Software Deployment

Hi Brett,

Just try to generate the Log file.
In the log file you can get all the parametes and the sequence of the installation.

Regards,
Zafar

Hi Zafar,

Thanks, but it's not possible to get the setup.exe to log as far as I can tell. It is not responding to /? or /a command strings. I can see the order of the MSIs installed from the Event Log, but it doesn't show me the parameters that the .EXE launched the MSIs with. Running the MSIs individually fails as they are looking for parameters, but logging that install hasn't provided me with the properties it's looking for.

Thanks
Brett

What I think Zafar is suggesting is that you should enable windows installer logging policy.
Have a look at http://itninja.com/question/what-is-pxe?3

In each MSIxxxxxx.LOG file generated from each executed MSI you should search for "command line".
There could be more log file then MSIs as some custom actions may generate log files of their own.

Thanks for the quick response AngelD. That wasn't something I knew about, so have filed it away as useful information. Unfortunately, I'm not sure it's helped in this case. The following is the start of the first captured file. The command line it's giving me isn't providing the SQL server name (it's also not showing up in the rest of the log file), so I'm guessing some other process is at work here. If I just run the MSI by double clicking I get the error "Setup was not able to determine your ESP Server name and no alternative ESP Instance was provided.". I can't see any properties assigned with a suitable value (server name) for this either.

Any other suggestions are still welcome.

Thanks
Brett

=== Verbose logging started: 26/02/2008 10:17:01 Build type: SHIP UNICODE 3.01.4000.4039 Calling process: C:\WINDOWS\System32\msiexec.exe ===
MSI (c) (D4:DC) [10:17:01:281]: Resetting cached policy values
MSI (c) (D4:DC) [10:17:01:281]: Machine policy value 'Debug' is 0
MSI (c) (D4:DC) [10:17:01:281]: ******* RunEngine:
******* Product: C:\Documents and Settings\cmp006\Desktop\Medical Director\HCN Suite\Medical Director\Medical Director.msi
******* Action: ADVERTISE
******* CommandLine: **********
MSI (c) (D4:DC) [10:17:01:281]: Client-side and UI is none or basic: Running entire install on the server.
MSI (c) (D4:DC) [10:17:01:281]: Grabbed execution mutex.
MSI (c) (D4:DC) [10:17:01:297]: Cloaking enabled.
MSI (c) (D4:DC) [10:17:01:297]: Attempting to enable all disabled priveleges before calling Install on Server
MSI (c) (D4:DC) [10:17:01:313]: Incrementing counter to disable shutdown. Counter after increment: 0
MSI (s) (A8:A8) [10:17:01:328]: Grabbed execution mutex.
MSI (s) (A8:C8) [10:17:01:328]: Resetting cached policy values
MSI (s) (A8:C8) [10:17:01:328]: Machine policy value 'Debug' is 0
MSI (s) (A8:C8) [10:17:01:328]: ******* RunEngine:
******* Product: C:\Documents and Settings\cmp006\Desktop\Medical Director\HCN Suite\Medical Director\Medical Director.msi
******* Action: ADVERTISE
******* CommandLine: **********
MSI (s) (A8:C8) [10:17:01:344]: Machine policy value 'DisableUserInstalls' is 0
MSI (s) (A8:C8) [10:17:01:360]: File will have security applied from OpCode.
MSI (s) (A8:C8) [10:17:26:057]: SOFTWARE RESTRICTION POLICY: Verifying package --> 'C:\Documents and Settings\cmp006\Desktop\Medical Director\HCN Suite\Medical Director\Medical Director.msi' against software restriction policy
MSI (s) (A8:C8) [10:17:26:057]: Note: 1: 2262 2: DigitalSignature 3: -2147287038
MSI (s) (A8:C8) [10:17:26:057]: SOFTWARE RESTRICTION POLICY: C:\Documents and Settings\cmp006\Desktop\Medical Director\HCN Suite\Medical Director\Medical Director.msi is not digitally signed
MSI (s) (A8:C8) [10:17:26:057]: SOFTWARE RESTRICTION POLICY: C:\Documents and Settings\cmp006\Desktop\Medical Director\HCN Suite\Medical Director\Medical Director.msi is permitted to run at the 'unrestricted' authorization level.
MSI (s) (A8:C8) [10:17:26:057]: End dialog not enabled
MSI (s) (A8:C8) [10:17:26:057]: Original package ==> C:\Documents and Settings\cmp006\Desktop\Medical Director\HCN Suite\Medical Director\Medical Director.msi
MSI (s) (A8:C8) [10:17:26:057]: Package we're running from ==> C:\WINDOWS\Installer\17dac.msi
MSI (s) (A8:C8) [10:17:26:198]: APPCOMPAT: looking for appcompat database entry with ProductCode '{6F166B95-DDA9-4A44-A662-2C3A975F0916}'.
MSI (s) (A8:C8) [10:17:26:198]: APPCOMPAT: no matching ProductCode found in database.
MSI (s) (A8:C8) [10:17:26:244]: MSCOREE not loaded loading copy from system32
MSI (s) (A8:C8) [10:17:26:276]: Machine policy value 'TransformsSecure' is 0
MSI (s) (A8:C8) [10:17:26:276]: User policy value 'TransformsAtSource' is 0
MSI (s) (A8:C8) [10:17:26:276]: Machine policy value 'DisablePatch' is 0
MSI (s) (A8:C8) [10:17:26:276]: Machine policy value 'AllowLockdownPatch' is 0
MSI (s) (A8:C8) [10:17:26:276]: Machine policy value 'DisableLUAPatching' is 0
MSI (s) (A8:C8) [10:17:26:276]: Machine policy value 'DisableFlyWeightPatching' is 0
MSI (s) (A8:C8) [10:17:26:276]: APPCOMPAT: looking for appcompat database entry with ProductCode '{6F166B95-DDA9-4A44-A662-2C3A975F0916}'.
MSI (s) (A8:C8) [10:17:26:276]: APPCOMPAT: no matching ProductCode found in database.
MSI (s) (A8:C8) [10:17:26:276]: Transforms are not secure.
MSI (s) (A8:C8) [10:17:26:276]: Command Line: ALLUSERS=1 PRODUCTLANGUAGE=0 CURRENTDIRECTORY=C:\Documents and Settings\cmp006 CLIENTUILEVEL=3 CLIENTPROCESSID=3796 ACTION=ADVERTISE
MSI (s) (A8:C8) [10:17:26:276]: PROPERTY CHANGE: Adding PackageCode property. Its value is '{F21D95AF-6CAA-4CD8-B15F-2113F0012253}'.

Hi Brettski.

Did you find an answer for this? MD3.9 just came out.

Brettski, have you tried creating response file for the setup.exe and then follow with the silent installation.

Oh, yeah! NINE MONTHS after posting, I'll bet he's still struggling with it...LOL :)

I wasn't aware that you can create a response file for a setup.exe? Creating one for the MSI isn't an option as it just refuses to run without the other process having run through the setup.exe first. But no, I didn't get ever get it to run silently. As it was mostly needed for upgrading current installs, I just ran the setup.exe and the user just had to click Next a few times. Not perfect, but doesn't seem to have caused any problems (been run for a number of MD3 updates now).

Hi Brettski.

I have figured out a way to do the installs silently. It's not pretty but it works well enough. I know this technique worked for MD3.8, but I have not yet tried it for 3.9.

First of all, there are the three pre-requisites (Adobe Reader 8, Java 1.5.1_09 etc). These are widespread applications, so just have a look on their app listings to find out how to silently install the pre-reqs. The installers are on the MD3.8 CD, so you don't need to download the installers.

On the 3.8 CD, under the HCN Suite directory is a whole bunch directories, each with an MSI file in it. When you do a manual install, it is effectively just installing these MSI's in a particular order. So all you have to do is find out the order (MD takes a while to install, so you should be able to collect this data easily enough), then gather all the MSI's together in one place and write a script to install them in order. Just so you know, MD3.8 used 19 different MSI's!

The MSI's are "standard" MSI's, so all the common msiexec switches work (/q /l etc).

The MDRef updates are even easier. During the install, it unpacks the files to C:\Documents and Settings\username\Local Settings\Temp\**random folder**. Inside the folder is obvious HCN-named folders, and inside one of these is the MDRef.MSP file that does the update. Again, this is a standard MSP file, so common switches apply.

This technique works fine for client installs, but I would not advise using this technique on the server.

I'm not sure if this app has been mentioned on here before but this is a great little tool that will extract *most* setup.exe's (and other installs) and if it can't it will usually tell you why and what vendor made the install.

http://legroom.net/software/uniextract

Universal Extractor is a program do to exactly what it says: extract files from any type of archive, whether it's a simple zip file, an installation program, or even a Windows Installer (.msi) package. This is still a work in progress (see details below), but so far it's proven quite useful and I feel others can also benefit from it.

Good looking tool-- I've just added it to the download area: http://itninja.com/link/arj-software---download82

probably a little overdue but I had no issues packaging this using setup.iss (yet another stupid vendor)


all the dialogs are in the setup.exe bootstrapper