InstallAware

Hey guys I'm trying to evaluate InstallAware for my needs and so far so good, with one caveat: is there a way to require a prerequisite (an "Application Runtime") but not actually include the full install within my application's installer? Maybe just a download link instead? 99% of my installs will already have the prereqs, so no need to make my install package (single file) 100+MB when it could be 2 or 3MB.

Suggestions? Thanks!

Dear BigJ,

InstallAware allows splitting the data contained inside a setup package into multiple online and offline parts, in this way you can distribute, any or of part of your setup components, as Web Media Blocks.

You only need to define your Web Media Blocks parameters and to deploy your package as "Compressed Web Exe".

I may suggest you to have a look at the "WebAware Installation Technology (Partial Web Deployment)" white-paper from the following link.
http://www.installaware.com/publications-whitepapers.htm

Hope this helps you.

Regards

Thank you so much for the reply. That helps a lot!

A couple follow up questions?
1) it looks like I have to host the compiled (by InstallAware) dependency; for example Framework 4.5.1.2. Is there no way to direct the download to Microsoft's site so I don't have to host it? I see how to change the URL, and I do have the direct link specified, but it fails to extract after download. I'm assuming because as it comes from Microsoft its not in a format InstallAware requires?

2) Is there a way (when building for the Web) to combine my app's webblock (the ZIP InstallAware creates) and the .exe/.msi? Again I don't want to have to host the ZIP...

Thanks again.

Dear BigJ,

using the generated InstallAware Web Media Blocks, you are forced to use a Host to make these files available via download.

It's quite difficult if not impossible, to acquire a specific version of the component directly from the 3rd Party Vendors website at setup runtime.
First because it will be not possible to verify if a newer version of the component it may exist, unless the 3rd Party Vendor makes available a sort service or API that could be used at such purpose. In second place, the 3rd Party Vendor may use a particular http location that could be different or not the same with future releases of the product.

For what concerns your second question, if the web media blocks are available within the same folder of the setup.exe, the setup engine will use the local copy of the web media blocks instead of trying to download them from the host.

Alternatively, use the "Compressed Setup EXE" layout in place of the "Compressed Web Exe". In this way all the runtimes packages will be embedded with a single EXE.

Hope this helps you.

Regards

It does help, thanks again.