This option distributes Microsoft Software Installer (MSI) packages to Windows servers for any Windows-based application, where the MSI engine is used to install the Windows software included in an MSI Distribution. You can create and configure MSI Distributions in both ConsoleOne and iManager.
Use the following to configure the Distribution:
Add one or more MSI or MSP packages using one of the following:
Add from Distributor: The .msi and .msp files must reside on the file system of the Distributor server that owns this MSI Distribution.
Add from FTP site: The .msi and .msp files can be retrieved from an FTP site.
The MSI distribution with FTP option fails if the distibution file is available directly under the root of the FTP server. Move the distribution file to a directory under the root of the FTP server.
Select an MSI package from the list and click Remove to delete it from the list.
To configure each MSI package, select the package in the column, click to open the Edit Parameters dialog box, then fill in the fields:
Select one of the following options:
Package file only: Include only the MSI package in the Distribution.
Package files and folders: Include the MSI package, all files located in the same folder, and all subfolders and files. This assumes that all of the necessary supporting files for an MSI package are included in its folder and subfolders.
Select from the following options:
Install: Causes the MSI package to be installed.
Uninstall: Causes the MSI package to be uninstalled.
Patch: This field is dimmed because it applies only to an MSP package.
Administrative install: Causes the MSI package to be installed without deleting the MSI package (as standard practice), so that it can available for a self-repair. This option is used in conjunction with an administrative image of the package. For more information, see the InstallShield Tip from AdminStudio.
Repair: If you select this option, select from the following check boxes. They are the common MSI flags that can be passed to the MSI engine to specify the types of repairs to be made:
Missing file: Instructs Windows Installer to reinstall a file only if it is missing.
Older file: Instructs Windows Installer to reinstall a file if it is missing or if the installed file’s version is older than the file in the MSI package.
Equal or older file: Instructs Windows Installer to reinstall a file if it is missing or if the installed file’s version is the same as or older than the file in the MSI package.
Force all: Instructs Windows Installer to reinstall all files.
Use registry keys: Instructs Windows Installer to rewrite all per-user entries from the MSI package to the Windows system registry. Per-user entries are those entries contained in the HKEY_CURRENT_USER and HKEY_USERS registry hives.
Computer registry keys: Instructs Windows Installer to rewrite all per-machine entries from the MSI package to the Windows system registry. Per-machine entries are those entries contained in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE and HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT registry hives.
Failed checksum: Instructs Windows Installer to perform a checksum on all executable files and to reinstall a file if it is missing or if the checksum verifies that the file is corrupt. Only files that have msidbFileAttributesChecksum in the Attributes column of the MSI package’s File Table are repaired.
Install and re-cache: Instructs Windows Installer to install files from the re-cache (local) source rather than the source package.
Shortcuts: Instructs Windows Installer to reinstall the MSI application’s shortcuts, overwriting any existing shortcuts and icons.
Different file version: Instructs Windows Installer to reinstall a file if it is missing or if the installed file’s version is not exactly the same as the file in the MSI package.
To include transforms in the Distribution, select an MSI package (not an MSP package) to be transformed, select the Edit Parameters button, then do the following. Repeat these steps as necessary for each transform in an MSI package, and for each MSI package.
Add one or more transforms using one of the following:
Add from Distributor: The .mst file must reside on the file system of the Distributor server that owns this MSI Distribution.
Add from FTP Site: The .mst file can be retrieved from an FTP site.
Transform files are used to modify the behavior of the MSI package that you selected in the Selected Packages column of the Type tab.
When two or more transforms are applied to the same MSI package property, it retains the value applied by the transform that was last applied.
For more information about creating and configuring transforms, see the documentation you received with the software application.
Select a transform from the list and click Remove to delete it from the list.
Use the Up and Down buttons to rearrange the order in which the transforms are applied.
When you rearrange the execution order, remember that an MSP package patches a specific MSI package, so it should be listed after the MSI package.
You can modify the listed command line parameters for the MSI package.
Some MSI Distributions can fail to extract on Windows 2000 servers. To solve this problem, see MSI Distribution Extraction Errors.
This field is display-only.
The parameters listed in this field are for the default options when you first view the Parameters dialog box. These parameters are automatically updated as you modify any options in the Distribution Includes, Options, or Transforms boxes, or add any parameters in the Custom Parameters field.
Use the Up and Down buttons to rearrange the order in which the MSI packages are applied.