We have a large application that has been developed over 15 years and in installed in 200+ client locations. The application currently consists of an Access database and a bunch of executable and report files located on a network share. A Setup.EXE file is run on each client machine (dlls are installed on the client) and then the client machines run the executables directly from the network share. During our upgrade procedure the new executable and report files are copied to the network share and that way each client gets the update immediately.
Our current installation program is very old and, among other things, it doesn't handle x64 so we are in the process of moving to a new deployment tool. At the same time we are migrating client Access databases to SQL Server. I am having difficulty finding a deployment tool to do what we require. Specifically we need the install/upgrade file to do the following:
It must be able to be run from a client machine on a network and copy the new executable and report files to the network share. That share could be a Linux box or a dumb storage device.
Accept a password before running the installation
Allow the user to select the network share as the location to copy the executables
It must NOT add anything to the client machine from where the package is run (Add/Remove Programs, registry, etc.)
Connect to a SQL Server database and run a script
The install/upgrade must be contained in a single, standalone .msi or .exe file. (no dependencies on dlls or frameworks other than those that come with Windows XP)
The file must be able to be run in one simple step. It is the end user that runs the upgrade without our support and without involvement from IT.
It looks like the closest thing to what I need is WiX but the problem there is that whenever the .msi file is run from a client, the client machine thinks that a program is being installed so it allows the client machine to uninstall the product, which is not acceptable.
If the product were written today it would certainly be architected differently but it currently is what it is and we can’t change that. Any help here would be greatly appreciated!
WiX is just a toolset built on top of Windows Installer technology. It makes many things easier and simpler as well as hides lots of Windows Installer weird features... But, it is still limited by Windows Installer, its underlying technology.
Your list of requirements made me think that Windows Installer is not the right technology to choose. I would assume that you'll spend more time on workarounds, than on functional code... But I have no experience with other installation technologies, so I'll leave those recommendations to others.
Related
I'm in a university with a very slow network, and I primarily develop on Docker or other WSL systems. As such, many times when I launch VS Code, it begins to update the server and takes half an hour to complete.
I always use Debian-like distros on the x64 architecture, so I can use the same installer for all these server instances. Is there a way I can stop it from downloading the same file again and again for each remote machine?
I want to unify just the download process that uses the internet; I'm happy to move the file around on my computer and install it separately in each distro (but I should at least be able to hack together a script to do this, if not make this supported directly by the editor).
Can I install Visual Studio Code on Windows server 2008 ?
I am a developer but I sent the information to my administrators and they told me that the setup file crashes after launched
I get seput file from hee https://code.visualstudio.com/download
procesor: Intel(R) Xeon(R) Gold 6142 CPU # 2.60Ghz - 2.59 GHz
RAM: 8 GB
64-bit
virtual machine
1 CPU - 2 cores
Windows Server 2008
First time answering here so bare with my vintage reply formatting. (also pardon that i couldn't capture screen due to server is on a intranet that not accessible on this device causing a long reply)
Being a unfortunate fellow that need to work on legacy Systems and Application frequently, i happen to have a fresh 2008R2 server recently setup by my team's Server Admin with following specs:
processor: Intel(R) Xeon(R) Gold 5220 CPU # 2.20Ghz - 2.19 GHz ,
OS: Windows Server 2008R2 x64 ,
RAM: 8GB
The versions that is able to install was 1.70.3,which is the same version that is the last supporting versions for Windows 7 as well,if you happen to need to work on devices using that OS version.
although i'm uncertain whether it is a VM or not, i'd like to point out a few more things that your question did not cover but need to consider:
The installer version (System setup vs User Setup)
aside from the x64 |x86 | ARM installer differences, as you've not mentioned which versions of the build and which exact setup installer you sent to your admin, i've first replied which build version successfully installed on 2008R2, which as of writing the latest build was 1.73.0 and on run,it pop up a error message as follow regardless of System/User Setup:
This Program does not support the version of windows your computer is running.
in our current case that we want specific previous versions installer, VScode FAQ on previous versions have a URL lists that enables you to download a specific build version of your preferred setup. For my case (and also refer below to exactly why this one), i've go for System setup, and i know the aprox. supporting version was ~1.70.0, so i used the link as below and replace the {version} to start:
https://update.code.visualstudio.com/{version}/win32-x64/stable
Active Domain, Multiple user sessions etc.
Per VSCode requirements page stated,
VS Code does not support multiple simultaneous users using the software on the same machine, including shared virtual desktop
infrastructure machines or a pooled Windows/Linux Virtual Desktop host
pool.
as im not sure do you work solo or do have fellow colleagues to code on the server at the same time, you might need to reconsider to install using user or System setup.
if your intentions are to use exclusively on a specific AD account, then user setup should probably be good enough.
however, if the intentions was to setup say a shared Remote desktop connections on the VM that allows multiple RDC sessions simultaneously for coding,programming etc., so you intend to install a system setup to allow all users on said server to be able to use VScode, then you might run into the problem the VScode requirements stated it does not support.
in addition, as i was remote connected as administrator , when using a 1.70.2 user setup ,a different warning message as follow was thrown:
This user Installer is not meant to be run as Administrator. If you would like to install VS Code for all users in this system, download the system Installer instead.Are you sure you want to continue?
as the installer itself also checks with the operator on this matter, your admin may have skipped on the exact reasons why the install failed and just told you the installer crashed.
if you absolutely need VScode to run on the server but can't install for reasons, the last resort (aside from going for alternatives like notepad++) is to Setup a Portable Mode builds on your own workstation/devices first, then upload the package to the server and use it from there.
i wouldn't go into too much detail in that as this reply already span for a starwars trilogy length but keep in mind, version limitations still apply, and whatever add-ons you need, you need to download them first before bundle it into the package to upload and run on your server.
Anyone that is a System admin or infrastructure architects , do correct me on my novice understanding on Server settings etc. as although i'm primarily a programmer, i did end up touching a lot more things that i'm not specialized into over the few years of vendor career work so there bound to be incorrect/inaccurate concepts i spilled. cheers.
I've made a Go app and when I run the exe locally it works fine. Where would I upload this to on my VPS? public_html/domain.com/somefolder ? or /usr/somefolder with SSH?
I have my app, my .exe and src-files, but what do I do with it when I deploy online on my VPS? I haven't been able to find a tutorial about this, so I hope you can help me.
do I upload all files in my src folder including the binaries from when I've written "go build"?
upload to where on my VPS? using ssh or cpanel / ftp program or what?
What are the steps from "go build" on your own local windows 8 computer to uploading and running it online on a linux server?
Ps.
Additionally will CentOS 5.1.1 although not supported https://golang.org/doc/install - allow for me to run an already linux compiled go program on my VPS, and does it only mean that I cannot install Go and do compilation on the CentOS 5.x server? Would CentOS 5.1.1 explain the "segmentation fault" error shh gives me when running the command "./[filename]"?
Well, usually, you would:
Copy the binary you created + all resource files (html, css, images, ...)
(optionally the source code as well)
Have a way to ensure the program keeps running
crontab can be used to check if your program is alive, but a simple monitoring program would suffice as well (which you can write yourself)
Run the binary as a non-privileged user
(you can also combine it with something like Docker if you want)
It does not make sense to put it inside public_html/domain.com/somefolder, as it is not public html code. You'd want your files somewhere they cannot be accessed unless using the application/binary you created.
My apologies for not having neat source links to my story. However, this does seem like the best thing to do.
Another important note:
Even though your VPS may run Windows, you can also deploy linux binaries to a Linux VPS (which are drastically cheaper) - looking at this SO question.
A short note I wrote on writing golang app on osx and deploying on Linux server: http://kumargaurav.co/2016/08/10/deploy-go-lang-app-linux-server/
I have created an application in C# that relies on a specific driver (a custom virtual hid driver based on VMulti).
Currently, I have everything working and I want to combine both the application and driver into one installation package. As of right now, my application part has a .exe file and a .dll file. My driver has an .inf and .sys file, hidkmdf.sys, and WdfCoInstaller01009.dll (this dll is from the WDK). I am not able to install the driver through the traditional method of right-clicking the inf and clicking install. Instead, I use devcon to install it (command is "install inffile.inf hardwareid")
I tried using InstallShield LE, but I am only able to install the application, not the driver. After doing some searching, I found people using DIFxAPP to create the installation framework for drivers, however, I am not sure if this can be integrated into InstallShield so that the driver is installed during the application installation process.
So my main question is: What is the best and simplest method for combining application and driver installation into one package (meaning the setup.exe will install both the driver and the application)?
I am very new to driver development and application deployment, so any suggestions are welcome.
Thank You
EDIT: It is preferred that the solution does not require any paid tools.
Acctually, exists a many ways to implement this which depends on your Windows Installers skills.
You didn't specify target OSes for your application, that's why can I give you some ways:
PnpUtil.exe internal Windows 7 utility (only for Windows 7)
DPInst.exe included to WDK
DifXAPI merge module.
You can install drivers with help of all these utils via Custom Actions.
NOTE: That your driver SHOULD BE signed, otherwise you will receive error during silent installation.
I am currently using the Visual Studio 2010 Setup Project to deploy my application to an MSI installer file, which includes a Windows Service and a Windows Forms application. But I am disappointed with the performance and compatibility of this form of packaging.
My application is compatible with Windows XP and upwards, but several older XP user-testing boxes simply don't have the right version of the Windows Installer or the necessary service pack installed. (Un)installation can take dreadfully long for a program under 1MB in size and many systems do not support it. InstallState errors can crop up and ruin the (un)installation if the service has been deleted or already installed, or if any program files are missing (for uninstall).
What I need from an (un)installer:
Manage .NET dependencies.
Copy/remove my application files to a folder.
Add/remove menu and shortcuts to the desktop and Start menu.
(Un)install a Windows service, though I can also do this from my application. The stop and uninstall part is important.
Run my application when it's done.
This question's answers recommend NSIS (which I have used with good results) and WiX. Ironically there is no easy link to simple installer for WiX on their website.
Am I missing something with VS2010's setup project? It is optimized for speed, but it's just too slow.
You should run the installer/uninstaller explicitly with
msiexec /x thefile.msi /l*v thefile.log
(/i for install). Then inspect the log file; it will have time stamps telling you what action took what amount of time. Of course, the logging will affect that, but you should get an idea what makes it take so long.