Which Runtimes are Required for 32bit and 64bit Windows

[chamsoft]

I want to install SQL Server Express 2012 SP1 with my application but I'm confused about which application runtimes I need to select. Currently I see the following 4 choices:

- Microsoft SQL Server Express 2012 sp1 (x64 WOW)
- Microsoft SQL Server Express 2012 sp1 (x64)
- Microsoft SQL Server Express 2012 sp1 (x86 and x64 WOW)
- Microsoft SQL Server Express 2012 sp1 (x86)

I want to support both 32bit and 64bit Windows from the same installer, so which of these do I need to select?
And what exactly is the difference between 'x64' and 'x64 WOW'?

[FrancescoT]

Dear User,

WOW 64 refers to a native 32 bit application runtime edition that can be optionally installed on a x64 target OS as well ( ... x86 emulator that allows 32-bit Windows-based applications to run on 64-bit Windows). While the x64 edition with a x64 target OS only (native x64 runtime package).

So... it depends if you want to include a native x64 runtime edition when installing on x64 OS targets.

Personally, I always use to install the respective x64 (not WOW) edition with x64 targets.

Regards

[chamsoft]

Hi Francesco, thanks for your response. However there is something here that doesn't seem right to me. Unless I'm mistaken, WoW64 is a subsystem of 64 bit Windows that allows you to run 32 bit applications. Therefore there is no WoW64 version of an application as such, so in the case of SQL Server we should only have a 32 bit and a 64 bit runtime. WoW64 would only come into play if I did not include the 64 bit runtime, and the installer was run on a 64bit version of windows.

With that understanding I attempted to include just the following two options:

- Microsoft SQL Server Express 2012 sp1 (x64)
- Microsoft SQL Server Express 2012 sp1 (x86)

but when I select the x86 runtime it automatically includes the (x86 and x64 WOW) runtime as well. This would make my installer quite a bit larger than it needs to be, and I still don't really see when the combined runtime (x86 and x64 WOW) would ever be required.

[FrancescoT]

Dear User,

it only includes the x86 package of the runtime and nothing else more.
If you have a look at the included runtime scripts, you will see that only the respective x86 package is effectively installed.

That's the reason why you find both runtimes selected in the IA runtime view.

Regards

[chamsoft]

Hi Francesco. Your response confirms there are only 2 runtime 'packages', but I still don't see why there are 4 runtime options to choose from? This seems to be a new thing specific only to SQL Server - I just had a look through all of the available application runtimes in IA and there are only two products that have 4 options; "SQL Server 2012 SP1" and "SQL Server 2014 CTP2". All of the other products that support 64 bit have just two options, the rest only one.

Anyway, I don't really need to understand the detail of what happens under the hood here. What I really need to know is which of those 4 options I need to select so that my installer will install 'SQL Server x64' when run on 64 bit windows, or 'SQL Server x86' when run on 32 bit windows?

[FrancescoT]

Dear User,

if you want to include both pacakages;

- Microsoft SQL Server Express 2012 sp1 (x64)
- Microsoft SQL Server Express 2012 sp1 (x86)

and you want to install them respecting the target OS.

-1 From the IA Runtime view list, add both packages to you project.
Note that Net Runtimes will be automatically added as well ( ... required by MS SQL).
-2 switch to the IA MSI code view and in your main script , modify the following code (within the "Install Application Pre-Requisites" code region);

Code: Select all

  [DEFINE WEB MEDIA Microsoft .NET Framework Client 4 (x64)]
  Include Script: setupnet4aip_client_x64
  [DEFINE WEB MEDIA Microsoft .NET Framework 4 (x64)]
  Include Script: setupnet4aip_x64
  [DEFINE WEB MEDIA Microsoft SQL Server Express 2012 sp1 (x64)]
  Include Script: setupsql2012sp1_x64
  [DEFINE WEB MEDIA Microsoft .NET Framework Client 4]
  Include Script: setupnet4aip_client_x86
  [DEFINE WEB MEDIA Microsoft .NET Framework 4]
  Include Script: setupnet4aip_x86
  [DEFINE WEB MEDIA Microsoft SQL Server Express 2012 sp1 (x86 and x64 WOW)]
  Include Script: setupsql2012sp1_x86

with;

Code: Select all

  Set Variable ISWIN64 to FALSE
  Get System Setting Windows in 64 bit Mode into ISWIN64
  if Variable ISWIN64 Equals TRUE
    [DEFINE WEB MEDIA Microsoft .NET Framework Client 4 (x64)]
    Include Script: setupnet4aip_client_x64
    [DEFINE WEB MEDIA Microsoft .NET Framework 4 (x64)]
    Include Script: setupnet4aip_x64
    [DEFINE WEB MEDIA Microsoft SQL Server Express 2012 sp1 (x64)]
    Include Script: setupsql2012sp1_x64
else
    [DEFINE WEB MEDIA Microsoft .NET Framework Client 4]
    Include Script: setupnet4aip_client_x86
    [DEFINE WEB MEDIA Microsoft .NET Framework 4]
    Include Script: setupnet4aip_x86
    [DEFINE WEB MEDIA Microsoft SQL Server Express 2012 sp1 (x86 and x64 WOW)]
    Include Script: setupsql2012sp1_x86
  end

That's it.

Regards