Conflict Checker and Merge Modules

[CChong]

Greetings,

I am in the process of evaluating AdminStudio 3.5. I've already put it through the paces in repackaging, and it worked very well to help completely redo a painful installation to a sweet MSI installer.

The package has three parts, including 2 merge modules. The merge modules have files which conflict with each other, meaning that they try to install the same files into the same directory. This is somewhat by design, since one mm is a driver package, and the other an application library. They share some files, with the driver files being newer.

Question is: How do I get Conflict Solver to unravel and eliminate from one merge module the 625 files they share?

Thanks!
-rory 😎

Rory Plaire
GIS Programmer/Analyst
Benton County, OR

[Allen_Saxton]

Rory,

The simple answer to your question is that ACE12 (The ACE concerned with checking file conflicts against merge modules.) does not include a CARD (i.e. an automatic resolution). The conflict is reported as a potential problem and the ultimate resolution will require your decisions.

I am puzzled by the core of your question. You seemed to have repackaged an application and then incorporated the merge modules from some other source into the package. If these file conflicts originate with files from the merge modules, then whomever provided you the merge modules should have also provided instructions on installing the merge modules. If the file conflicts originate from the repackaging process, then you should use Developer to remove the offending files in deference to the files from the merge modules.

Please examine the merge modules to determine the true source of the file conflicts. The ConflictSolver merge module tab is one way to view the merge module files.

Allen Saxton
AdminStudio ConflictSolver Developement

[CChong]

Thanks Allen,

Yes, the problem is puzzling. There is the main application which needs two supporting installs: a database driver install and an runtime library install. Unfortunately, the vendor is not interested at all in providing these as merge modules, so I created merge modules from the setup. Mostly, I did this by hand from an administrative install of the MSIs, the runtime library's which resulted from running Repackager and the MSI which installs the database drivers. Each is now an MSM.

The drivers files conflict with the runtime library's. I was hoping to get Conflict Solver to remove the 625 files which are shared from the runtime (it's older), instead of having to do it by hand...

kindly,
-rory 😎

[Allen_Saxton]

Rory,

I commend your bravery in creating the merge modules by hand.

I would also agree that it would be desirable for ACE12 to have some sort of automatic resolution. However, we would still need user input on how to proceed. ConflicSolver runs CARDs against the source package and it would be bold for us to remove these files from the source package as we don't necessarily have a complete understanding of the install intent.

We will need to consider how we might provide a CARD for ACE12.

Allen Saxton
AdminStudio ConflictSolver Development

[CChong]

Hey,

Well, after struggling through Orca, using InstallShield to create them is like walking on a moving sidewalk...

Hm. Well, as far as the CARD, if it allowed user input, then the most likely things to have happen are: "Delete the identical files in Merge Module 'A', Delete the identicle files in Merge Module 'B', Do Nothing, More Help." If not, then probably logging the information and allowing the user select from a list of the conflicting files for those to remove would be another possibility.

I'm sure you've thought about these already, so consider this my vote for either way... almost anything automated beats going into the file and component tables by hand... 😉

Thanks for the help, Allen,

-rory 😎

[CChong]

If you have 2 merge modules that contain files that conflict with each merge module then wouldn't it of been better to of created a 3rd merge module which would contain only the conflicting common files and make this 3rd merge module a module dependency of the 2 original merge modules ? (Obviously the common conflicting files would be stripped out of the original 2 merge modules)

This I think would resolve the conflicts.