IMPROVING APPLICATION INSTALLATION UX IN WINDOWS 7

vj@msigeek.com

Deploying client applications is becoming more complex Larger applications Multiple packages Complex dependencies Difficult to patch

All of this makes for a bad user experience…

Application Deployment Today

Multiple UAC promptsLong installation times

Files left over after a failed install or uninstall

Unnecessary add/remove programs control panel entries

Application Deployment Today

Windows Installer Transaction Terminology

Foo.msi

Install

Disk

Acquisition: Determine the

state of the system and create an install script to run at a later time.

Ex: What version of foo.dll is installed?

Execution: Run the install

script created to update the state of the system. While updating the system, create a rollback script for usage when needed.

Ex: Copy foo.dll to the disk.

Commit: Finalize the

transaction. There is no way to undo a commit.

Ex: Commit assemblies to GAC.

Acquisition Phase

Execution Phase

Commit Phase

Rollback

Multi-Package Transaction

Foo.msi

Chainer Transaction

RollbackUninstall

Foo.msi

Install

Bar.msiFailure

Rollback

Install

Bar.msiFailure

Install

Multi-Package Transaction

UAC credential prompt: Per-transaction versus Per-package

Reboot Handling

Transaction boundary

Multi-package PFR handling

Files in use handling

Transaction owner semantics

Transaction can be embedded in MSI package

Multi-Package Transaction Semantics –Windows Installer

Foo.msi

Install

Acquire the state of the machine.Ex: Check the version of Foo.exe and decide if you want to copy Foo.exe.

Acquisition Early Execution

Fool.msi

Acquisition Early Execution

Update the state of the machine using the install script created in acquisition phase.Sample operations: 1. Backup Foo.exe if one exists.2. Create an undo op-code for this operation.3. Copy Foo.exe.

Acquire the state of the machine.Update the system.1. Backup the old version of Fool. 2. Note down an undo op-code in rollback script.3. Copy Fool.exe.

Late Commit

FailureRollback

Run the rollback scripts for Fool and Foo in LIFO order to rollback the transaction

WordWord

Outlook

Installs Spell Checker v12.0

Installs Spell Checker v12.5

Updates Spell Checker to v12.6

Install Word Install Outlook Apply a patch to Word Uninstall the patch to Word

WordOutlook

Word Patch

Word

Outlook

Updates Spell Checker to v12.0

Design Change: Windows Installer patch uninstall behavior should consider the global machine state instead of just the product state

Requirement: Ability to keep the highest version of a shared component when a patch to it is uninstalled

Windows Installer Patching Improvements

Installs Spell Checker v12.0

Installs Spell Checker v12.5

Updates Spell Checker to v12.6

Install Word Install Outlook Apply a patch to Word Uninstall the patch to Word

Updates Spell Checker to v12.5

WordWord

Outlook

WordOutlook

Word Patch

Word

Outlook

Spell Checker

12.0

MSI Datastore

Spell Checker 12.0

Word’s cache Spell Checker

12.5

Spell Checker

12.6Spell Checker 12.5

Outlook’s cache Spell Checker

12.5

Windows Installer Patching Improvements

Introduction to .NET 3.5 SP1 Client Profile Need for Smaller Framework, typically for Client Apps.

Subset of assemblies already contained within .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1

Contains the Following, Smaller framework deployment - ~28 MB client deployment

package Smaller, faster client deployment boot strapper Client Application focused feature set: Common Language Runtime (CLR) ClickOnce and Windows Forms

Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) Visual Studio 2008 SP1 Integration – Applications can be targeted

specifically for the Client Framework subset.

Client Profile Preview Redistributable Packages

Designer Tool that will allow developers to customize the deployment experience of their applications

Uses the Client Profile general purpose bootstrapper to deploy your application and all its prerequisites.

Can be used to deploy applications requiring the Client Profile or full .NET Framework 3.5 SP1

Client Profile Configuration Designer

Client Profile Configuration Designer

Walk-through !!!

No major breaking changes If your installation works on Vista it should

work on Windows 7

Windows Installer 4.5 and .NET Framework SP1 features are in the box Faster and easier deployment with

fewer dependencies

Performance improvements Expect to see 10 – 20% reduction in install operation

times for larger applications

Greater application deployment flexibility Windows Installer 5.0 with per-user

application support

Application Deployment In Win 7

The Value Of Per-User Deployment

Personal Empowerment

• User is in control

• Standard user installs applications on users’ schedule (in accordance with policy)

Safer install and removal of Per-User applications

• Applications are installed to the user’s profile

• Removes risk of corrupted OS state

• One user installing an application doesn’t impact another user

• No elevation necessary for installation

Per-User applications do not support some important OS extension points Set Program Access & Computer Defaults (SPAD) Default Programs

Additionally… Any machine-wide prerequisites must

be installed separately Your package can not install services or drivers Your application can not have a core purpose to serve

all users of the computer, such as anti-virus Patching can only be done when the user is logged-on Per-User deployment is only available on Windows 7

Considering Per-User deployment

Target Standard User

UAC is training wheels for Standard User UAC heuristics detect installers, elevate

your installer even if you did not manifest it

UAC “virtualizes” (fakes) system resources so your application can still think it is bopping HKLM

Do not rely on this stuff It is here for legacy, not for new code

It is disabled for 64-bit Processes

Your code is future-safe if you target the true Standard User

Virtualized Fake

Demo

For the Requesting User

Install for the requesting user, not the current user If user is a Standard User (OTS) then

when they elevate, they become a completely different user

If an application then installs into the current user’s home folder, it will be the Administrator

Best: Don’t configure user during install Instead, do user configuration on first run

Include a manifest in your package Mark “asInvoker”

Visual Studio 2008 adds manifests by default

Don’t have anything with “setup” or “install” in the file name

Further Reading

Client Profile Configuration Designer

http://tinyurl.com/6etrxn

Win Install Builder

http://tinyurl.com/d5ywny

.NET Framework Client Profile Deployment Guide

http://tinyurl.com/qx6a33

Multi Package Transaction – Basics

http://tinyurl.com/cxtlwo

UAC Virtualization Basics and Demo

http://tinyurl.com/rdtvee

Read more @ w w w . m s i g e e k .c o m

Thank You…