The Windows Installer

1
The Windows Installer

• Derek Noonan

2
Who am I?

• Derek Noonan
• From Limerick, now working in Dublin as Software
  Engineer, specialising in C, BizTalk, SharePoint
  with
• Industria, ehf
• Industria designs, implements and operates true
  broadband networks for utilities, municipalities
  and property owners.
• An Icelandic company partnering with Magnet
  Networks here in Ireland in a fibre-to-the-home
  (FTTH) initiative.
• URL www.industria.com

3
Agenda

• Windows Installer Overview
• Building the Basic Package
• Merge Modules
• Package Enhancements
• Installation and distribution
• The Windows Installer API and Advanced Topics
• .NET, XCOPY deployment and why you still need the
  Windows Installer

4
Overview- what is the Windows Installer?

• OS-Resident Installation Service
• Created by Microsoft
• Definition for Standard Setup Formats and
  Operations
• Part of the Zero Administration Windows
  Initiative
• API and COM Interface

5
OverviewFeatures of the Windows Installer

• Consistent installation rules and architecture
• Avoids DLL Hell
• Makes for a more stable desktop
• Data-driven package format
• Self-repair functionality
• Transactional installations
• Feature advertisement
• On-Demand Installations

6
OverviewFeatures of the Windows Installer

• Support for patching and updates
• Integrated with Windows 2000 Application
  Management functions
• Deployed packages run with elevated privileges
• Built-in support for NT Services, ODBC, COM,
  Fonts, and more
• Customisable installations via transforms
• Silent installations

7
OverviewFeatures of the Windows Installer

• Ships as part of Windows 2000
• Available for Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 9x
  Systems
• Microsoft Web Site (instmsia/w.exe)
• Office
• Setup.exe wrapper
• Not available for Windows NT 3.51 or Windows 3.x

8
OverviewDifferences from traditional setups

• Open file format
• No more black box SETUP.EXE files
• No script to maintain or debug
• Different installation hierarchy
• Features
• Components
• No more self-registering files
• Can be used but

9
OverviewInside a Windows Installer package

• Custom database format
• Created by setup developer
• One per product
• Described in relational tables
• Products have
• Features
• Components
• Entry points
• Installable resources
• .MSI file extension

10
DemonstrationInside a Windows Installer package
11
Building the Package

• Obtain the Windows Installer SDK
• Obtain an authoring tool
• InstallShield X (ISX) is used in this
  presentation
• Aware of other products (Wise, ZeroG, MaSaI
  Editor etc.)
• Plan your setup process carefully
• Sort elements of your installation into
  Components and Features
• Identify where Merge Modules can be used
• Identify where Custom Actions are needed

12
Building the PackageProducts

• A grouping of Features
• One Product per MSI file
• Identified by a GUID
• Also contains an Upgrade Code
• Entry in the Add/Remove Programs Control Panel

13
Building the PackageFeatures

• Grouping of Components, Merge Modules, and/or
  other Sub-Features
• A single Component can be shared amongst multiple
  Features
• Functional portion of an application
• Exposed to end-user during a custom installation
• Various install states
• Local, source, advertised, absent

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Building the PackageComponents

• Atomic Unit of the Windows Installer
• Grouping of installable resources and entry
  points
• Added and removed as one unit
• Shared and refcounted as one unit
• Identified by a GUID
• Components dont share resources
• Not exposed to end-user
• Utilises a key file

15
Building the PackageInstallable Resources

• Files
• Registry Entries
• Only those which are not associated with an Entry
  Point
• Installed on the machine during the installation
  phase
• During advertisement, these are left off of the
  machine until an Entry Point is called or
  explicit call for a Feature is made

16
Building the PackageKey Files and Entry Points

• Key File
• Identifies the existence of a Component
• Can be a file, registry entry, directory, or ODBC
  data source
• An MSI shortcut points here
• No two components share the same Key File
• Entry Points
• COM information, CLSIDs, Shell and MIME,
  Shortcuts, Command Verbs
• Created during the advertisement as well as
  installation process

17
Building the PackageExample project hierarchy
(Office)
18
DemonstrationBuilding a package using
InstallShield X
19
Merge ModulesOverview

• Holds information required to install
  redistributable component(s)
• Installable Resources and Entry Points
• Can include Custom Actions, Dialogs, Sequence
  information, etc.
• No more calling someone elses setup.exe from
  your installation
• A standardised Merge Module will be provided
  instead
• .MSM file extension

20
Merge ModulesCreation and Consumption

• Merge Modules can be created by an authoring tool
• You can build your own Merge Modules for internal
  use or redistributable components
• Onus on vendor for Merge Modules of their
  redistributable components
• Hook into a Feature upon consumption and can be
  shared
• MSMs dont contain features
• Can contain dependencies or exclusions of other
  Merge Modules

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DemonstrationMerge Module consumption
22
Package EnhancementsSequences Overview

• Controls the flow of the installation
• Advertisement, Installation, and Administrative
  Sequences
• UI Sequence runs on the client side and is not
  run during a silent installation
• Execute Sequence runs on the server side
• Top-down structure

23
Package Enhancements Sequences Overview

• Sequences contain
• Standard Actions
• Custom Actions
• Dialogs
• Conditions on Actions and Dialogs
• Sequence number

24
Package Enhancements Custom Action Overview

• Perform operations not available in the Windows
  Installer
• Can be an EXE, DLL, VB Script, or ECMA-Script
• Can interact with and add entries to the active
  installation database via the API
• Have access to machine and install state
  information via the API

25
Package Enhancements Custom Action Utilisation

• Must be written to support multiple scenarios,
  such as Install, Remove, Rollback, etc.
• Can be added to any UI or Execute Sequence or
  attached to a dialog event
• Can run synchronously, asynchronously, or be
  deferred until the end of the sequence

26
Package Enhancements Properties and Conditions

• Properties
• Stored in the PropertyTable
• Can be thought of as variables
• Holds information about the machine and
  installation, as well as information that you
  insert
• Conditions
• Use properties when being evaluated
• Components, Actions, Events, etc. can be made
  conditional

27
Package Enhancements Customised User Interface

• Internal UI handler
• Does not use resource files
• Authored into package via Dialog, Control, and
  ControlEvent tables
• Contains standard controls
• Authored into sequences or launched from other
  dialogs

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Demonstration Adding a custom action
29
Application Installation Transactional
Installation

• All changes made to the system are backed-up
  during an installation
• System rolls back to the original state if an
  error is encountered
• Rollback can be disabled, if necessary
• Example Not enough disk space

30
Application InstallationAdvertisement

• Packages can be advertised from the command line
  or as part of the Windows application deployment
  process
• Only the Advertise UI and Execute sequences are
  run
• Entry Points are placed on the target machine
• Installable Resources are installed when an Entry
  Point is called (On-Demand Install of required
  Features)

31
Application InstallationAdvertisement - OS
Support

• gt Windows 2000
• Full advertisement support
• Windows 98
• Full support except CLSID
• Windows 95 and NT 4.0 with IE 4.01 SP 1 and
  Desktop Update
• Full support except CLSID
• Standard Windows 95 and NT 4.0
• Advertisement is not supported

32
Application InstallationOn-Demand Installation

• Individual features can be set during the
  installation as install when needed
• Usually done through the custom setup selection
  dialog
• Features marked to install when needed are
  advertised to the machine or user

33
Application InstallationSelf-Repair

• Windows Installer checks that a Component is
  healthy
• When an Entry Point is called or if an explicit
  call to a component is made through the API
• Checks the existence of the key file for all
  components in the referenced feature
• Performs an On-Demand installation, if necessary

34
Windows Installer API Overview

• The Windows Installer API
• Provides functionality to make your application
  Windows Installer-aware
• Provides enhanced functionality for Custom
  Actions
• Provides information about the status of
  products, features, and components and allows the
  on-demand installation of the same

35
Windows Installer API Usage in Custom Actions

• Use the Windows Installer API in your Custom
  Action to
• Send messages to the installation engine
• Add items to the current installation database
• Retrieve information about the machine or
  installation state
• Read or write Property values

36
Windows Installer API Usage in Your Application

• Use the Windows Installer API in your application
  to
• Enable on-demand installation of features when
  required
• Enable your application to be self healing when
  an error state is encountered
• Tightly integrate your application with the
  installation engine

37
Advanced TopicsPatching and Upgrades

• Utilise a patch file to upgrade a currently
  existing Windows Installer installation or
  administrative image
• Patches can be created via the Windows Installer
  API
• Patches have an .MSP extension

38
Advanced TopicsUtilisation of Transforms

• A Transform is the difference between two MSI
  packages
• Transforms can be applied on the command-line or
  during package deployment
• Transforms are created via the API or with an
  authoring tool
• Administrators can use Transforms to easily
  customise packages
• Transforms have an .MST extension

39
Windows Installer .NET

• If .NET applications are self-registering, why do
  I need InstallShield Developer?
• XCOPY deployment solves everything or does it?
• Answer is no fine for simple deployment but

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How will Visual Studio .NET impact installations?

• .NET applications are organised as assemblies
• Require the .NET Framework on the target system
• Recommended by Microsoft to use MSI
• Usage of traditional Win32 code

41
Windows Installer .NET

• Developers looking to
• Customise directory hierarchies
• Create shortcuts
• Deliver upgrades and Internet-based installations
• Implement license key management
• Create simple uninstallation capabilities
• And many other "standard" features require the
  additional authoring capabilities found in
  Windows Installer and InstallShield Developer.

42
Additional resourcesFurther investigation

• Windows Installer SDK
• http//msdn.microsoft.com/developer/sdk/wininst.as
  p
• InstallShield
• http//www.installshield.com/

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Finish

• QA

44
The Windows Installer

• Derek Noonan