Upgrade Cisco VPN 5.0
We are trying to upgrade from the Cisco 4.6 VPN client to 5.0. The problem I am having is that the 5.0 install requires you to uninstall the 4.6 version first and then reboot. After the reboot the install does not run in silent mode even though silent switches were used initially. Has anyone else done an upgrade to 5.0? I only saw notes on new installs.
This is only one of the many problems I have encountered with this software upgrade. Cisco should stick to hardware and find someone else to make their software.
This is only one of the many problems I have encountered with this software upgrade. Cisco should stick to hardware and find someone else to make their software.
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Posted by:
MSIPackager
15 years ago
How are you planning on deploying the package? SMS?
How about managing the uninstall / reboot of v4 outside of the v5 msi?
How about managing the uninstall / reboot of v4 outside of the v5 msi?
Posted by:
spartacus
15 years ago
I have recently experienced the very same problem. Here's my understanding of how the V5.0 installation handles the upgrade from v4.6.
During a V5 installation, if v4.<n> of the VPN client is detected, it is uninstalled - effectively by running the command
[font="courier new"]RunDll32 C:\PROGRA~1\COMMON~1\INSTAL~1\engine\6\INTEL3~1\Ctor.dll,LaunchSetup "C:\Program Files\InstallShield Installation Information\{5624C000-B109-11D4-9DB4-00E0290FCAC5}\Setup.exe" -l0x9 VpnUninstall
[font="courier new"]
the above being found in the registry value [font="courier new"]UninstallString held in the following key
[font="courier new"]HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\{5624C000-B109-11D4-9DB4-00E0290FCAC5}
[font="courier new"]
The v5.0 installer then sets a "reboot needed" flag and also writes some registry entries to a runonce key in order that the v5.0 MSI installer is rerun after the reboot.
Note that the runonce entries are not held in the normal place for such entries (i.e. [font="courier new"]HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce[font="times new roman"])
but are instead located in the key
[font="courier new"]HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Cisco Systems\VPN Client
here are the entries in this key that are written by the v5.0 installer
[font="courier new"]InstallRunOnceApp="msiexec.exe"
InstallRunOncePath="C:\\VPNSource\\V5\\"
InstallRunOnceCmdLine="/I vpnclient_setup.msi"
InstallRunOnceTransforms=""
(note that in my case, the V5 installer was run from the folder C:\VPNSource\V5, but your value for the [font="courier new"]InstallRunOncePath will probably be different - note the double backslashes)
After this, a type 19 custom action is then called by the V5.0 installer to terminate the installation with the message to the user to reboot the system.
On reboot a client service, cvpnd, (which was installed by the v5.0 installer prior to the reboot) will read the contents of the (Cisco) runonce keys and execute the command held in [font="courier new"]InstallRunOnceApp + InstallRunOnceCmdLine Now because the default [font="courier new"]InstallRunOnceCmdLine does not contain any silent switches, this explains why the remainder of the Cisco installation does not run silently - as you have observed.
It may therefore be possible for you to create a transform for the v5.0 MSI which contains a custom action that writes the Cisco runonce keys to include the necessary silent switch in [font="courier new"]InstallRunOnceCmdLine If you go down this route, you would need to disable the CsCaExe_SetRunOnceKeys custom action found in the InstallUISequence (e.g. by setting a condition of 1=0 on the action) as this is the action that writes the default values shown above.
[font="courier new"]
Having said all this, MSIPackager's previous answer may be easier to implement. In other words, perform the V4.6 unininstall first, then perform a reboot and only after that has been done, run the V5.0 MSI.
In that way, the V5.0 installer runs through to completion and will honor your original silent switch throughout.
Regards,
Spartacus
During a V5 installation, if v4.<n> of the VPN client is detected, it is uninstalled - effectively by running the command
[font="courier new"]
[font="courier new"]
the above being found in the registry value [font="courier new"]
[font="courier new"]
[font="courier new"]
The v5.0 installer then sets a "reboot needed" flag and also writes some registry entries to a runonce key in order that the v5.0 MSI installer is rerun after the reboot.
Note that the runonce entries are not held in the normal place for such entries (i.e. [font="courier new"]
but are instead located in the key
[font="courier new"]
here are the entries in this key that are written by the v5.0 installer
[font="courier new"]
InstallRunOncePath="C:\\VPNSource\\V5\\"
InstallRunOnceCmdLine="/I vpnclient_setup.msi"
InstallRunOnceTransforms=""
(note that in my case, the V5 installer was run from the folder C:\VPNSource\V5, but your value for the [font="courier new"]
After this, a type 19 custom action is then called by the V5.0 installer to terminate the installation with the message to the user to reboot the system.
On reboot a client service, cvpnd, (which was installed by the v5.0 installer prior to the reboot) will read the contents of the (Cisco) runonce keys and execute the command held in [font="courier new"]
It may therefore be possible for you to create a transform for the v5.0 MSI which contains a custom action that writes the Cisco runonce keys to include the necessary silent switch in [font="courier new"]
[font="courier new"]
Having said all this, MSIPackager's previous answer may be easier to implement. In other words, perform the V4.6 unininstall first, then perform a reboot and only after that has been done, run the V5.0 MSI.
In that way, the V5.0 installer runs through to completion and will honor your original silent switch throughout.
Regards,
Spartacus
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