Installer Types of Install Anywhere

installanywhereExpert created the topic: Installer Types of Install Anywhere
InstallAnywhere offers Web and CD-ROM installers.

Installer Modes
Web
Web Installers are packaged into a single executable file by platform, and are
appropriate for distribution over the Web or via e-mail. They use a Self-Extractor to
prepare the source files at the start of the installation, and therefore require more
temporary disk space available.
CD
A CD-ROM Installer already has most of the files extracted and ready to install. There
is still a Self-Extractor, but it only extracts the installer engine. Therefore, CD-ROM
installers take up less temporary space and start up faster, but they are not
appropriate for Web or electronic distribution. CD-ROM installers are also good for
distribution on DVD, and can span multiple CDs or DVDs.

installanywhereExpert replied the topic: Re: Installer Types of Install Anywhere
InstallAnywhere installers can run in three different interactive modes:

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Installer Interface GUI in InstallAnywhere

installanywhereExpert created the topic: Installer Interface GUI in InstallAnywhere
Most aspects of an InstallAnywhere installer’s user interface can be modified. As a
developer of an InstallAnywhere installer, you can alter text strings as well as
graphics, such as the splash screen, installer screens, panel additions, background
images, and billboards. Developers may even add their own animated GIF files to
provide a multimedia experience.

Localization
Nearly every text string in an InstallAnywhere project can be localized. Translations of
the text of built-in InstallAnywhere screens and dialog boxes are already provided.
The Enterprise Edition supports 29 different locales, and the Standard Edition
supports 9.
If developers want to further modify text strings by locale, the string files are output
each time an installer is built, in a folder called “Project locales” which will be next to
the build output folder. The files are named by locale code. For example, the default
English (locale code, en) locale file has the name custom_en.
These locale files contain the text string grouped by the name of the action to which it
belongs. Developers may alter the text string and upon the next build of the installer
the new localized text will be displayed with the action.

Look and Feel
InstallAnywhere provides many options for altering the look and feel of the installer.
Splash Screen
InstallAnywhere installers present a splash screen at the initial launch of the installer.
This screen is displayed for a few seconds while the installer prepares the wizard. The
splash screen is an ideal introduction to your product, and is an opportunity to set the
mood and image for your product. The splash screen will also appear on the HTML
page generated for the InstallAnywhere Web Install Applet. It can be either a GIF, a
PNG, or a JPEG file of any size, although the preferred size is 470×265 pixels.

GUI Panel Additions
The Additions to GUI Installer Panels option allows developers to display a list of
steps or an image along the left side of the installer’s panel.
Background Images
This Background image feature allows you to create a truly unique installer. The
Background image is the graphical background for every panel in your installer.
Background images are only supported in Swing GUI Installers.
Billboards
Billboards are graphics that the installer will display during the installation of files.
Billboards generally convey a marketing message, a description of the product, or
simply something fun for the end-user to see as the file installation is occurring. Each
billboard added will be displayed for an even amount of time, based on actions within
the installation. If an installation has very few files, and many billboards, each
billboard will only be displayed for a short time.
Billboards can be GIF, PNG, or JPEG files, and should be 587 x 312 pixels in size.
Billboards can even use animated GIF files, providing the end-user with a richer
media experience during their installation.

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Actions in InstallAnywhere

installanywhereExpert created the topic: Actions in InstallAnywhere
InstallAnywhere supports an extensible action architecture that gives developers the
ability to perform operations during installation. Some of these actions are as simple
as installing files and folders and as complex as creating modifying text files, executing
custom code during the installation process, or extracting contents from a compressed
file.
Actions may occur in the background, not requiring any user input, or may require
user input. General/Install Actions do not require any user input. Panel Actions and
Console Actions request user input. Panel Actions display a graphic element that
requests user input. Console Actions display a command line request.
General Actions
Most General Actions occur transparently to the end-user. They do not require any
user input.
Panel Actions
Panel Actions are requests for user input that appear inside the graphical installer
wizard.

Console Actions
Console Actions are command line requests for user input and are used during
command line installation.
Plug-in Actions
Custom code can be integrated with the InstallAnywhere Designer and will appear as a
plug-in.

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Rules in InstallAnywhere

installanywhereExpert created the topic: Rules in InstallAnywhere
InstallAnywhere Rules can be applied to any action within the InstallAnywhere
installer, as well as to organizational units such as Install Sets, Features, and
Components.
InstallAnywhere uses variable based Boolean rules to control most aspects of installer
behavior. The Rules logic allows developers to create simple and complex logic
systems that determine what actions will occur. The rules can be structured based on
end-user input, or on conditions determined by the installer.

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How to Silenlty Install Application Using Install Anywhere

installanywhereExpert created the topic: How to Silenlty Install Application Using Install Anywhere
Steps to Create Installation Silently
1. Edit Installer.properties file for customisation

Eg: EDIT the installation directory in USER_INSTALL_DIR property

Example of installer Properties file

# Installation mode (Silent)
INSTALLER_UI=SILENT

# Installation directory – use “\\” to separate directories.
USER_INSTALL_DIR=C:\\Program files\\Informatica\\PowerCenter8.6.1

# Installation set (Complete/Upgrade)
CHOSEN_INSTALL_SET=Complete

# PowerCenter Client components (PowerCenter Client/Metadata Manager Client)
CHOSEN_INSTALL_BUNDLE_LIST=PowerCenter Client,Metadata Manager Client
2. Place the installer.properties file along with setup.exe
3. run setup with the following command

“..\Disk1\InstData\VM\install.exe” -f “..\Disk1\installer.properties”

Silent uninstallation:

There will be a uninstallion.exe in the installdir – Simply run it, most of the times it is silent .

Some of the Properties used in Installanwhere are:

# Installation mode (Silent)
INSTALLER_UI=SILENT

# Installation directory – use “\\” to separate directories.
USER_INSTALL_DIR=C:\\Informatica\\PowerCenter8.1.0

# Installation set (Complete/Custom)
CHOSEN_INSTALL_SET=Complete

# PowerCenter Client components (PowerCenter Client/Metadata Manager Client)
CHOSEN_INSTALL_BUNDLE_LIST=PowerCenter Client, Metadata Manager Client

# Metadata Manager Integration Repository Code Page (MS1252/Latin1)
CODEPAGE=MS1252

# Metadata Manager Integration Repository Name
INTREPONAME=PowerCenter

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Application doesn’t get install in passive/silent mode

installanywhereExpert created the topic: Application doesn’t get install in passive/silent mode
I’m working on an application now and came across this issue.I have a Setup.exe, Setup.ini and an MSI inside the source.
First i’ve tried creating an admin install [Setup.exe /a], and i got an MSI out of it. When i install the MSI manually, it is installing as expected. But when i use passive/silent install switches [/qb or /qb! or /qn], it is failing to install.

The requirement is to install the App in passive/silent mode.

How do i start troubleshooting this issue?

applicationPackaging replied the topic: Re: Application doesn’t get install in passive/silent mode
When you run the app in silent mode, the UI sequence does not run, so any public properties normally set via user dialogs will either revert to their default value, if there is one in the property table, or the property will not exist. Properties can also be set by custom actions in the UI sequence.
Finally, if the app is a vendor MSI, then the authors could have set a requirement that the install cannot be run silently and therefore they included a condition based on the UILevel property.

So the first question is – is this an MSI that you wrote, or a vendor MSI ?

Run a full UI install with verbose logging enabled and note all the property values set in the UI sequence. Then run a silent install with verbose logging and check what property values are not present (that were present in the full UI install), or look for any error messages or “Return Value 3” entries in the log.

If the failure to install is not accompanied by an error message, then it is more likely that the installation, if a vendor install, is checking for the UILevel property. If there is an error message that accompanies the silent install, either displayed, or in the verbose log, then the nature of the message may well give you a clue to the cause of the problem.
Finally, check the application event log in case it also has an error code recorded fo

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How do you install all windows updates after a workstation rebuild?

created the topic: How do you install all windows updates after a workstation rebuild?
I’m looking for a way to have windows updates get slipstreamed or auto installed so that when I rebuild a workstation and it gets to the logon screen it’s fully patched and up-to-date. I’m trying to secure some funds to purchase SpecOps Deploy 4.0 (leverages WDS), but if not i’ll probably remain on Fog. I would have WSUS setup as well.

The way I see if i’ve got a few options:

* Capture an image that already has had Windows Update manually run – the problem here is i doubt i’m going to end up with one image, more likely it will be 3 or more. I don’t want to have to keep refreshing images and potentially damaging the images just to install a couple of updates.
* Manually setup each individual update and deploy it like an application – similar to how our current CC3 system operates, this appeals to me as management is more central but updates would be delayed and I would have to assume that all MS updates would be friendly to the process.
* Find a way / buy a program to mount the WIM images and inject the updates – I’ve been told this is potentially a future development for Deploy 4.0, but I haven’t found anything else that would do it.
* Buy a program called WuInstall Pro – This is actually really cheap for education, $250 for unlimited client use. It’s a command line utility that can apparenty install all Windows updates, accepting the EULAs as you go. This could be scripted into the build somewhere and appears to be exactly what I need.

Anyone know of any other way to guarantee that a newly built workstation is up to date? I don’t mind the standard WSUS to keep them up to date, but I don’t want anything being used half patched.

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Why install for

applicationPackaging created the topic: Why install for
I’m using windows installer for a client’s app, and they are complaining that sometimes multiple instances of an app appear on the computers they are using for testing. This problem has gone away since I hid the option install for “just me” and “everybody”, and just set it to install for everybody. New versions are downloaded and installed about once a week and over a period the multiple versions have appeared, even though each installer supposedly removes older versions.

Is there something wrong with this? Am I likely to run into problems down the line? Why would someone want to install for “Just me” anyway?

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Install Anywhere Licensing

rajeshkumar created the topic: Install Anywhere Licensing
Is there a tool to find out whether the installation of Install Anywhere is licensed or not?

I ran the exe: InstallAnywhere.exe and clicked About -> Preferences -> Registration tab. On that screen it shows registered but there is no option to change license or find out which license is in use currently. We have a couple of licenses of Install Anywhere and I was trying to find out which one am I using.
Regards,
Rajesh Kumar
Twitt me @ twitter.com/RajeshKumarIn

rajeshkumar replied the topic: Re: Install Anywhere Licensing
ANSWER:

There are several things you should know about IA licensing mechanism. The older initial mechanism is per user based (i.e. the license number is associated to a named developer to be used on a single machine). Therefore, whenever you entered your IA registration number you had to enter extensive information (name address company etc.) that would have to match the existing information they had. A newer option that I’m not familiar with (i.e. we don’t use it, but I know it exists) in newer version is to have a licensing server (I guess (but this is my own personal assumption, I might as well be wrong! :=) that they make use of FlexNet Publisher technology Macrovision acquired… in which your company buys a pool of licenses and you point your IA installation to a license server…

So back to your issue, in the registration tab you should have your name (or the name of the person that has registered the software) (you need to maybe pass a transfer process if the license has been acquired for a former developer, for instance) so that should give a clue on what license it is used (thus coupled with the serial number that is displayed in the splash screen).

Also, as when registering your IA copy, information is sent to Flexera Software, they have this information: if you don’t have an account on kb.flexerasoftware.com you may request one, and in your account you should see the licenses you’re using (the license number changes between versions too!)
Regards,
Rajesh Kumar
Twitt me @ twitter.com/RajeshKumarIn

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Tasksel – Easily/Quickly Install Group Softwares in Debian and Ubuntu

tasksel-easily-quickly-install-group-softwares-in-debian-and-ubuntu
Tasksel – Easily/Quickly Install Group Softwares in Debian and Ubuntu
If you started out using an RPM-based distro before advancements like “yum” or “apt-rpm”, you’re loving the magic of “apt-get” on Ubuntu and Debian. But when it comes to installing large sets of software, which may have either dozens (if not hundreds) of packages, or those that require a good deal of integration, sometimes “apt-get” can feel like the old rpm -i guessing game. Fortunately, there’s a “tasksel” – think of it as “apt-get for apt-get”.
How To Install and Use Tasksel in Debian and Ubuntu
To install tasksel, simply run the command below:
$ sudo apt-get install tasksel
After installing Tasksel, it enables you to install one or more predefined group of packages. User need to run it from the command line with a few arguments, it provides a graphical user interface as well where one can select software to install.
The general syntax of running tasksel from the command line is:
$ sudo tasksel install task_name
$ sudo tasksel remove task_name
$ sudo tasksel command_line_options
$ sudo tasksel –list-tasks
$ sudo tasksel install openssh-server
To start the tasksel user interface, issue the command below:
$ sudo tasksel
Tasksel vs. Apt-Get
You may ask yourself why you’d want to use tasksel versus the traditional apt-get command to install software, especially when there’s an equivalent meta-package. It’s easiest to think of it like this:
On one hand, apt-get installs software as individual packages, even if those packages require others. In other words, it will install each package and respect dependencies, but otherwise assume all of them are separate.
In contrast, tasksel assumes you’re trying to install software towards a singular end-goal, such as a web server. It will take all the steps necessary to achieve that goal, including installing software as well as doing other configuration once the install is done. Getting a web server running is a good example… you might need to install apache, mysql, php, and a number of modules and add-on’s for each in order to get a proper LAMP stack running. Or you could just issue the following command:
$ sudo tasksel install lamp-server
Here are some other useful tasks available from tasksel:
Installed Ubuntu, but want to try out the latest KDE Software Collection? Just use this:
$ sudo tasksel install kubuntu-desktop
Have a computer you’d like to hook up to your home theater PC? It’s as easy as:
$ sudo tasksel install mythbuntu-frontend
Need a GUI for your server, but don’t want to waste precious resources on something like KDE or Unity?
$ sudo tasksel install lubuntu-core
Reference
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