Software Deployment

Given that your custom action DLL is performing preinstallation checks at a time when the other dependent DLL's have not yet been installed, I can't see any other way (apart from Ian's suggestion of a separate package) than having the DLL(s) in the binary table as well as in the main filestore.

Many vendors provide MSI packages with Custom Action DLL's which perform prerequisite checks and by far the most common method they employ is to use the binary table. If you wish the DLL(s) to also be permanently installed, then they will need to be present in both the binary and file tables, IMHO.

Is it such a large overhead for your package to have the files in the CAB and binary table, I can't imagine DLL's would be particularly large in size .... or are they ?

Regards

Spartacus

I'm not sure what you're trying to do, and if it's really necessary, but you could try running your CA just before the InstallFinalize action as deferred (I guess it depends on what you're doing). That way the dll will have been installed on to the workstation, and registered, ready for you to call it from your own CA.

ok... Here is the scenario...

1. I have a DLL SomeDLL.dll that contains exported functions for a custom action.
2. Methods from this DLL use some other DLLs as well to perform some pre-install checks.
3. These other DLLs are part of installation as well (i.e. they have entry in File, Component etc. tables)
4. Since the CA methods require these DLLs, either they have to be already installed (not possible as CA is doing some pre-install checks) or these DLLs should be added in a Binary table that can be extracted at some temporary location for use (But this will unnecessarily have 2 copies of these file - 1 in Binary, 2 in File(indirectly in a CAB))

How to achieve this...!!!

There is some VBScript here on AD which shows you how to extract a file from the Binary table. It's pretty straightforward.

Even more straightforward would be to do what one of the installer providers (InstallShield) does: provide the various DLLs as a separate package and have the dependent package check for its installation. You then provide instructions that Someother.Package must be installed first.

http://itninja.com/question/faulttree-109042&mpage=1&key=

I am aware of extracting a file from Binary table. Just wondering why to keep that file at two places (Binary table as well as package CAB) ..FYI This file is going to be a part of installation as well.

Hey... spartacus... thanks a lot...!!!! There is no overhead as such... Just wanted to know the general practice in such cases...!!!
Thanks all!!!!