NetSign CAC Upgrade 4.2 to 5.5.128
Product:
NetSign CAC 4.2 Upgrade to 5.5 - Manual method, Active Directory, SMS and MSI Silent Install
Issue / Problem:
"Outlook can not find nsolext.dll" error when outlook opens after upgrading from NetSign CAC 4.2.x to 5.5.x
Customers upgrading from NetSign CAC 4.2 to 5.5 may encounter upgrade issues if they manually uninstall NetSign CAC 4.2 then manually install (from CD) NetSign CAC V 5.5. After using this upgrade method users that open their Outlook application will see a Microsoft Office Outlook dialog:
“The add-in “C:\program files\ssp solutions\NetSign CAC\NsOlExt.dll” could not be installed or loaded. This problem may be resolved by using Detect and Repair on the Help Menu” (click “OK” to continue).
Problem:
Uninstalling NetSign CAC 4.2 then installing NetSign CAC 5.5.128 SP1 manually (from CD) will cause an error message every time the user opens Outlook (“Outlook can not find nsolext.dll”). This file (nsolext.dll) is installed by NetSign CAC and adds functionality to Microsoft Outlook that can be configured to implement added features by the NetSign CAC / System Administrator; namely NsOlExt.dll allows users to automatically add contacts and associated public keys to the users contact list when the user opens a new email message (Auto Contact feature); and after a user opens an encrypted email message or to automatically store an encrypted email in the users inbox as a decrypted readable email once it has been decrypted (read) by the user (Auto Decrypt feature);.
Solutions:
Solution #1: Here is a solution that Administrators can take if they encounter errors with NsOlExt.dll (as outlined in the NetSign CAC 5.5x release notes under the section labeled *Known Issue
The error dialog indicates
the NsOlExt.dll file could not be installed or loaded. Outlook caches
extension information outside of the registry in an
“extend.dat” binary file. The fix is for
the user or System Administrator to delete the “extend.dat”
file (it will be recreated after Outlook is opened up again).
The “extend.dat”
file can be found in various locations based upon the version of
Outlook.
[user documents/settings]\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\extend.dat] or
[user documents/settings]\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\extend.dat]
After deleting this file the next time the user logs into Outlook the “NsOlExt.dll” error message will no longer persist.
[user documents/settings]\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\extend.dat] or
[user documents/settings]\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\extend.dat]
After deleting this file the next time the user logs into Outlook the “NsOlExt.dll” error message will no longer persist.
Solution #2: Proactive steps for NetSign CAC System Administrators for Manual Upgrades
Administrators charged with upgrading NetSign CAC Clients from version 4.2 to 5.5.128 should include:
(1) An
administrator should create a custom NetSignConfig.ini
file for deployment in your group/company.
a. Start by copying the contents of the CD to a network share (Note: reference the Administrators guide for complete details).
b. Navigate to the \\NetSign5.5_CD\Admin folder and run/execute “nsconfigwizard.exe”.
c. Follow the documented instructions for use of NetSign Configuration Wizard (see Using the NetSign Configuration Wizard in the Administrators Guide Page 8).
d. During this process make sure to check the dialog box marked “ Use existing target path when upgrading”. If this check box is selected, NetSign is installed into the same directory as an earlier version during the upgrade to Version 5.5
e. The NetSign Configuration Wizard steps through each dialog box in sequence and then updates the NetSignConfig.ini file. A Save As dialog box appears to specify an alternative file name and directory location. By default, the NetSignConfig.ini file is saved in the \admin directory of the Netsign CD image with its original name.
a. Start by copying the contents of the CD to a network share (Note: reference the Administrators guide for complete details).
b. Navigate to the \\NetSign5.5_CD\Admin folder and run/execute “nsconfigwizard.exe”.
c. Follow the documented instructions for use of NetSign Configuration Wizard (see Using the NetSign Configuration Wizard in the Administrators Guide Page 8).
d. During this process make sure to check the dialog box marked “ Use existing target path when upgrading”. If this check box is selected, NetSign is installed into the same directory as an earlier version during the upgrade to Version 5.5
e. The NetSign Configuration Wizard steps through each dialog box in sequence and then updates the NetSignConfig.ini file. A Save As dialog box appears to specify an alternative file name and directory location. By default, the NetSignConfig.ini file is saved in the \admin directory of the Netsign CD image with its original name.
f. UPDATE: For NetSign CAC 5.5.128 push or silent installation methods, the NetSignConfig.ini file must be saved to the CD image folder (now a network share) under a new \temp folder that the Administrator creates (e.g. NetSign5.5 <CD Share> \temp ) subdirectory.
Important: Do not manually edit the NetSignConfig.ini file and change its values. All file settings should be made through the NetSign Configuration Wizard.
(2)
Next, Install/execute setup.exe from the NetSign CAC 5.5.128 system
share over an existing NetSign CAC 4.2 client without uninstalling
NetSign CAC 4.2. After following the step above users will not see the
NsOlExt.dll error will not appear.
Note: AD Push, SMS Push and MSI Silent Install may require using Solution #1 as outlined above to resolve this issue.
Keywords: Upgrade,
NsOlExt.dll, NetSign CAC 5.5.128Note: AD Push, SMS Push and MSI Silent Install may require using Solution #1 as outlined above to resolve this issue.