Third Party Installer - Installation Guide¶

This guide covers installing and configuring the Third Party Installer for automated management of SSH Tools Suite dependencies.

Overview¶

The Third Party Installer is automatically included with the SSH Tools Suite and is typically invoked during first-time setup. However, it can also be run independently to manage tool installations.

Automatic Installation¶

During SSH Tools Suite Setup¶

The Third Party Installer is automatically triggered when:

First Launch: SSH Tools Suite detects missing required tools
Post-Installation: Runs automatically after package installation
Dependency Check: When applications require missing tools

# SSH Tools Suite automatically runs:
python -m third_party_installer

Silent Installation Mode¶

For automated deployments:

# Install all required tools silently
python -m third_party_installer --silent --required-only

# Install all tools (required + optional)
python -m third_party_installer --silent --all

Manual Installation¶

Launching the GUI¶

# Method 1: Using the installed script
third-party-installer

# Method 2: Using Python module
python -m third_party_installer

# Method 3: Direct execution (if in source directory)
python third_party_installer_app.py

Command Line Interface¶

# Check installation status
python -m third_party_installer --status

# List available tools
python -m third_party_installer --list

# Install specific tool
python -m third_party_installer --install psexec

# Install all required tools
python -m third_party_installer --install-required

Corporate Environment Setup¶

Proxy Configuration¶

Automatic Proxy Detection¶

The installer can automatically detect and use system proxy settings:

Launch Third Party Installer
Click "Proxy Settings"
Select "Auto-detect system proxy"
Test connection and save

Manual Proxy Configuration¶

For explicit proxy server configuration:

{
    "enabled": true,
    "auto_detect": false,
    "server": "proxy.company.com",
    "port": 8080,
    "username": "your_username",
    "password": "your_password"
}

PX Corporate Proxy¶

For environments using PX authentication:

Ensure PX is installed (bundled with SSH Tools Suite)
Configure PX settings in the installer
Set proxy to use PX: localhost:3128
Test installation with proxy

# Configure PX proxy
px --config
# Start PX service
px --daemon

Network Restrictions¶

Firewall Configuration¶

Allow outbound HTTPS connections to: - download.sysinternals.com (PsExec) - get.videolan.org (VLC) - www.gyan.dev (FFmpeg) - github.com (PX updates)

Alternative Download Methods¶

If direct downloads are blocked:

Manual Download: Download tools manually and place in designated directories
Network Share: Configure installer to use internal file shares
Offline Installation: Use pre-downloaded installation packages

Tool-Specific Installation¶

PsExec (Required)¶

Installation Process: 1. Downloads PSTools.zip from Microsoft Sysinternals 2. Extracts PsExec.exe to system directory 3. Falls back to user directory if permissions insufficient 4. Verifies installation by checking executable

Manual Installation:

# Download PSTools manually
# Extract PsExec.exe to one of:
# C:\Windows\System32\PsExec.exe
# C:\PsExec\PsExec.exe

Verification:

PsExec.exe
# Should display PsExec help information

VLC Media Player (Optional)¶

Installation Process: 1. Downloads VLC installer from VideoLAN 2. Runs silent installation 3. Configures for RTSP streaming 4. Adds to system PATH if needed

Manual Installation:

# Download VLC from https://www.videolan.org/
# Install normally, ensuring installation to standard directory

Verification:

vlc.exe --version
# Should display VLC version information

FFmpeg (Required)¶

Installation Process: 1. Downloads FFmpeg essentials build 2. Extracts to dedicated directory 3. Configures PATH environment variable 4. Verifies installation with version check

Manual Installation:

# Download FFmpeg from https://ffmpeg.org/
# Extract to C:\ffmpeg\
# Add C:\ffmpeg\bin to PATH

Verification:

ffmpeg -version
# Should display FFmpeg version and configuration

PX Corporate Proxy (Bundled)¶

Installation Process: 1. Verifies bundled PX executable 2. Configures proxy settings 3. Creates service configuration 4. Tests proxy connectivity

Manual Configuration:

# Configure PX settings
px --config

# Set proxy server
px --server=proxy.company.com:8080

# Start PX daemon
px --daemon

Installation Verification¶

Automated Verification¶

The installer automatically verifies all installations:

from third_party_installer.core.installer import ThirdPartyInstaller

installer = ThirdPartyInstaller()

# Check all tool status
all_status = installer.get_all_tools_status()
for tool_name, status in all_status.items():
    print(f"{tool_name}: {status.value}")

# Check if installation is complete
if installer.is_installation_complete():
    print("✅ All required tools are installed!")
else:
    missing = installer.get_missing_required_tools()
    print(f"❌ Missing tools: {', '.join(missing)}")

Manual Verification¶

Check Tool Availability¶

# Test PsExec
PsExec.exe
where PsExec.exe

# Test VLC
vlc.exe --version
where vlc.exe

# Test FFmpeg
ffmpeg -version
where ffmpeg.exe

# Test PX
px.exe --version
where px.exe

Verify Installation Paths¶

Windows Registry Check:

# Check VLC installation
reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\VideoLAN\VLC"

# Check installed programs
reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall"

Directory Structure Verification:

C:\Windows\System32\PsExec.exe           (or C:\PsExec\)
C:\Program Files\VideoLAN\VLC\vlc.exe   (or x86)
C:\ffmpeg\bin\ffmpeg.exe
C:\px\px.exe                            (or bundled location)

Troubleshooting Installation Issues¶

Common Issues¶

"Administrator Privileges Required"¶

Solution: Run installer as administrator or use fallback installation:

# Run as administrator
runas /user:Administrator "python -m third_party_installer"

# Or allow fallback to user directory installation
# Installer automatically handles this for most tools

"Download Failed" / "Network Error"¶

Solution: Check network connectivity and proxy settings:

# Test internet connectivity
ping 8.8.8.8

# Test HTTPS access
curl -I https://download.sysinternals.com

# Configure proxy if needed
python -m third_party_installer --configure-proxy

"Antivirus Software Blocking Installation"¶

Solution: Temporarily disable antivirus or add exceptions:

Add SSH Tools Suite directory to antivirus exceptions
Allow downloads from known sources
Disable real-time scanning temporarily during installation
Manually verify downloaded files if needed

"Installation Hangs"¶

Solution: Check for conflicting processes:

# Check for running installers
tasklist | findstr msiexec

# Kill hanging processes
taskkill /F /IM msiexec.exe

# Restart installer
python -m third_party_installer

Advanced Troubleshooting¶

Enable Debug Logging¶

import logging
logging.basicConfig(level=logging.DEBUG)

# Run installer with debug output
from third_party_installer.core.installer import ThirdPartyInstaller
installer = ThirdPartyInstaller()

Manual Tool Verification¶

from pathlib import Path
from third_party_installer.core.installer import ThirdPartyInstaller

installer = ThirdPartyInstaller()

# Check each tool manually
for tool_name, tool in installer.tools_config.items():
    print(f"\nChecking {tool.display_name}:")

    # Check expected paths
    for path in tool.executable_paths:
        if Path(path).exists():
            print(f"  ✅ Found at: {path}")
            break
    else:
        print(f"  ❌ Not found in expected locations")

    # Try version command
    if tool.version_command:
        try:
            import subprocess
            result = subprocess.run(
                tool.version_command.split(),
                capture_output=True,
                text=True,
                timeout=5
            )
            if result.returncode == 0:
                print(f"  ✅ Version check passed")
            else:
                print(f"  ❌ Version check failed")
        except Exception as e:
            print(f"  ❌ Version check error: {e}")

Reset Installation State¶

# Clear installation cache
rm -rf %APPDATA%\ssh_tools_suite\ThirdPartyInstaller

# Or on Unix-like systems
rm -rf ~/.config/ssh_tools_suite/third_party_installer

# Restart installer
python -m third_party_installer

Post-Installation Configuration¶

Environment Variables¶

After successful installation, verify environment variables:

# Check PATH includes tool directories
echo %PATH%

# Add missing directories if needed
setx PATH "%PATH%;C:\ffmpeg\bin"

Integration Verification¶

Test integration with SSH Tools Suite:

# Launch SSH Tunnel Manager
ssh-tunnel-manager-gui

# Check tool availability in application
# Tools should be detected automatically

Corporate Deployment¶

Batch Installation Script¶

@echo off
echo Installing SSH Tools Suite Third Party Tools...

REM Install SSH Tools Suite
pip install ssh-tools-suite==1.0.9

REM Run third party installer silently
python -m third_party_installer --silent --required-only

REM Verify installation
python -c "from third_party_installer.core.installer import ThirdPartyInstaller; print('Complete' if ThirdPartyInstaller().is_installation_complete() else 'Failed')"

echo Installation complete!
pause

Group Policy Deployment¶

For domain environments:

Create installation package with all dependencies
Deploy via Group Policy Software Installation
Use silent installation flags for automated deployment
Verify installation through login scripts

Uninstallation¶

Remove Third Party Tools¶

# Uninstall VLC (if installed via installer)
"%ProgramFiles%\VideoLAN\VLC\uninstall.exe"

# Remove FFmpeg directory
rmdir /S C:\ffmpeg

# Remove PsExec (if installed to system)
del C:\Windows\System32\PsExec.exe

# Remove PX
rmdir /S C:\px

Clean Installation Records¶

# Remove installer configuration
rmdir /S "%APPDATA%\ssh_tools_suite\ThirdPartyInstaller"

# Clear environment variables
# Remove added PATH entries manually through System Properties

Next Steps¶

After successful installation:

Launch SSH Tunnel Manager - Start using the main application
Configure Tunnels - Set up your first SSH tunnels
RTSP Streaming Setup - Configure video streaming with installed tools

Getting Help¶

If you encounter issues during installation:

Check installation logs in the GUI log panel
Review error messages for specific failure details
Consult troubleshooting section above
Report issues on GitHub Issues with:
Operating system and version
Error messages and logs
Network environment details
Corporate proxy information (if applicable)