Windows Installer can support applications installed from a network share - referred to as an administrative installation - or locally on an end user's PC. Furthermore, because Windows Installer is a service, it is designed to support software installations as the local Administrator role in locked environments, enhancing the application process.
This approach enables Windows Installer to determine components that belong to an application, and to safely remove application components and restore a system to a working state. msi file can also contain one or more transforms, internal source files, and external source files or cabinet files required by the installation. msi file containing the installation database, a summary information stream, and data streams for various parts of the installation.
MSI SOFTWARE PACKAGING TOOLS INSTALL
The packages follow a standardized database structure containing the information that Windows Installer requires to install or uninstall an application and to run the user interface for the setup. The emerging standard is for Windows Installer to use the msiexec.exe program to process the installation packages at an end user's PC. Unfortunately, inconsistencies in the way independent software vendors and internal software development groups created these installation files sometimes led to complications when administrators attempted to manage automated installations. Previously, installation packages took the form of a setup.exe file. To support these functions, the Windows Installer needs to receive instructions from an installation package.
The Windows Installer service was designed to support every phase of the application management life cycle, providing a service to support each step involved in managing a desktop application from deployment through retirement. Windows Installer also includes many other features for easier development that the installation author can automatically include in the install. Standardization of installs and uninstalls will simplify an administrator's job by creating one set of rules for file overwrites, instead of leaving rule selection up to individual developers.
Windows Installer Technology offers many advantages to developers and systems admins. Introduction to Windows Installer Technology Transforms can be used to disable or enable certain installation features, or even add additional items to the installation (for example, to add customer-specific content to the rollout of a product).Ĭlick to view. In addition to the install package for the product being installed, the installer can apply a "transform." This is a method of customizing the package for a specific group of users. Since this rollback information can take up a significant amount of space, an administrator or user can disable it during installation. The rollback includes restoring the original contents of files replaced or deleted during the installation and restoring overwritten or deleted registry settings (such as COM class registration). The transaction provides for rollback of a failed or aborted installation. All changes to the system configuration are done as a single installation transaction by the Install Service. On Windows, the installer consists of two executable components: a Client Install Engine that runs with user privileges and an Install Service that can run with elevated administrative privileges because it is implemented as a Windows Service. Windows Installer Overview of Installer Engine In this article we depict the phenomenon of Application Packaging and suggest certain tips for efficient packaging. Using tools like Wise Package Studio and Install Shield we carry out the whole process of packaging. Application packaging is a process of binding the relevant files and components to build a customized application for a customer.