In the command line shell, you can also use command line options with the installers.

You can combine the XProtect installers, their command line parameters and command line options with tools for silent distribution and installation of software, like Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM, also known as ConfigMgr). For more information about such tools, visit the manufacturer's website. You can also use Milestone Software Manager for remote installing and updating of XProtect VMS, device packs, and Smart Client. For more information, see the administrator manual for Milestone Software Manager.

Command line parameters and arguments files

During silent installation, you can specify settings that are closely linked to the different VMS system components and their internal communication with command line parameters and arguments files. Command line parameters and arguments files should only be used for new installations because you cannot change the settings that the command line parameters represent during an upgrade.

To see the available command line parameters and to generate an arguments file for an installer, in the command line shell, navigate to the directory where the installer is located and enter the following command:

[NameOfExeFile].exe ‑‑generateargsfile=[path]

Example:

MilestoneXProtectRecordingServerInstaller_x64.exe ‑‑generateargsfile=c:\temp

In the saved arguments file (Arguments.xml), each command line parameter has a description that explains its purpose. You can modify and save the arguments file so that the command line parameter values suit your installation needs.

When you want to use an arguments file with its installer, use the ‑‑arguments command line option by entering the following command:

[NameOfExeFile].exe ‑‑quiet ‑‑arguments=[path]\[filename]

Example:

Milestone XProtect VMS Products 2025 R1 System Installer.exe ‑‑quiet ‑‑arguments=C:\temp\arguments.xml

Command line options

In the command line shell, you can also combine installers with command line options. The command line options generally modify the behavior of a command.

To see the full list of command line options, in the command line shell, navigate to the directory where the installer is located and enter [NameOfExeFile].exe ‑‑help. For the installation to be successful, you must specify a value for command line options that require a value.

You can use both command line parameters and command line options in the same command. Use the ‑‑parameters command line option and divide each command line parameter with a colon (:). In the example below, ‑‑quiet, ‑‑showconsole, and ‑‑parameters are command line options, and ISFAILOVER and RECORDERNAME are command line parameters:

MilestoneXProtectRecordingServerInstaller_x64.exe ‑‑quiet ‑‑showconsole ‑‑parameters=ISFAILOVER:true:RECORDERNAME:Failover1