How to build the msi

Build client requirements

The build client is where the msi installer is built.

You need

• 64bit Windows 10
• Git repositories salt, salt-windows-nsis and salt-windows-msi
• .Net 3.5 SDK (for WiX)^*
• Wix 3^**
• Build tools 2015^**
• Microsoft_VC143_CRT_x64.msm from Visual Studio 2015^**
• Microsoft_VC143_CRT_x86.msm from Visual Studio 2015^**

Notes:

• ^* build.cmd will open optionalfeatures if necessary.
• ^** build.cmd will download them to .\_cache.dir and install if necessary.

Step 1: build the Nullsoft (NSIS) exe installer or use the mockup

• Build the Nullsoft (NSIS) exe installer

• Or execute test-copy_mock_files_to_salt_repo.cmd for only testing configuration

Step 2: build the msi installer

Execute

build.cmd

Remark on transaction safety

• Wix is transaction safe: either the product is installed or the prior state is restored/rolled back.
• C# is not.

Directory structure

• Product.wxs: main file.
  • (EXPERIMENTAL) salt-minion Windows Service
    • requires saltminionservice or winservice Removed
• CustomAction01/: custom actions in C#
• *-discovered-files.wxs: TEMPORARY FILE

Naming conventions

• Immediate custom actions serve initialization (before the install transaction starts) and must not change the system.
• Deferred custom action may change the system but run in a "sandbox".

"Custom action data helper" send properties to the deferreed actions in the sandbox.

Other Notes

msi conditions for install, uninstall, upgrade:

• https://stackoverflow.com/a/17608049

Install sequences documentation:

• standard-actions-reference
• suggested-installuisequence
• suggested-installexecutesequence
• other docs

The Windows installer restricts the maximum values of the ProductVersion property:

• major.minor.build
• 255.255.65535

Therefore we generate an "internal version":

• Salt 3002.1 becomes 30.02.1

Which Python version uses which MS VC CRT version

• Python 2.7 = VC CRT 9.0 = VS 2008
• Python 3.6 = VC CRT 14.0 = VS 2017