Software Deployment

Maybe start by explaining what the problem is.

Maybe start by determining whether or not the package is already in MSI format. If it is, re-packaging it will be a mistake.

Some background first. ADS is a big electronic simulator. If it's installed with the documentation and examples, it has over 95,000 files and
consumes something on the order of 4 or 5 GB of disk space. My first attempt was using a tool called WinINSTALL, take a snapshot of my reference system, install ADS, take a second snapshot and diff the two snapshots. When I installed the MSI created from this diffing process I received an error about attempting to load a Visual C++ runtime incorrectly. I went back to my reference machine, installed VCREDIST 2005, (which is what I think ADS is using), did the diff, msi creation thing. I had hoped that if the VC++ runtime was installed prior, then ADS would not install it during it's install. To try out this second MSI, I first loaded the VC Redist for 2005, installed the MSI, but it failed the same way - Attempt to load the Visual C++ runtime incorrectly.

ADS uses Installshield and has a silent install feature. Problem is that it takes so long to install ADS, (20 - 30 minutes), and with this silent mode there is NO status or anything that could be used by the user to determine that the silent install has finished. I thought about wrapping it in a bat file with a dialog box to the user at the beginning that the installation has started, ADS installs, dialog box to the user that the installation has completed. But Installshield forks a process to run the actual installation, so as soon as the start dialog box is displayed it would be followed by a completion dialog box, and the installation would still be running with the user unable to tell if the installation has finished.

Here's the breakdown of the installation media

Z:.
| setup.exe <------------------------------------------------ invoke this to start the installation
| silent.prop
| Autorun.inf
| FLEXId_Dongle_Driver_Installer.exe
| installvariables - Copy.properties
| installvariables.properties
|
+---fonts
| (36 true type fonts)
|
+---dongle_sup
| FLEXidCleanupUtility.exe
| FLEXId_Dongle_Driver_Installer.exe
| FLEXnet_ID_Dongle_Drivers.pdf
|
+---windows
| \---disk1
| \---InstData
| +---VM
| | +---ads_install.exe
| | | +---InstallerData
| | | | +---IAClasses.zip
| | | | | \---(many classes)
| | | | | laxmanifest.txt
| | | | | uninstallmanifest.txt
| | | | \Execute.zip
| | | | +---$IA_PROJECT_DIR$ (folder)
| | | | +---ae513d53d532ee995214c8389ff875b4 (folder)
| | | | +---cc (folder)
| | | | +---com (folder)
| | | | +---i18nresources (folder)
| | | | +---licenses (folder)
| | | | +---locales (folder)
| | | | +---makeExecutable (folder)
| | | | +---META-INF (folder)
| | | | +---org (folder)
| | | | \---reslib (folder)
| | | | quick_lic.txt
| | | | services.inf
| | | | preinstaller.properties
| | | | InstallScript.iap_xml
| | | | InstalledMedias.properties
| | | | MediaFiles.properties
| | | \---Windows
| | | resource
| | | \---jre (folder - jre 6.0)
| | | iawin32.dll
| | | iawin64.dll
| | | iawin64_x64.dll
| | | remove.exe
| | | win64_32.exe
| | | win64_32_x64.exe
| | | ZGWin32LaunchHelper.exe
| | | ads_install.exe
| | | ads_install.lax
| | | msvcrt.dll
| | \---installer.properties
| |
| +---Resource1-part2
| | | MakeExecutableAction_zg_ia_sf.jar
| | | uninstallerCustomCode.jar
| | |
| | +---$IA_PROJECT_DIR$
| | | +---windows
| | | | frmrdr.gif
| | | | delfont.exe
| | | |
| | | \---dongle_sup
| | | FLEXId_Dongle_Driver_Installer.exe
| | |
| | \---$PROD$
| | doc_zg_ia_sf.jar
| | examples_zg_ia_sf.jar
| |
| \---Resource1
| +---$PROD$
| | designguides_zg_ia_sf.jar
| | licenses_zg_ia_sf.jar
| | doc_zg_ia_sf.jar
| |
| \---$IA_PROJECT_DIR$
| \---stage
| execall_zg_ia_sf.jar
|
+---64bit
| ADS_MM_64bit.msi
| setup.exe
|
\---32bit
ADS_MM_Setup.msi
setup.exe


Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

ORIGINAL: rsickler

I thought about wrapping it in a bat file with a dialog box to the user at the beginning that the installation has started, ADS installs, dialog box to the user that the installation has completed. But Installshield forks a process to run the actual installation, so as soon as the start dialog box is displayed it would be followed by a completion dialog box, and the installation would still be running with the user unable to tell if the installation has finished.


You could try a vbscript that checks for the process on x seconds and make it loop. When it can't find the process anymore the installation is finished and it can display the popup.

However, I think it's best to split the installation into several parts. ADS_MM_Setup.msi looks like it can be re-used for example. FLEXId_Dongle_Driver_Installer.exe probably supports switches for a silent install as well (or can be repackaged). Same goes for ads_install.exe, and who knows what more might be hidden in those folders.

This will also isolate the installer that's giving you your problems now (my guess is ads_install.exe) and minimize any future problems you might be getting. (As VBScab said, don't capture a MSI. And same goes for drivers. You can't just capture them, those MSI's usually need some editing)


As to your actually problem: VCREDIST... If you're not sure what version, it could just as well be 2008 instead of 2005? Or maybe it's Visual C++ 6.0 run-time, as I see a msvcrt.dll in your tree.... Could be any other version though. Only way to figure that out is either documentation or run ProcMon and see what it's trying to do.

Thanks All,

After I got into it, decomposing the installation setup and recreating it didn't seem like a good idea.
I ended up doing something similar to what Rheuval proposed - I created a program that ran concurrently with ADS' silent install and counted the number of installed files, (which was compared against an expected final tally). This allowed me to estimate percent complete and display progress information back to the user.

Thanks again.