Thanks for the correction. I should go read up on MSI chaining so that I know what I'm talking about next time this question comes up.
Edwin G. Castro Software Developer - Staff Digital Channels Fiserv Office: 503-746-0643 Fax: 503-617-0291 www.fiserv.com Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail > -----Original Message----- > From: Christopher Painter [mailto:chr...@deploymentengineering.com] > Sent: Thursday, May 12, 2011 8:16 PM > To: General discussion for Windows Installer XML toolset. > Subject: Re: [WiX-users] Chaining MSIs together > > The MSI teams discourages "nested" aka "concurrent" installs. MSI chaining is > relatively new and requires MSI 4.5 which frequently requires a bootstrapper > to get you to that level ( i.e. MSI 2 / 3.1 not enough ). > > There terms "bootstrapper" and "chainer" are used interchangeably but > there is a subtle distinction between the two. Strictly speaking a > "bootstrapper" runs before the MSI and installs MSI to be able to run the > MSI. In my world it installs .NET also because I use managed custom actions. > The chainer then comes into play and chains all of the remaining packages > together. > > At my day job I have about 50 packages ( about 26gb total ) that get > consumed by a couple dozen different product installers in various > combinations. We follow Product Line Development methodologies and > depending on which software assets are incorporated into a product and > what the ConOps for the product is, will drive what it needs. This is a > problem > we licked a long time ago and extending the pattern is a piece of cake. > > > > --- > Christopher Painter, Author of Deployment Engineering Blog Have a hot tip, > know a secret or read a really good thread that deserves attention? E-Mail > Me > > --- On Thu, 5/12/11, Castro, Edwin G. (Hillsboro) <edwin.cas...@fiserv.com> > wrote: > > > From: Castro, Edwin G. (Hillsboro) <edwin.cas...@fiserv.com> > Subject: Re: [WiX-users] Chaining MSIs together > To: "General discussion for Windows Installer XML toolset." <wix- > us...@lists.sourceforge.net> > Date: Thursday, May 12, 2011, 7:40 PM > > > A bootstrapper is an executable that is responsible for running other setup > programs (.exe) and MSI packages in the order required by the product > getting installed. An example would be the Visual Studio installer. It > provides > a user interface that determines what MSI products need to be installed and > installs them in the correct order. MSI chaining is not used. > > I don't understand how MSI chaining works but I have heard on numerous > occasions on this list that the Windows Installer team tries to discourage MSI > chaining but I don't know the exact reasons nor how true that statement is. > > I've often heard that WiX supports everything in Windows Installer so if MSI > chaining is supported by Windows Installer then it must be exposed in WiX > somewhere but I don't know where. I am fairly sure that having a custom > action execute another setup executable is *not* MSI chaining though. > > I don't have too much help in terms of options but hopefully the descriptions > above will help you understand some of it and perhaps spark ideas on where > next to look. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful. > > Edwin G. Castro > Software Developer - Staff > Digital Channels > Fiserv > Office: 503-746-0643 > Fax: 503-617-0291 > www.fiserv.com > P Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Kevin MacDonald [mailto:kevinmacdon...@gmail.com] > > Sent: Thursday, May 12, 2011 4:57 PM > > To: General discussion for Windows Installer XML toolset. > > Subject: Re: [WiX-users] Chaining MSIs together > > > > So, dotNetInstaller is a package of .NET classes that facilitate > > chaining together MSIs? But, if it requires .NET then wouldn't any > > bootstrapper one builds with dotNetInstaller require that it be > bootstrapped itself with .NET? > > My target computers don't necessarily have the .NET runtime installed. > > > > Sorry, perhaps I'm mis-understanding. I'm just now reading up on > > bootstrappers and wrapping my head around what they are. I don't think > > I understand them well enough yet to know if the end product of using > > a bootstrapper will be a single MSI that includes everything necessary > > for my installation. Or is it a .NET executable that internally calls > > one MSI after another? If that's true I'm not sure that will work for > > me, because my customers require an MSI. I think they need it for > > their systems that allow rapid deployment to multiple machine. > > > > Thanks for responding! > > > > Kevin > > > > > > On Thu, May 12, 2011 at 2:40 PM, John Cooper > <jocoo...@jackhenry.com> > > wrote: > > > > > Burn is meant to provide this functionality, but it is under developed. > > > There are plenty of chaining/bootstrapping products out there in > > >the meantime. One I like is DotNetInstaller: > > > http://dotnetinstaller.codeplex.com/ . You could use this to > > >install the prerequisite Adobe AIR, if necessary, and then your product. > > > -- > > > John M. Cooper > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > From: Kevin MacDonald [mailto:kevinmacdon...@gmail.com] > > > Sent: Thursday, May 12, 2011 4:25 PM > > > To: wix-users > > > Subject: [WiX-users] Chaining MSIs together > > > > > > Hello, > > > > > > I have an existing installer that I wrote in NSIS that does several > > > things. > > > It installs the Adobe AIR runtime by invoking an executable provided > > > by Adobe. It then installs our AIR application, again using > > > installation utilities provided by Adobe. And finally, it installs > > > media which our AIR application knows where to find. This all works > > > great. However, some of our clients require a single MSI file so > > > that they can do multiple installations from a central location. I > > > started playing > > with Wix in order to do this. > > > However, I have encountered the problem where it does not seem to be > > > possible to chain MSIs together. I was able to kinda get it working > > > by having a custom action invoke the AIR runtime installer using the > > > code > > > below: > > > > > > <CustomAction Id='InstallAIRRuntimeAction' > FileKey='file_AIRInstaller_0' > > > ExeCommand='-silent' Return='asyncNoWait' /> > > > > > > <InstallExecuteSequence> > > > <Custom Action='InstallAIRRuntimeAction' > > > After='InstallFinalize'>NOT Installed</Custom> > > > </InstallExecuteSequence> > > > > > > This works because the enclosing MSI doesn't wait for a response, > > > and the other MSI takes a few seconds to launch. This is of course > > > very hacky. Is there no way to do this properly? I don't mind if the > > > two MSIs are not chained, i.e. it would be O.K. if the AIR runtime > > > remained on the machine during an uninstall. > > > > > > InstallShield advertises that they can chain MSIs. I would rather go > > > the extra mile and use Wix or something similar, rather than fork > > > out > > > $2000 for InstallShield Professional. I'm suprised that Wix can't do > > > the basic task of calling another MSI given how low level it is when > > > InstallShield is able to do it. Am I missing something? > > > > > > Thanks > > > > > > Kevin > > > > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > -- > > > -------- Achieve unprecedented app performance and reliability What > > > every C/C++ and Fortran developer should know. > > > Learn how Intel has extended the reach of its next-generation tools > > > to help boost performance applications - inlcuding clusters. > > > http://p.sf.net/sfu/intel-dev2devmay > > > _______________________________________________ > > > WiX-users mailing list > > > WiX-users@lists.sourceforge.net > > > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/wix-users > > > NOTICE: This electronic mail message and any files transmitted with > > > it are intended exclusively for the individual or entity to which it > > > is addressed. 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If you have received this > > > message in error, please immediately advise the sender by reply > > > email and delete all copies. > > > > > > > > > > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > -- > > > -------- Achieve unprecedented app performance and reliability What > > > every C/C++ and Fortran developer should know. > > > Learn how Intel has extended the reach of its next-generation tools > > > to help boost performance applications - inlcuding clusters. > > > http://p.sf.net/sfu/intel-dev2devmay > > > _______________________________________________ > > > WiX-users mailing list > > > WiX-users@lists.sourceforge.net > > > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/wix-users > > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > -------- Achieve unprecedented app performance and reliability What > > every C/C++ and Fortran developer should know. > > Learn how Intel has extended the reach of its next-generation tools to > > help boost performance applications - inlcuding clusters. > > http://p.sf.net/sfu/intel-dev2devmay > > _______________________________________________ > > WiX-users mailing list > > WiX-users@lists.sourceforge.net > > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/wix-users > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > Achieve unprecedented app performance and reliability What every C/C++ > and Fortran developer should know. > Learn how Intel has extended the reach of its next-generation tools to help > boost performance applications - inlcuding clusters. > http://p.sf.net/sfu/intel-dev2devmay > _______________________________________________ > WiX-users mailing list > WiX-users@lists.sourceforge.net > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/wix-users > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > Achieve unprecedented app performance and reliability What every C/C++ > and Fortran developer should know. > Learn how Intel has extended the reach of its next-generation tools to help > boost performance applications - inlcuding clusters. > http://p.sf.net/sfu/intel-dev2devmay > _______________________________________________ > WiX-users mailing list > WiX-users@lists.sourceforge.net > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/wix-users ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Achieve unprecedented app performance and reliability What every C/C++ and Fortran developer should know. 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