Welcome back... this is part 2

To be able to actually quantify if doing a manual install is faster and therefore cheaper we need to analyse a few more things.

What is involved in packaging?

1 Get the software... (exactly the same for manual installs and packaging)

2 Install the software... (exactly same for manual and packaging.
              but lets also add 'make sure you know how to install it'
    Then maybe test it??

So now, we will consider a few different sorts of apps. (yep more parts to the blog... I know you dont want to read it all at once)

An easy one to stack the odds in favour of the manual installs team..

App= Visual C++ 2008 SP1(x86)

Manual install.

1 Get:               Download (get software)

2 Install:           Double click..

    Accept EULA, Install, Finish.

    Job Done!!

So, for one machine, lets say.... 30 mins
Lets also say, they are smart enough to download it to a network location so its only downloaded once.

One install, 30 mins, 2nd install, 10 mins, 3rd 10 mins.
So, 3 installs 50 mins. (Tea time)

Packaging.

1 Get:                Download, extract

2 Install:             With same (default) options
    Revert virtual machine, test it installs with a /QB
        Lets say we are at 45 mins now....
It does work, so put the MSI in deployment tool, (Another 20 mins??)
Test deployment, it works (Deployed now to one machine)

So, 65 minutes....
Package is ready, which, could be done, but lets round it up to 2 hours)

Manual install guy is having a cup of tea...
I will now stroll out to a high street purveyor of a fine blended coffee....

But I am now sending it automatically to 40 machines.... (my deployment worked.... so we are increasing the reach)

So, for the mathematically minded...

How long can I sit in the coffee shop before the manual install person gets close to installing it on 20 machines?
(at 10 mins a time. I am not even factoring in the whole, getting to the user, logging them off.... blah blah)