How to create service pack project

  • Thread starter Thread starter Precious
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Precious

Although this question is not relevent to post in this news group, if anyone
can provide url or forum where I'll find more information I will be happy.

As Microsoft releases Service Packs for its products, which includes bug
fixes, additional features etc... I also want to create SPs for my
application... so that I don't have to uninstall and reinstall my entire
application everytime when I have to add a new feature. One MSDN article
explains how to use VSS to create service pack project. But, I feel, VSS
alone will not help to create SP project. There must be lot of do's and
don'ts to follow and general guidelines to follow when I create SP project.
Can anybody throw some torch.

Thanks and regards

J Justin
 
As Microsoft releases Service Packs for its products, which includes bug
fixes, additional features etc... I also want to create SPs for my
application... so that I don't have to uninstall and reinstall my entire
application everytime when I have to add a new feature. One MSDN article
explains how to use VSS to create service pack project. But, I feel, VSS
alone will not help to create SP project. There must be lot of do's and
don'ts to follow and general guidelines to follow when I create SP project.
Can anybody throw some torch.
Click to expand...

Hi there,

Basically all a service pack consits of is the bare essentials that are
needed to update an application, for example if I have an application with 1
executable and 5 DLL's and I change 1 DLL but do not break compatability
within the application; I could make a service pack that simply overwrites
this DLL with the newer one.

I shouldn't imagine that there is anything to stop you from making a
simple setup project that overwrites the desired files to overwrite a
project. Just as a matter of interest how big is the .MSI for your
application as a full product? I have found that mine have tended to be
very small and making service packs didn't seem to be too important, unless
of course someone is downloading the program with a 2K modem.

One thing you might want to make sure first of all is that you can
actually keep track of your service packs. For example has your application
been distributed enough to need a service pack? when maybe a new version
would solve the problem anyway. You might want to implement an auto update
facility in your application that gives the user a chance to check for a new
version, this is quite simple to implement but it mainly gives the user a
simple and trouble free way to get the newest version of your application.
Remember Microsoft only really release service packs as it would be very
uneconomic for them to release a new version instead (Except for the case of
VS 2002 / 2003!!!), it's also much much easier to keep tabs of your
distributions of you are only releasing the whole application each time.

Anyway it's all food for thought, have a try at making a simple setup
project that replaces on the bare minimum needed for the update and see if
that helps you.

Nick.

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Hello,

Cor said:
You can make a button in your menu at help that says:
- check for updates
And than do nothing just make a message like:
- "There are no new service updates available at this time,
visit our website for other products"
- The user does't see it but it looks very fancy
Click to expand...

I think the problem is the installation of the patch/service pack.

Regards,
Herfried K. Wagner
 
Herfried,
You are right, but sometimes I become frustrated when companies make such
spam buttons.
Could not resist.
Sorry Precious I don't know the answer for you, and I did not mean this.
:-)
Cor
 
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