Software Deployment

Are you talking about patching? Like with MSP files or EXE's? Just wanted to make sure we are talking about the same thing.

Im talking about taking common DLL's, OCX's etc and creating a merge module from them and then storing them in a central location for a department to use.

The idea being that instead of a vendor or repackaged MSI using their own install files they would, if the file was there, switch to using the merge module in the central location.

The advantage of using merge modules is that the components will have the same GUID. So when two packages use the same merge module it uses the component sharing mechanism correctly. Otherwise 2 packages could place the same file in for instance the %WinDir% with different components, but the sharing in that case can only be controlled by the shareddll counter, not the component counter because the GUIDs dont match.

Sorry I have to go now, but if you need more in depth or better explained info, let me know. I will make a bigger post.

Well my reasons for asking is to understand the pro's and con's so that I can produce a white paper to give to my boss to say "you should use merge modules and not just ignore them.

What im also after is cost savings, which I am sure there is, with using them, although I know there would be an initial cost to get the modules created in the first place.

Thanks for the information you posted already, dont suppose you have any links to MS etc that say "here is what merge modules are and why to use them"? I have done my best to try and google this but not found much so far.



Paul

I recall researching this a while ago when I was at a client who said "Thou shalt NOT use merge moduls" and found differing opinion from within MS. IIRC, this was on MSDN blogs/webcasts but don't quote me...

Yeh im in the same boat now, we dont use them, although they cant say why and wanted a white paper produced for why we should use them. Thats what im in the process of trying to get together now:

http://blogs.msdn.com/robmen/archive/2003/10/04/56479.aspx

The above link is looking good so far :)

P

Just curious to know if you have created the white paper, It could be helpful.