Software Deployment

If these are MS hotfixes (e.g. to the operating system), you are strongly advised to NOT re-package. Use Windows/Microsoft Update or your own WSUS server.

Hi Sarah,
what app are we talking about here?
There are different approaches to solve things like this. It depends mostly on the packaging and patching the vendor has done.
Regards, Nick

If its a normal MSI with vendor patches, Adobe Writer being a good example, then you need to make an AIP and patch that AIP then publish your MSI from this AIP to your deployment tool.

P

Hi Nick:

The MSI is Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0. There are six Microsoft HotFixes that go with the application.

VBScab - would this really be considered "repackaging?" I would think its more like creating a bundle? I'm not trying to change any thing in the Hotfixes, I just want to be able to install the MSI and the hotfixes in one easy application with no user intervention. I could script it all, but I do have Wise and i'm hoping the software could wrap it all together.

It sounds like we've fallen victim to MS's wretched insistence of swapping terms willy-nilly. Hotfixes are almost universally recognised as being targeted at the OS. What I *think* they're referring to here are what everyone else (including MS, but for other apps) calls patches. However, from looking at the web site, it doesn't look like they're available as proper patches, i.e. in MSP files. Rather, it looks like the files themselves get replaced with an EXE. If that's the case, I'd still go with creating an AIP, extracting the files from the hotfixes (by executing them against a test installation), overwriting the files in the AIP and then updating the MSI if need be (some file versions may have changed, for example).

Hi folks,
@Ian: I disagree here: MS-Hotfixes are patches which have not gone trough the hole testing process. In this case (like a lot of HF's for the OS'es), all the patches are not available to public and only delivered by request.
But they are constructed (mostly) like the (normal) patches.

@Sarah: There are several methods to do this. For the recommended way, (define the patches in a XML) see:
http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=kb%3Ben-us%3B948917&x=14&y=10
My approach would be, to do an admin install and apply all the patches to it.
At first, extract the MSP files. This can be done with a tool like 7zip or use the "/?" at the command line to see the extraction command.
Then build the Admin Point:
msiexec /a <DynamicsMSI> TARGETDIR=<YourAdminInstallDir>
msiexec /p <hotfix.msp> /a <DynamicsMSI> TARGETDIR=<YourAdminInstallDir>

Regards, Nick