Creating a suite install from many product installs???

[Tim_Mayert]

We are looking at creating a suite of our products and I would like to know what the best way of dealing with creating this suite install.

Each product of course has it's own basic msi install package so is there an easy way to create a suite installer package that will install all the products or would it be easier for us to create a wrapper executable that collects all the information and then simply calls all individual product install msi's in basic mode?

Also how would an administrator be able to push this out?

If anyone has created suite installs that have everything built into a suite install, but also has the individual installs as well and that they work together then I would like to hear from you.

Again any insight into suite installs would be helpful.

Thanks,

[MichaelU]

Right now some sort of wrapper is probably your best bet. However if you can wait for the release of Windows Installer 4.5, its new support for multi-package transactions might better address what you want to do. Their blog has more information on this upcoming feature; see articles such as http://blogs.msdn.com/windows_installer_team/archive/2008/04/03/windows-installer-4-5-transaction-enhancements-multi-package-transaction.aspx