Deployment... How do you push an install???

[RobofNZ]

Hi All,

I'm having a small issue with deploying my client app....

The msi is ready, I've even created some mst's. but I've been told not
to rely on external means of deployment...

So I need to find a way to push the client install from the server... I
know it can be done I just can't find any information on how to do it
in C# or C++.

Does anyone know how this can be done....?

Please...
Rob.

 

[Andy]

Usually you'd use group policy on the domain to do this.

Your administrator should be able to help with this.

Andy

 

[Nicholas Paldino [.NET/C# MVP]]

Rob,

I would look into ClickOnce. It should give you what you need in terms
of deployment.

Hope this helps.

 

[RobofNZ]

Hi Nicholas,

sorry to bother you, what is 'Click once'?

I've not got the budget to buy in third party so need freeware or to
code it from scratch...

I'm having some luck with WMI...
1. copy msi.
2. use remote WMI win32_Process to run the msiexec.

But I can't see how to get the arguments applied??? If I attatch them
to the end it doesn't like it but there doesn't seem to be any obvious
way to apply them or set the working directory.

Any Ideas....

Thanks, Rob.

 

[Guest]

One of the ways you can deploy forms apps is to use a web site as a
deployment mechanism for DLLs, etc.

There's a couple of ways to do this:

1) Place the main executable on a web site. Users have to go there to get
it. They can open it from there or download it and open it from their
workstation.
a. The main executable has just enough code in it to know how to
download the other assemblies via HTTP.
2) Place all other assemblies and configs on a web site (or virtual
directory). This serves as the place where your code base lives. You
always update here and not on the clients.

You're much better off looking on Microsoft's site for it. I think it's
also called "No touch deployment".

It talks all about how to do it and the pros and cons.

-Tim

 

[Andy]

No touch deployment is for .Net 1.1; ClickOnce is strictly .Net 2.0.

Either way, these are more 'pull' installation techniques, since the
user is required to do something to install the application initally.

To really 'push' the installation to all workstations (or a subset),
you create an MSI along with another fine.. MSM I believe. The domain
administrators then use those files to force the program to install at
the next reboot.

Andy

 

[RobofNZ]

Cracked it....

Build an installer exe.
copy the exe + msi + any config files to a tmp dir on target machine
using wmi or other...

remote execute exe using wmi...

done....

you could even make the installer exe pull the msi and config files
from the server over a secured channel if security was an issue.

wmi provides for passing secure arguments and helps with
authentication.

Rob.

 

[Ian R]

I think I remember reading somewhere that under XP SP2 that running a
process remotely didn't allow access to network resources.
The workaround was to create a remote scheduled task that ran the job a few
seconds later.
I haven't tried it though so I don't know if that's a valid claim.