Generally Middleware apps are dependency for most of the apps, so we virtualize both the apps separately and add HREF attributes of dependency appl to main appl.
Process: Sequence this dependency first and revert it to clean machine. Then before starting main applications sequencing, install dependency and start sequencing process. At the end of sequencing, open OSD in notepad, add HREF attributes of middle ware appl to main appl also add one more tag MANDATORY=”TRUE” True – Interacts with middleware appl, False – does not interact with middleware
Tuesday 6 September 2011
How to resolve ICE38 Error
ICE38 ERROR
Component DesktopFolder installs to user profile. It must use a registry key under HKCU as its KeyPath, not a file.
Solution:
In the Components Tab, find the CurrentUser component, which holds all the user's information. Pick one of the registry keys (except the one set as a keypath), right click on it and select the option 'Move'.
Move that key to the component referred on the ICE error message. Go to thatcomponent, open it and find the 'new key'. Right click on the entry and select'Set as Key' option.
Windows File Versioning Rules
At the core of any installer is the actual installation of files. But determining whether to install a file is a complex process. At the highest level, making the determination depends on whether the component to which a file belongs is marked for installation. Once the determination is made that a file should be copied, the process is complicated if another file with the same name exists in the target folder. In such situations, making the determination requires a set of rules involving the following properties:
Highest Version Wins — All other things being equal, the file with the highest version wins, even if the file on the machine has the highest version.
Versioned Files Win — All other things being equal, a versioned file gets installed over a non-versioned file.
Favor Product Language — All other things being equal, if the file being installed has a different language than the file on the machine, favor the file with the language that matches the product being installed. Language neutral files are treated as just another language so the product being installed is favored again.
Mismatched Multiple Languages — All other things being equal, after factoring out any common languages between the file being installed and the file on the machine, any remaining languages are favored according to what is needed by the product being installed.
Preserve Superset Languages — All other things being equal, preserve the file that supports multiple languages regardless of whether it is already on the machine or is being installed.
Non-versioned Files Are User Data — All other things being equal, if the Modified date is later than the Create date for the file on the machine, do not install the file because user customizations would be wiped out. If the Modified and Create dates are the same, install the file. If the Create date is later than the Modified date, the file is considered unmodified, install the file.
Non-versioned Files Using Companion — All other things being equal, a non-versioned file that is associated with a versioned file using the companion mechanism abides by the rules for the versioned file. The only exception is if the versioned file on the machine and the versioned file being installed have the same version and language but the companion file is missing on the machine. In this case the companion file being installed is used even though the versioned file on the machine is used.
Rules Are Global — The rules for determining when to install a file reside in one place within the installer and are global, meaning they apply to all files equally.
- Version
- Date
- Language
Highest Version Wins — All other things being equal, the file with the highest version wins, even if the file on the machine has the highest version.
Versioned Files Win — All other things being equal, a versioned file gets installed over a non-versioned file.
Favor Product Language — All other things being equal, if the file being installed has a different language than the file on the machine, favor the file with the language that matches the product being installed. Language neutral files are treated as just another language so the product being installed is favored again.
Mismatched Multiple Languages — All other things being equal, after factoring out any common languages between the file being installed and the file on the machine, any remaining languages are favored according to what is needed by the product being installed.
Preserve Superset Languages — All other things being equal, preserve the file that supports multiple languages regardless of whether it is already on the machine or is being installed.
Non-versioned Files Are User Data — All other things being equal, if the Modified date is later than the Create date for the file on the machine, do not install the file because user customizations would be wiped out. If the Modified and Create dates are the same, install the file. If the Create date is later than the Modified date, the file is considered unmodified, install the file.
Non-versioned Files Using Companion — All other things being equal, a non-versioned file that is associated with a versioned file using the companion mechanism abides by the rules for the versioned file. The only exception is if the versioned file on the machine and the versioned file being installed have the same version and language but the companion file is missing on the machine. In this case the companion file being installed is used even though the versioned file on the machine is used.
Rules Are Global — The rules for determining when to install a file reside in one place within the installer and are global, meaning they apply to all files equally.
Windows File Protection
A common problem in the history of the Microsoft Windows operating systems has been the ability for shared system files to be overwritten by non-operating system installation programs. After such changes are made, the user may experience unpredictable system performance, ranging from application errors to operating system crashes. This problem affects several types of files--most commonly dynamic link libraries (.dll) and executable files (.exe).
In Windows 2000 and Windows XP, the Windows File Protection (WFP) feature prevents overwriting or replacement of certain system files. Overwriting shared system files can result in unpredictable system performance that ranges from application errors to operating system crashes. System instability caused by non-standard replacement of system files has been a common problem. By preventing the replacement of these essential system files, file version mismatches are avoided, and the overall stability of the system is improved.
In Windows 2000 and Windows XP, the Windows File Protection (WFP) feature prevents overwriting or replacement of certain system files. Overwriting shared system files can result in unpredictable system performance that ranges from application errors to operating system crashes. System instability caused by non-standard replacement of system files has been a common problem. By preventing the replacement of these essential system files, file version mismatches are avoided, and the overall stability of the system is improved.
What are MergeModules
Merge modules provide a standard method by which developers deliver shared Microsoft® Windows® Installer components and setup logic to their applications. Merge modules are used to deliver shared code, files, resources, Registry entries, and setup logic to applications as a single compound file. Developers authoring new merge modules, or using existing merge modules, should follow the standard outlined in this section.
A merge module is similar in structure to a simplified Windows Installer .msi file. However, a merge module cannot be installed alone, it must be merged into an installation package using a merge tool. Developers wanting to use merge modules must obtain one of the freely distributed merge tools, such as Mergemod.dll, or purchase a merge tool from an independent software vendor. Developers can create new merge modules by using many of the same software tools used to create a Windows Installer installation package, such as the database table editor Orca provided with the Windows Installer SDK.
When a merge module is merged into the .msi file of an application, all the information and resources required to install the components delivered by the merge module are incorporated into the application's .msi file. The merge module is then no longer required to install these components and the merge module does not need to be accessible to a user. Because all the information needed to install the components is delivered as a single file, the use of merge modules can eliminate many instances of version conflicts, missing Registry entries, and improperly installed files.
A merge module is similar in structure to a simplified Windows Installer .msi file. However, a merge module cannot be installed alone, it must be merged into an installation package using a merge tool. Developers wanting to use merge modules must obtain one of the freely distributed merge tools, such as Mergemod.dll, or purchase a merge tool from an independent software vendor. Developers can create new merge modules by using many of the same software tools used to create a Windows Installer installation package, such as the database table editor Orca provided with the Windows Installer SDK.
When a merge module is merged into the .msi file of an application, all the information and resources required to install the components delivered by the merge module are incorporated into the application's .msi file. The merge module is then no longer required to install these components and the merge module does not need to be accessible to a user. Because all the information needed to install the components is delivered as a single file, the use of merge modules can eliminate many instances of version conflicts, missing Registry entries, and improperly installed files.
Advantages of MSI Packaging
Following are the advantages over legacy setup
Transaction based operation: All installation operations are transactional. For each operation that Windows Installer performs, it generates an equivalent undo operation that would undo the change made to the system. If a failure occurs during the middle of an installation, Windows Installer can roll back the machine to its original state.
Self-healing: Windows Installer supports "self-healing" abilities for applications. Applications can detect common installation problems at launch, like missing files or registry keys, and automatically repair themselves.
Installation on demand: Windows Installer supports on-demand installations of application features. For example, the spelling checker in Microsoft Office Word may not be installed by default, but a user can trigger an on-demand installation of this feature.
Installation in locked-down environments: In fully locked-down environments, users don't generally have permission or the ability to install applications. In most cases, they don't have write-access to the Program Files folder of their computers or to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE registry location. If an administrator approves an installation package by means of Group Policy, for instance, Windows Installer can perform an installation on the user's behalf.
Managed Application: Windows Installer provides a set of standard Win32® application programming interfaces (APIs) and automation interfaces for applications and administrators to use for querying the installation state on the machine. The APIs allow querying of the current state, verification of the existing state, repair of a corrupted state, and transition from one state to another.
Transaction based operation: All installation operations are transactional. For each operation that Windows Installer performs, it generates an equivalent undo operation that would undo the change made to the system. If a failure occurs during the middle of an installation, Windows Installer can roll back the machine to its original state.
Self-healing: Windows Installer supports "self-healing" abilities for applications. Applications can detect common installation problems at launch, like missing files or registry keys, and automatically repair themselves.
Installation on demand: Windows Installer supports on-demand installations of application features. For example, the spelling checker in Microsoft Office Word may not be installed by default, but a user can trigger an on-demand installation of this feature.
Installation in locked-down environments: In fully locked-down environments, users don't generally have permission or the ability to install applications. In most cases, they don't have write-access to the Program Files folder of their computers or to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE registry location. If an administrator approves an installation package by means of Group Policy, for instance, Windows Installer can perform an installation on the user's behalf.
Managed Application: Windows Installer provides a set of standard Win32® application programming interfaces (APIs) and automation interfaces for applications and administrators to use for querying the installation state on the machine. The APIs allow querying of the current state, verification of the existing state, repair of a corrupted state, and transition from one state to another.
ActiveSetup Implementation
If you are using Windows Installer for per-machine-based installations, it could be the case that your setup contains components with user-related resources that have no entry-points to initiate the install-on-demand/self healing function of MSI. This, of course, will mean that when deployed the package will not install the user resources required to run the application properly.
But wait, don’t lose hope! In such a case you can use the Active Setup for a self healing on demand. It needs just one registry key in your msi file.
This registry key can be assigned to any Component that installs per-machine resources or you can create one component just for this key.
How it works:
The value in the StubPath key will be executed at a special time during which the Active Setup tasks are running and no other Windows Installer processes are running in the background that could cause the repair not to run (which would be the case if you attempted to run this command in the Run-Once registry key).
The command will thereby perform a repair for HKCU registry keys and missing files.
If this command runs successfully, it will create a registry key in HKCU and the command will not run again. However, if you wish to trigger this command again, because of a small update, then use the Version Key and increment its value each time you wish to run this command again when a user logs in.
Important Note:
Remember to use this command only if your setup does not contain any entry-point that would not allow the repair on demand, because this repair will run when a user on the target workstation logs in after the installation has been run. That means, even if the user doesn’t use the installed application, it will run the repair. And as you may already know, those repairs can take some time depending on the workstation’s hardware configuration and the size of the package.
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