Software Deployment

If you dont know what files are unwanted I dread to think how dirty your packages are :)

The only way to know what files and registry keys are not wanted is experiance, research and web searching, for example a simple google search for C:\Windows\WinSxS told me what this folder did, although I knew anyway.

P

I think there's a selection of exclusion lists available for d/l on the Altiris web site. Have a browse/search of the forums there: the Knowledgebase searching is useless unless you know exactly what to search for (in which case, why would you be searching?!?)

I would only ever use exclusion lists if I knew without any shadow of doudt that what I was exluding will never be used in any application. TBH I prefer to not use 1 and have everything shown then strip out the rubbish as you know you have everything.

P

OMG, Paul! Your packaging must take forever! :)

My tactic is to install my MSI, take a 'before' snapshot with a lightweight snapshotter, run the vendor's install over the top, then take an 'after' snap. That means I save time not having to edit out junk and that anything I may have over-zealously removed is flagged.

Each to his own, I guess...

Well I usually start with a clean virgin machine, snapshot, install software, end snapshot. As part of this I will ensure that I dont have anything excluded, clean up the result and then compile and test. Doesnt take too long and I generally have MSI's cleaned and packaged inside a day, I dont think I have had 1 take longer.

The development time generally comes during uninstall, or deployment through the deployment tool, for example developing a vbscript to restore the .zip extension after removing winzip or winrar.

As you said, each to their own :)

P

the best way to learn this is find someone better than you to teach you.

get him to highlight you crap but you remove it.

as for Winsxs i expect most of the stuff in there you would want to keep. its a very safe folder to be deploying to, it can only add assemblies if they are signed and as Paul mentioned a quick search will highlight you can put multiple dll's of the same name in there assuming they are strongly named.