Facilitating multi-installer product installations

• US 8,640,121 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2007
• Issued: 01/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Barr, Paul C., Nduaguba, Nnaemeka M. C.
• Primary Examiner(s): DENG, ANNA CHEN
• Application Number:
  US11/623,191
• Publication Number:
  US 20080172664A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,570 Days
• Field of Search: 717174-178
• US Class Current: 717/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation

Abstract

Methods, computer program products, and systems facilitate installation of a multi-installer program. A method involves executing a custom action holding an installer mutex associated with installing a core installation via a core installer of a multi-installer program, spawning from within the custom action a spawned custom action capable of awaiting execution until the custom action no longer holds the installer mutex, and executing the spawned custom action to confirm when installation conditions are met for implementing an add-on installation associated with an add-on installer of the multi-installer program. The method may also involve confirming to a target user that the installation conditions are met. When the installation conditions are met, multiple installation actions can be implemented sequentially. The installation conditions may include the installer mutex no longer being held but available for use, completion of core installation, and an installer service being available to complete the add-on installation.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for facilitating a multi-installer program installation in a single installer deployment environment, the method comprising:

executing a custom action holding an installer mutex and obtaining installation privileges associated with installing a core installation via a core installer of a multi-installer program wherein the multi-installer program comprises the core installer and at least one satellite installer;

publishing the core installer, the core installer being advertised upon publication, the advertisement comprising a displayed entry point for a manual instantiation of the multi-installer program installation;

spawning from within the custom action at least one spawned custom action capable of awaiting execution until the custom action no longer holds the installer mutex wherein the at least one spawned custom action inherits the installation privileges obtained by the custom action;

executing the at least one spawned custom action to confirm when installation conditions are met for implementing an add-on installation associated with the at least one satellite installer of the multi-installer program wherein the installation conditions include the installer mutex no longer being held and thus available for use, wherein executing the spawned custom action comprises verifying that the installer mutex is available by;

querying an installer service for a list of commands for execution; and

inferring from a command on the list of commands whether the installer service is available;

confirming to a target user of the multi-installer program that the installation conditions are met for implementing an add-on installation;

wherein when the installation conditions are met, multiple installation actions be are advertised and sequentially installed in a single installer deployment environment configured only for single installer software products, the multiple installation actions comprising an installation of multi-installer software products; and

impersonating a machine account of a target computer on which the multi-installer program is to be installed and gathering data associated with the target computer, wherein gathering data comprises collecting data associated with the machine account therein utilizing permissions in a security context of the target computer, the security context comprising the target computer having restricted privileges for user installations.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein executing the spawned custom action further comprises at least one of the following:

verifying completion of installing the core installation; and

verifying that the installer service is available to complete installing the add-on installation.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein verifying that the installer mutex is available comprises determining whether the mutex is available via a call to a mutex application program interface (API).

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising writing metadata to a registry of a target computer when installation of the core installation on the target computer is complete wherein verifying completion of installing the core installation comprises determining whether the metadata indicating completion of the core installation is present in the registry.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining whether the metadata indicating completion of the core installation is present in the registry comprises detecting whether metadata indicating advertisement of the at least one satellite installer on the target computer is present in the registry.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

gathering data associated with a target computer on which the multi-installer program is to be installed;

accessing pre-generated scripts associated with the at least one satellite installer; and

advertising the at least one satellite installer via the target computer.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising impersonating the target user of the target computer from within the at least one spawned custom action wherein gathering data associated with the target computer comprises collecting at least one identifier associated with the target user of the target computer.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein impersonating the target user comprises:

collecting the at least one identifier wherein the at least one identifier comprises a session identifier of the target user;

retrieving an access token associated with the session identifier; and

impersonating the access token.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein impersonating the target user further comprises:

collecting the at least one identifier wherein the at least one identifier comprises a username of the target user and a user domain of the target user; and

comparing the username and the user domain to a username and a user domain of the impersonated access token for validation therein executing the custom action and the at least one spawned custom action in a security context of the target user.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the core installer includes application binaries and the at least one satellite installer includes resource strings.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising actuating an install trigger to install the at least one satellite installer of the multi-installer program, the install trigger being actuated by a user-actuated entry point.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising actuating an install trigger to install the at least one satellite installer of the multi-installer program, the install trigger being actuated by a boot operation on the target computer.

11. A computer-readable storage medium not consisting of a signal, the computer-readable storage medium containing computer executable instructions which, when executed on a computing device, will cause the computing device to perform a method for facilitating installation of a multi-installer program having single installer deployment, the method comprising:

executing a custom action and obtaining installation privileges associated with installing a core installation via a core installer of a multi-installer program;

acquiring an installer mutex in association with the custom action for a duration of installing the core installation;

publishing the core installer, the core installer being advertised upon publication, the advertisement comprising a displayed entry point for a manual instantiation of the multi-installer program installation;

spawning from within the custom action spawned custom actions capable of waiting until installing of a previous installation is complete before executing;

executing the spawned custom actions to confirm when installation conditions are met for implementing add-on installations associated with add-on installers of the multi-installer program wherein the installation conditions include the installer mutex no longer being in association with the custom action and thus available for use;

confirming to a target user of the multi-installer program that the installation conditions are met for implementing the add-on installations, wherein when the installation conditions are met, multiple installation actions are advertised and sequentially installed in a single installer deployment environment configured only for single installer software products, the multiple installation actions comprising an installation of multi-installer software products; and

impersonating the target user of the computer from within the spawned custom actions to leverage permissions associated with installing the core installation wherein impersonating the target user comprises;

collecting at least one identifier wherein the at least one identifier comprises at least one of the following;

a session identifier of the target user;

a username of the target user; and

a user domain of the target user;

retrieving an access token associated with the session identifier;

impersonating the access token;

comparing the username and the user domain to a username and a user domain of the impersonated access token for validation therein executing in a security context of the target user, the security context comprising the target user of the computer having restricted privileges for user installations; and

verifying that the installer mutex is available by;

querying an installer service for a list of commands for execution; and

inferring from a command on the list of commands whether the installer service is available.

12. The computer-readable storage medium not consisting of a signal of claim 11, further comprising:

verifying completion of installing the core installation; and

verifying that the installer service is available to complete installing the add-on installations.

13. The computer-readable storage medium not consisting of a signal of claim 12, further comprising writing metadata to a registry of the computer when installation of the core installation on the target computer is complete, wherein verifying completion of installing the core installation comprises determining whether the metadata indicating completion of the core installation is present in the registry.

14. A computer-implemented system for facilitating installation of a multi-installer program with a single installer deployment, the system comprising:

a memory for storing executable program code; and

a processor, functionally coupled to the memory, the processor being responsive to computer-executable instructions contained in the program code and operative to;

execute a custom action holding an installer mutex and obtain installation privileges associated with installing a core installation via a core installer of a multi-installer program;

publish the core installer, the core installer being advertised upon publication, the advertisement comprising a displayed entry point for a manual instantiation of the multi-installer program installation;

pawn from within the custom action at least one spawned custom action capable of awaiting execution until the custom action no longer holds the installer mutex;

execute the at least one spawned custom action to confirm when installation conditions are met for implementing add-on installations associated with add-on installers of the multi-installer program wherein the installation conditions include the installer mutex no longer being held and thus available for use;

confirm to a target user of the multi-installer program that the installation conditions are met for implementing the add-on installations;

wherein when the installation conditions are met, multiple installation actions are advertised and sequentially installed in a single installer deployment environment configured only for single installer software products, the multiple installation actions comprising an installation of multi-installer software products;

impersonate a machine account of a target computer on which the multi-installer program is to be installed and gathering data associated with the target computer, wherein gathering data comprises collecting data associated with the machine account therein utilizing permissions in a security context of the target computer, the security context comprising the target computer having restricted privileges for user installations;

determine whether the installer mutex is available by;

querying an installer service for a list of commands for execution; and

inferring from a command on the list of commands whether the installer service is available.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the processor is further operative to:

determine whether installing the core installation is complete; and

determine whether the installer service is available to complete installing the add-on installations.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor is further operative to populate metadata to a registry of the computer when installation of the core installation on a target computer is complete, wherein the processor, in determining whether installing the core installation is complete is operative to detect whether the metadata indicating completion of the core installation is present in the registry.