Challenges of Installing a 'NET Framework

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Challenges of Installing a .NET Framework
David Klitzke East Bay .NET FUNdamentals July 14,
2005
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David Klitzke

• Software Consultant for IdeaBlade, a startup
  company providing a Rapid Application Development
  for .NET
• Develop and deliver training and webinars
• Develop software to install tutorial exercises
• Did the initial port to InstallShield
• Currently, assisting with port to .NET 2.0
• Previously, senior software engineering manager
  for Sun Microsystems and Unisys

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Agenda

• Why is installation important for a Framework?
• Choices for Install Tools
• The Challenges
• Supporting Multiple Features
• Asking for a Serial Prompt
• Installing Assemblies into the GAC
• Installing a Visual Studio Add-In
• Adding Visual Studio ToolBox Items
• Installing and Attaching a Database
• Debugging Tips and Tricks

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Why is installation important for a Framework?

• Frameworks are supposed to make life easy,
  therefore
• They must be easy to install
• They must not require additional steps after the
  installation to get started
• They must allow simple quick installations as
  full-featured installations
• The installation process should leave a favorable
  impression

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General Challenges for Developing Installation
Software

• Requires esoteric knowledge
• Long times for builds, installs, and uninstalls
• Requires support for multiple versions of
  software
• Can be notoriously difficult to debug
• Not glamorous

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Some Specific Challenges

• Supporting Multiple Features
• Asking for a Serial Prompt
• Installing Assemblies into the GAC
• Installing a Visual Studio Add-In
• Adding Visual Studio ToolBox Items
• Installing and Attaching a Database

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Choices for Installation Tools

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Choices for Installation Tools

• Microsoft Windows Installer
• InstallShield
• Wise
• Other

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Microsoft Windows Installer

• Advantages
• Requires no additional purchase as it is built
  into Visual Studio
• Almost all other installation tools use the
  Windows Installer
• Installation technology most developers are
  familiar with
• Disadvantages
• Doesnt support multiple features
• Few options to modify installation sequence
• Opaque interface to Installer database
• Documentation is very poor

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InstallShield

• Advantages
• Supports multiple features
• Many options for modifying and altering
  installation sequence
• Presents easy access to Installer database
• Lots of additional features
• Disadvantages
• Pricey
• Not familiar to most developers
• Proprietary scripting tools could lead to vendor
  lock-in

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Supporting Multiple Features

• with InstallShield

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InstallShield Installation Architecture
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Feature Folder Hierarchy

• Each feature has a separate set of components in
  an independent folder hierarchy

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Multiple Features allow Custom Installations
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Pick and Choose your Features

• Default Feature is not selectable or visible
• Choose whether to display sub-features

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Asking for a Serial Number

• with Windows Installer

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Asking for a Serial Number

• Add a Screen during UI Phase
• Edit Serial Number Template
• Use a Windows Installer Class
• Add a Custom Action for the Commit Phase which
  executes the Installer Class
• Specify Custom Action Data
• During the install, get User Input
• Evaluate the Serial Number

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Add a Screen during UI Phase

• Add Customer Information Dialog after prompt for
  Installation Folder

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Edit Serial Number Template

• Set ShowSerialNumber to True
• Edit SerialNumberTemplate

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Use a Windows Installer Class

• Windows Installer Classes used for Custom Actions
  during
• Install
• Commit
• RollBack
• Uninstall

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Get User Input from Custom Action Data
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Evaluate Serial Number

• Throw Exception on Failure

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Demo Adding a Serial Number Prompt to the Install
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Installing Assemblies into the GAC

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Installing Assemblies into the GAC

• Goal is make your assemblies easily accessible to
  Visual Studio developers
• Strongly name your assemblies
• Install into Application Folder and Global
  Assembly Cache
• Modify Registry so developers can reference them
  with Visual Studio

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Strongly Name the Assemblies
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Add Global Assembly Cache Folder to the Setup
Project

• This folder is not included by defaut

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Copy Assemblies into Application Folder and
Global Assembly Cache
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Use Registry Editor to make Assemblies Visible to
Visual Studio

• Adding this to installation

Add this to the registry
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Registry entry needed for Visual Studio for Add
References
With Registry Entry Without Registry
Entry
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Simple Visual Studio Add-In Project

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Simple Visual Studio Add-In Project

• IdeaBlade Object Relational Modeling (ORM) Tool
• Walkthrough on
• Example is from MSDN article
• How to use a wizard to create a Simple Add-In
• How to set breakpoints in a Simple Add-In

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IdeaBlade Object Relational Modeling (ORM) Tool

• Visual Studio Add-In
• Appears in Visual Studio Tools menu

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Demo Steps

• Create a Visual Studio Add-In Project
• Use Add-In Wizard to set Project Properties
• Add a MessageBox.Show to Project
• Set a Breakpoint
• Debug the project from within Visual Studio

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Create a Visual Studio Add-In Project
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Use Add-in Wizard
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Add Properties with Wizard
Use C
Visual Studio is the application host
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Add Properties with Wizard
Enter Name and Description
Yes, Create a Tools Menu Item
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Add Properties with Wizard
Add an About Box
Summary
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Registry Changes added by Wizard

• Registry changes to Setup Project

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Add a MessageBox.Show statement with Breakpoint

• Add Reference to System.Windows.Forms
• Add using clause
• Add Message.Show statement in Connect.cs with
  breakpoint

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Debug the project

• Press Debug, then Start
• When a new Visual Studio appears, press the Tools
  menu to reveal the simple Add-in

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Reach the Breakpoint

• Select MyAddIn1 from Tools menu to reach the
  breakpoint
• Select Debug and Continue to reveal the
  MessageBox

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Demo Debugging a Visual Studio Add-In Project
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Adding Visual Studio ToolBox Items

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Add Visual Studio Designers

• Automate adding of controls and tabs that would
  otherwise have been done manually within Visual
  Studio

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IdeaBlade ToolBox Items
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Implementation

• Use a Commit Phase Custom Action with a
  ToolBoxInstaller.exe
• Add Shortcut to Program Files
• Requires understanding DTE

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A Few Words on DTE
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Automatically Attaching a Database

• So your user is ready to start sample tutorials
  exercises

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Problems with manually installing a database

• Many users dont have DB expertise and have
  trouble following database installation
  instructions
• Many users dont know relevant information such
  as DB instance name, host name, SQL Server
  password
• Even if database can be easily installed,
  connection strings in applications need to fixed
  up

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Information needed for Automatic Database
Installation

• Is SQL Server installed?
• What is database service name?
• Is database service running?
• What is database instance name?
• Is database already attached?
• Does database require Windows Authentication or
  SQL Server paswords

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Automatically Attaching a Database

• Case Example
• Implementation
• Discover the connection string
• Attach the database
• Modify the configuration files

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Case Example

• To promote its .NET framework product, IdeaBlade
  makes it as easy as possible for potential
  customers to exercise the IdeaBlade software by
• Automatically attaching the Tutorial database
• Fixing up the connection strings in the
  configuration files for the sample applications
• Providing easy-to-use interface for trying the
  applications

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Implementation Strategy

• Add starting solutions, completed solutions, and
  documentation during the installation using Merge
  Modules
• Add a Windows Installer Class that executes
  during the Commit phase of the installation
  which
• Discovers the connection string
• Attaches the Tutorials database if unattached
• Fixes up the configuration files for the Tutorial
  exercises

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Merge Modules for Tutorial Exercises

• Merge Modules provide a modular approach to
  adding components to an installation
• Promotes reuse over different setup projects
• IdeaBlade Tutorials have over 300 folders and
  5,000 files

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Database.Install Windows Installer Class

• Executes during Commit phase (after Tutorial
  solutions have been installed)
• Single input parameter is folder name of the
  target installation (TARGETDIR\)

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Discover the Connection String

• Get the SQL Service Name
• Check if SQL Server SW is installed
• Check if the SQL Service is running
• If Service running, get the SQL Server Name
• Try Windows Authentication
• If Windows Authentication fails, prompt for SQL
  Server password

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Attach Database and Fix-up Config Files

• Test if Tutorial Database already attached
• Attach database if not already attached
• Recursively look for config files
• Fix up connection strings

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Get the SQL Service Name

• In this example, its MSSQLSERVER

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Check if SQL Server Installed
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Check if SQL Service Running

• If not running, user has the option of aborting
  the installation

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Get the SQL Server Name

• If Service Name MSSQLSERVER
• Server Name .
• Else if Service Name is like MSSQLABC
• Server Name HOSTNAME\ABC

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Try Windows Authentication

• See if you can access master database using
  Integrated security

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If no Windows Authentication, prompt for SQL
Server password

• If first password check fails, ask if user wants
  to try again

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Test if Tutorial Database already attached
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Attach database if not already attached
Delete log file if it already exists
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Recursively look for config files
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Fix up connection strings
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Automatic Database Installation makes it easy to
download and use IdeaBlade Tutorials
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Installation Debugging Tips and Tricks

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Turn on Windows Installer Logging
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Use Fusion Log Viewer to debug assembly binding
redirection
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Log Entry for failed assembly binding
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Q A

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References

• Referencing the DTE
• http//msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url
  /library/en-us/vsintro7/html/vxconreferencingdteob
  ject.asp
• Debugging a Simple Add-In Project
• http//msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url
  /library/en-us/vsdebug/html/vxwlkwalkthroughdebugg
  ingadd-inproject.asp
• Enable Windows Installer Logging
• http//support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scidkb
  en-us223300

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Thanks For Your Time
For more information davidk_at_ideablade.com
www.ideablade.com