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View Full Version : Re: CRXI Installation - painful or a walk in the park



Stephen W. Meeley
14-Nov-2005, 03:38 PM
Hi Peter,



Re: "A separated install with just the Crystal Merge Modules shouldn't
be too difficult to make. I don't know if it is legal, but DAW (or
anybody else) should do developers a pleasure to make one .EXE file from
those four or five Merge Modules. It should be a good starting point."



We've been looking into just that, but when you build the installation
with the merge modules you have to put in a license code that is based
on your Crystal Reports license. It appears that the key is necessary at
compile time of the installation. So, having a centrally build
installation doesn't seem to be something we could do without some
special accommodation from Business Objects. We're looking into it
further, but it doesn't look like a completely generic solution is
there.



Some folks may not realize that if you have a Microsoft Visual Studio
license you already have the ability to create installations that use
merge modules. Prior to Visual Studio 2003, it requires a separate
(free) download but with 2003 and newer it's just part of Visual Studio.



The white paper from Business Objects talks about using Visual Studio to
create an installation that uses Visual Studio (it even points you to
the download you need for earlier revisions of Visual Studio).



http://support.businessobjects.com/communityCS/TechnicalPapers/rdcXI_dep
loyment.pdf.asp



Once you have a tool that can use the merge modules, it really is quite
easy to use the merge modules. For instance, I built a test application
installation and then installed it on my main machine (the same machine
that has my Crystal Reports XI for DataFlex licenses already installed.
Now installing on top of my main license may not seem like it takes a
big leap of faith, but then I, gulp, uninstalled! My main Crystal
license didn't skip a beat (either installing or uninstalling). I didn't
have to worry about reference counts or components getting unregistered
or any of that goop.



Best regards,



-SWM-









-----Original Message-----
From: Peter van Mil [mailto:peter@appvantage.nl]
Posted At: Monday, November 14, 2005 2:24 PM
Posted To: crystal-reports
Conversation: CRXI Installation - painful or a walk in the park
Subject: Re: CRXI Installation - painful or a walk in the park



Archie,



In theory you can store all the DLL's and other files on a network

drive, but you still have to register them somehow. You will always need


an installation program.



I once tried to make a manual install, just like David did. I gave up,

because I didn't get it working. I do my installs with NSIS, but NSIS

doesn't support Merge Modules. I still have to find an affordable way to


install those "easy to use" Merge Modules.



A separated install with just the Crystal Merge Modules shouldn't be too


difficult to make. I don't know if it is legal, but DAW (or anybody

else) should do developers a pleasure to make one .EXE file from those

four or five Merge Modules. It should be a good starting point.



Peter van Mil



Archie Campbell schreef:

> Thanks David for your thoughts.

>

> Hmmm

> I really like network installs where you do not have to "install"
anything

> on the individual workstations.

> If I remember correctly for my VDF windows programs that use CK's I do
one

> install on the main server or from one workstation to keep the license

> issues happy and then dont have to do installs at the workstation.

>

> It took me a while to achieve this but it seems to work OK.

>

> If I incorporate CRXI in my windows VDF apps will I know have to do
installs

> at each workstation?

>

> I dont mind doing installs for the WebApps that use CRXI cuz its just
one

> machine.

>

> Thanks

> Archie

>

>

>

>

>

>

> "David Martinko" <RedeemedSoftware@Hotmail.com> wrote in message

> news:KirB7tL6FHA.3660@dacmail.dataaccess.com...

>

>>I hear that the Merge Modules work perectly.... but my installer can't
use

>

> that, so I figured it out on my own and created a CR

>

>>installer. There are a bunch of DLL's that need to be registered and
they

>

> have to be registered in a specific order or else it isn't

>

>>installed properly. You can attempt to register a DLL and get an error

>

> about an invalid entry point... but if you register another

>

>>DLL and try it again on the one that didn't work... it works this
time.

>

> There are a few *.dep text files which list the dependencies

>

>>and what needs to be registered. But this doesn't cover them all.

>>

>>--

>>David Martinko

>>Redeemed Software

>>248-535-7495

>>RedeemedSoftware(SHIFT+2)Hotmail(PERIOD)com

>>www.redeemedsoftware.com

>>www.redeemedhosting.com

>>"Archie Campbell" <archie@accordsystems.com> wrote in message

>

> news:Jfev8JK6FHA.3660@dacmail.dataaccess.com...

>

>>As I impatiently wait for the postal service to deliver my eval copy
of

>>DFlex CRXI I wonder about the pain involved in having yet another
software

>>product to "install properly" at customer sites.

>>

>>Does anyone have an opinion on the effort involved with installing VDF

>>software that uses CR XI.

>>Painful?

>>Easy?

>>

>>Thanks

>>Archie

>>

>>

>>

>

>

>

Peter van Mil
15-Nov-2005, 03:22 AM
Stephen,

I am glad that this issue has your attention.

Regards,

Peter van Mil

Stephen Meeley schreef:
> Hi Peter,
>
>
>
> Re: "A separated install with just the Crystal Merge Modules shouldn't
> be too difficult to make. I don't know if it is legal, but DAW (or
> anybody else) should do developers a pleasure to make one .EXE file from
> those four or five Merge Modules. It should be a good starting point."
>
>
>
> We've been looking into just that, but when you build the installation
> with the merge modules you have to put in a license code that is based
> on your Crystal Reports license. It appears that the key is necessary at
> compile time of the installation. So, having a centrally build
> installation doesn't seem to be something we could do without some
> special accommodation from Business Objects. We're looking into it
> further, but it doesn't look like a completely generic solution is
> there.
>
>
>
> Some folks may not realize that if you have a Microsoft Visual Studio
> license you already have the ability to create installations that use
> merge modules. Prior to Visual Studio 2003, it requires a separate
> (free) download but with 2003 and newer it's just part of Visual Studio.
>
>
>
> The white paper from Business Objects talks about using Visual Studio to
> create an installation that uses Visual Studio (it even points you to
> the download you need for earlier revisions of Visual Studio).
>
>
>
> http://support.businessobjects.com/communityCS/TechnicalPapers/rdcXI_dep
> loyment.pdf.asp
>
>
>
> Once you have a tool that can use the merge modules, it really is quite
> easy to use the merge modules. For instance, I built a test application
> installation and then installed it on my main machine (the same machine
> that has my Crystal Reports XI for DataFlex licenses already installed.
> Now installing on top of my main license may not seem like it takes a
> big leap of faith, but then I, gulp, uninstalled! My main Crystal
> license didn't skip a beat (either installing or uninstalling). I didn't
> have to worry about reference counts or components getting unregistered
> or any of that goop.
>
>
>
> Best regards,
>
>
>
> -SWM-
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Peter van Mil [mailto:peter@appvantage.nl]
> Posted At: Monday, November 14, 2005 2:24 PM
> Posted To: crystal-reports
> Conversation: CRXI Installation - painful or a walk in the park
> Subject: Re: CRXI Installation - painful or a walk in the park
>
>
>
> Archie,
>
>
>
> In theory you can store all the DLL's and other files on a network
>
> drive, but you still have to register them somehow. You will always need
>
>
> an installation program.
>
>
>
> I once tried to make a manual install, just like David did. I gave up,
>
> because I didn't get it working. I do my installs with NSIS, but NSIS
>
> doesn't support Merge Modules. I still have to find an affordable way to
>
>
> install those "easy to use" Merge Modules.
>
>
>
> A separated install with just the Crystal Merge Modules shouldn't be too
>
>
> difficult to make. I don't know if it is legal, but DAW (or anybody
>
> else) should do developers a pleasure to make one .EXE file from those
>
> four or five Merge Modules. It should be a good starting point.
>
>
>
> Peter van Mil
>
>
>
> Archie Campbell schreef:
>
>
>>Thanks David for your thoughts.
>
>
>
>>Hmmm
>
>
>>I really like network installs where you do not have to "install"
>
> anything
>
>
>>on the individual workstations.
>
>
>>If I remember correctly for my VDF windows programs that use CK's I do
>
> one
>
>
>>install on the main server or from one workstation to keep the license
>
>
>>issues happy and then dont have to do installs at the workstation.
>
>
>
>>It took me a while to achieve this but it seems to work OK.
>
>
>
>>If I incorporate CRXI in my windows VDF apps will I know have to do
>
> installs
>
>
>>at each workstation?
>
>
>
>>I dont mind doing installs for the WebApps that use CRXI cuz its just
>
> one
>
>
>>machine.
>
>
>
>>Thanks
>
>
>>Archie
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>>"David Martinko" <RedeemedSoftware@Hotmail.com> wrote in message
>
>
>>news:KirB7tL6FHA.3660@dacmail.dataaccess.com...
>
>
>
>>>I hear that the Merge Modules work perectly.... but my installer can't
>
> use
>
>
>
>>that, so I figured it out on my own and created a CR
>
>
>
>>>installer. There are a bunch of DLL's that need to be registered and
>
> they
>
>
>
>>have to be registered in a specific order or else it isn't
>
>
>
>>>installed properly. You can attempt to register a DLL and get an error
>
>
>
>>about an invalid entry point... but if you register another
>
>
>
>>>DLL and try it again on the one that didn't work... it works this
>
> time.
>
>
>
>>There are a few *.dep text files which list the dependencies
>
>
>
>>>and what needs to be registered. But this doesn't cover them all.
>
>
>
>>>--
>
>
>>>David Martinko
>
>
>>>Redeemed Software
>
>
>>>248-535-7495
>
>
>>>RedeemedSoftware(SHIFT+2)Hotmail(PERIOD)com
>
>
>>>www.redeemedsoftware.com
>
>
>>>www.redeemedhosting.com
>
>
>>>"Archie Campbell" <archie@accordsystems.com> wrote in message
>
>
>
>>news:Jfev8JK6FHA.3660@dacmail.dataaccess.com...
>
>
>
>>>As I impatiently wait for the postal service to deliver my eval copy
>
> of
>
>
>>>DFlex CRXI I wonder about the pain involved in having yet another
>
> software
>
>
>>>product to "install properly" at customer sites.
>
>
>
>>>Does anyone have an opinion on the effort involved with installing VDF
>
>
>>>software that uses CR XI.
>
>
>>>Painful?
>
>
>>>Easy?
>
>
>
>>>Thanks
>
>
>>>Archie
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

Baz
15-Nov-2005, 06:08 PM
And another good reason to use msm's from Business Objects site;
all the dll's etc. are the most recent versions.
It's kinda nice watching it at work, once you have got over the bloat in
installer size.
Baz.

Garret Mott
15-Nov-2005, 06:23 PM
Bloat? As in using DVD's instead of CD's - or just filling a CD more? Or
just taking 30 min. across a network?

Thanks

Garret
"Baz" <baz@nospamstuff.doodle> wrote in message
news:X67eamj6FHA.3872@dacmail.dataaccess.com...
> And another good reason to use msm's from Business Objects site;
> all the dll's etc. are the most recent versions.
> It's kinda nice watching it at work, once you have got over the bloat in
> installer size.
> Baz.
>
>

Baz
24-Nov-2005, 06:37 PM
nah,
nothing like that.
It's just that moving from Nsis to a larger installer, means moving from 8
mb exe's to 85 mb exe's.
And they take so much longer to install.
But I'll get over it,
Baz.