Software Deployment

Nested MSIs are actively discouraged these days, as there are implications for updates, patches and so on.

Your best option is to build a wrapper in WiseScript. Of course, that means you end up with an EXE rather than an MSI to distribute. If that's not a problem....no problem! :)

If your target machines have Windows Installer v4.5, you could use the new MSIBeginTransaction facility. Th eproblem there is, WPS isn't yet aware of that facility and thus provides no UI to it. You would need to build that in "by hand". Please note that I have zero experience of this facility as yet, so may not be able to answer any questions you may have about it. Your best route for help with that would be MSDN.

Hi VBScab!
I can't use another tool than WPS, because WPS is the official tool to repackage applications for my company. Now I'm trying to do a "capture" of the 5 msi files's installation, to create a new msi file with everything inside... I know that isn't the best way... but I hope that it works :S

thanks you anyway!

Now I'm trying to do a "capture" of the 5 msi files's installation, to create a new msi file with everything inside...
No, no, no, no, NO! Do NOT capture MSIs.

From the sound of it, your package is for internal distribution. In that case, what's wrong with using your deployment mechanism (let me guess...Group Policy?) to deploy all 5 MSIs separately?

And BTW, WPS includes WiseScript editor which you can use to build the wrapper.

If I recall, standard version do not include the WiseScript editor...but I could be wrong (don't have standard installed to check).

Yes, but I don't think that's called Wise Package Studio, is it? I think that's called Wise Installation Express.

WPS and Wise Installation Studio include WiseScript.

Yes! WPS Standard Edition doesn't have WiseScript editor.... and you are right, this package is for internal distribution. We have a tool to do that called SDS (Software Deployment System).
I have used that and it works fine with the test system, but then the package is "robocopied" to production system and I have a problem there, because the SDS missed 3 msi files. I don't know why! and I don't have the rights to fix that on SDS "production". I have to contact the domain administrator and he's from France... too much slow procedure!! so I wanted to do everything with one msi file and to forget the original problem....
anyway... I can't solve this now... I think so... :(

WPS Standard Edition doesn't have WiseScript editorThat isn't what Altiris's web site says. But anyway, I digress....

Why not build a batch or VBScript file to chain the commands and use one of the many (and free!) batch-to-EXE or VBS-to-EXE compilers to create an EXE? As the saying goes, there's more than one way to skin a cat.

I was thinking about to do a VBScript and call it from a CA inside the first msi... but I don't know if that could be the way...
I can't create an EXE file because my SDS can't call it... just msi files...

I recently learned wise script, it is very useful for sequencing MSIs or patches, I made Visio 2k7 and project 2k7, did a couple of checks and installed old versions and left files, I even gave the installer an argument to install or uninstall it etc, but you don't have it.

As VBScab told you a .vbs or .bat with some lines will do the work and you can even convert it to a pseudo .exe, but you cannot use .exe's

Never launch that file within an msi because the msiexec.exe process doesn't work really nice with that. If you really only need to provide MSIs you have a problem, and you have to do that...

A very dirty trick (that I do not recommend) is to launch a custom action and run a .vbs file (that runs parallel with msiexec) that monitors if the installation of the 'wrapper msi' is finished and when it is finished it runs all your msiexe /i lines as a kind of after-action. Ensure that your logging will be more complex now and depends on the whole sequence.

Hi VBScab!
I left this task for a few days, but I'm working about that again. Obviously, I agree with everybody who told me that "nested msi are discouraged these days". But, in this case that I have to do it for internal distribution and I know that I'll not need later updates or something like that; I think that I can solve my problem doing it thus.
I found the way to complete the nested msi installation, I could install the 5 msi files trough a CA:
in MSI Script -> Execute Inmediate, Installation Sequence, after the InstallFinalize; with a IF Statment (Not Installed) then Install msi from installation .. End

That works fine, but now I have a problem when I want to uninstall.
I used msiexec/x c:\meta4.msi /qb
So, that command line just uninstall the first msi file, how can I do for Install and unistall the 5 msi files using nested msi???

Like many posters to this forum, I think nested MSI's are tantamount to witchcraft ... but if you really must then ...

you could introduce a Type 39 custom action for each of the MSI's you wish to remove. In the CustomAction table, for each record set the Source field to contain the ProductCode GUID and set the Target Field to "REMOVE=ALL" or REMOVE=ALL /QN for a silent uninstall.

You then need to put the following condition on each of the five custom actions :

[font="courier new"]REMOVE~="ALL"
[font="courier new"]
and if you haven't already done so with your existing five installation custom actions, I'd recommend you condition these with NOT Installed

That way you keep everything mutually exclusive :-)

Regards,

Spartacus

Just follow the step-by-step provided by KB Article 2955:
https://kb.altiris.com/article.asp?article=2955&p=1