The installation system is built using Stirling Software's Installshield
package. The installation is fairly standard. The only slightly unusual feature
is the use of the components dialog. In this install, users have to select
which components they need to install on a "per component basis", i.e. there is
no "Typical" install.
Apart form installing or upgradiung the various components of Dataworks
Enterprise, the installation system is also responsible for some of the basic
configuration of Dataworks Enterprise system.
Prior to install, the installer checks whether any binary currently has the
cache loaded. If so it requests that the user shut down the system. This may
simply require stopping the launcher service, any desktop applications that use
Dataworks Enterprise and the web services. In some extreme cases, where the
cache is directly loaded into the Explorer, it may require a logout or a reboot The installer then installs or upgrades the APCNotify driver. In most cases, it
can do this on the fly (but again may require a reboot if the driver is in
use). The installer then presents it user interface allowing the user to specify the
location of the install and the particular components to be installed.
After copying the necessary files, the installer sets up the registry keys for
the cache (HKLM/Software/Primark) and inserts the location of the install into
those keys. It then configures the old launcher using the key
(HKLM/Software/Primark). This is still done in case the user wants to continue
to use the old launcher. At this time, it also configures the new launcher in
the key HKLM/System/CurrentControlSet/RTLaunch.
It is possible that the install is moving from the old launcher to the new one.
If this is the case, the installer asks if you wish it to upgrade the old SCP
files to the new launcher format. If this is accepted, the launcher run the
program CvtScpFiles.exe which automatically checks the old install and
generates the new launchers registry format. This binary is in the root of the
release CD. Finally, the launcher sets up the programs menu and asks whether the launcher is
being run as a service or at login or neither. If run as a service, the
installer invokes the launcher to register itself. If run at login, the
installer updates the "startup" menu. This component was part of the original release of the product. None. Although the installshield package understands internal dependencies of
Dataworks Enterprise, it does not contain "packages" for the external
dependencies of particular Dataworks Enterprise handlers, MS standard products
such as MDAC or even some of the Visual Basic dependencies used by standard
Dataworks Enterprise components. Selecting an option in the components dialog which has a separate "Options..."
dislog causes all options to be selected. Where this is something like the
Handlers component, this is almost certainly not what the user means. However,
there is no mechanism in Installshield to change this behaviour. At some time in the future, we will be upgrading the installtion to make use of
the Windows Installer technology. This will make it much easier for us to
maintain the install and to provide automatic installtion of dependent modules. *DISCLAIMER: The changes are only possible proposals and
represent neither "work in progress" nor work that is scheduled for a future
release. Details of product roadmaps and current development shoudl be directed
through the normal reporting channels.Dataworks Enterprise Installer
Dataworks Enterprise Installer is responsible for installation
and basic configuration of Dataworks Enterprise software.
History
Dependencies
Known Problems
Futures*