ClickOnce and back-end service configuration

This seems like a fairly common senario but I can't seem to find the answer:

Here's my senario leading to my question:
- Application is developed for third parties.
- I would like to ship the signed ClickOnce manifest and related files to
the customer.
- A web server will be hosting the clickonce application.
- the application.exe.config is configured in the manifest.
- the application.exe.config contains address of server with back-end
services server services.
- the customer would like to configure this address because...
- the back-end services are NOT the same serer as the clickonce server. In
fact they are behind a virtual IP being load balanced.

So with that the question is, "How do you configure the address of back-end
services for the clients outside of a signed file?"

Mark,

I am facing a similar problem. Do you have a solution yet?

Thanks,

John Yung

"Mark Lindell" <Mark Lindell@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:03B08A3F-C784-4AF6-B475-5EA45BD0F695@microsoft.com...
> This seems like a fairly common senario but I can't seem to find the
answer:
>
> Here's my senario leading to my question:
> - Application is developed for third parties.
> - I would like to ship the signed ClickOnce manifest and related files to
> the customer.
> - A web server will be hosting the clickonce application.
> - the application.exe.config is configured in the manifest.
> - the application.exe.config contains address of server with back-end
> services server services.
> - the customer would like to configure this address because...
> - the back-end services are NOT the same serer as the clickonce server.
In
> fact they are behind a virtual IP being load balanced.
>
> So with that the question is, "How do you configure the address of
back-end
> services for the clients outside of a signed file?"
>
>

You will have to get your client to resign the application if they change
any of the application bits (including the app config). If your app is
updatable, they'll need to re-configure the update URL as well. In many
situations, it is usually best to have any outside parties use their own
signing key.

Fortunately, updating manifests and resigning an application outside of the
development environment is fairly straightforward using the MAGE tool. You
could specify a MAGE command line something like the following for your
clients...

mage -Update WindowsApplication1.application -ProviderURL
http://ClientUrl/WindowsApplication1.application -Sign
WindowsApplication1.application -CertFile ClientKey.pfx


For more specific info, search MSDN for "MAGE".


Dave Templin [MS]
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.


"John Yung" <johny@sac.com> wrote in message
news:O8Mb3NyBGHA.1088@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
> Mark,
>
> I am facing a similar problem. Do you have a solution yet?
>
> Thanks,
>
> John Yung
>
> "Mark Lindell" <Mark Lindell@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:03B08A3F-C784-4AF6-B475-5EA45BD0F695@microsoft.com...
>> This seems like a fairly common senario but I can't seem to find the
> answer:
>>
>> Here's my senario leading to my question:
>> - Application is developed for third parties.
>> - I would like to ship the signed ClickOnce manifest and related files to
>> the customer.
>> - A web server will be hosting the clickonce application.
>> - the application.exe.config is configured in the manifest.
>> - the application.exe.config contains address of server with back-end
>> services server services.
>> - the customer would like to configure this address because...
>> - the back-end services are NOT the same serer as the clickonce server.
> In
>> fact they are behind a virtual IP being load balanced.
>>
>> So with that the question is, "How do you configure the address of
> back-end
>> services for the clients outside of a signed file?"
>>
>>
>
>