Advanced IT information
This section provides information to IT teams who are supporting Blank-it within their organization.
File system
Blank-it stores files in three main directories.
- The baseline configuration directory. This directory should be read-only. It stores some baseline configuration file that should never be able to be edited by unprivileged users.
- The shared data directory. Users should have read and write access. It stores several transient data files and configuration files.
- The logs directory. Users should have read and write access. It stores the application log files.
By default, these directories are as follows:
| Directory | Directory path | Permissions |
|---|---|---|
| Baseline configuration | C:\ProgramData\Blank-it | Read-only |
| Shared data | C:\Users\Public\Documents\Blank-it\Data | Read + Write |
| Logs | C:\Users\Public\Documents\Blank-it\Logs | Read + Write |
Firewall configuration
The Blank-it software will occasionally make web requests to the Blank-it servers. It is recommended that an organization allows the following traffic through its firewall:
| Hostname | Port | Comments |
|---|---|---|
gateway.blank-it.com | 443 | Required for general operation of the Blank-it software. |
portal.blank-it.com | 443 | Required to allow administrators to use the built-in configuration manager. |
Distributing a configuration to a fleet of PCs
In order to accommodate the widest variety of organizational software deployment tools, Blank-it uses the simplest possible configuration deployment strategy. To roll out a new Blank-it configuration, all an organization has to do is overwrite the existing Blank-it configuration file with a new Blank-it configuration file. This can be done while the Blank-it software is running; Blank-it will continue to run as it was, the new configuration will be applied next time the Blank-it software starts.
Advanced installation options
Blank-it has a number of advanced installation options that can be used by passing custom arguments to msiexec during the installation process.
| Argument | Description |
|---|---|
| BASE_DIR | The path to use as the baseline configuration directory (described above). |
| SHARED_DIR | The path to use as the shared configuration directory (described above). |
| LOGS_DIR | The path to use as the logs directory (described above). |
| CONFIG_PATH | The path of a config file to be automatically deployed to the relevant locations. |
| KEEP_LOGS | (Uninstall only) If set to true, retain the log files when uninstalling. |
In addition, Blank-it can be installed in 'quiet' mode by passing the /qn flag to msiexec.
Here is an example installation command that will install Blank-it in quiet mode, with a custom directory structure, and automatic deployment of a configuration file:
msiexec.exe /i blankit.msi /qn BASE_DIR="C:\BL_BASE" SHARED_DIR="C:\BL_SHARED" LOGS_DIR="C:\BL_LOGS" CONFIG_PATH="CONFIG.B7CONFIG"Here is an example uninstallation command that will uninstall Blank-it in quiet mode, but retain the log files.
msiexec.exe /x blankit.msi /qn KEEP_LOGS=TRUE