Deploying Java and Adobe Reader via Group Policy

Java:

Firstly download the latest Java Windows offline installer here.

Run the installer, and wait for the Welcome screen to appear. Next, navigate to the following directory, where USER_NAME is the name of the logged on user, and jre_VERSION is the name of the version of Java that you have just extracted:

C:\Users\USER_NAME\AppData\LocalLow\Sun\Java\jre_VERSION

In this folder you will find an msi file and a data.cab file. Copy the jre_VERSION folder to you network deployment point, and then add the msi file path to a new package in the software installation section of the Group Policy Object (GPO) that you wish to deploy Java to.

Adobe Reader:

Simple Method:

Download the most recent MSI file from ftp://ftp.adobe.com/pub/adobe/reader/win and deploy that to a new package in the software installation section of the GPO that you wish to deploy to e.g. AdbeRdr11000_en_US.msi. Note that Adobe only issue MSI files for the major releases e.g. 11.0.00.

Complex Method

This method includes how to patch the MSI file of the major release outlined in the simple method to include all the latest security patches. Firstly download the MSI file for the major release which you want to patch and place it in a folder on your computer e.g. C:\ADOBEREADER

Next download the .exe file for the update version which you want to patch to e.g. 11.0.01 from ftp://ftp.adobe.com/pub/adobe/reader/win and extract the contents using the following command, where _VERSION is the version number of the file you downloaded:

AdbeRdr_VERSION_en_US.exe -nos_ne

e.g. AdbeRdr1101_en_US.exe -nos_ne

This will extract the contents of the .exe file to a subfolder in the C:\ProgramData\Adobe\Setup folder. Copy the .MSP file contained in this folder to the C:\ADOBEREADER folder you created earlier. From the command prompt navigate to the C:\ADOBEREADER folder and run the following command where MSI_VERSION is the version of the MSI file that you are updating and PATCH_VERSION is the version of the patch that you are applying :

msiexec /a AdbeRdr_MSI_VERSION_en_US.msi /p AdbeRdr_PATCH_VERSION.msp

e.g. msiexec /a AdbeRdr11000_en_US.msi /p AdbeUpd11001.msp

Click through the steps of the installer, and then click finish. Your .msi file has now been patched

Finally, copy your new patched msi file to your network deployment point and create a new package in the software installation section of the GPO which you wish to deploy Adobe Reader to.

References:

How do I deploy Java using Active Directory across a network?

How to extract an MSI file from the EXE for Adobe Reader