MSI log entries: Cloaking enabled, random cookie, impersonated server, SECREPAIR

[mikomada]

Hi,

Does anyone know what do the following, bold  entries from the install log mean?

MSI (c) (08:24) [10:18:11:117]: Client-side and UI is none or basic: Running entire install on the server.
MSI (c) (08:24) [10:18:11:117]: Grabbed execution mutex.
MSI (c) (08:24) [10:18:11:688]: Cloaking enabled.

...

MSI (s) (38:74) [10:18:29:706]: Invoking remote custom action. DLL: C:\Windows\Installer\MSI70F9.tmp, Entrypoint: SFStartupEx
MSI (s) (38:78) [10:18:29:706]: Generating random cookie.
MSI (s) (38:78) [10:18:29:727]: Created Custom Action Server with PID 9084 (0x237C).
MSI (s) (38:54) [10:18:31:255]: Running as a service.
MSI (s) (38:54) [10:18:31:303]: Hello, I'm your 32bit Impersonated custom action server.

...

MSI (s) (38:6C) [10:18:33:349]: SECREPAIR: Hash Database: C:\Windows\Installer\SourceHash{81E23A55-92D0-402B-BB1A-F33A1F5734C6}

---

1. Cloaking enabled

2. Generating random cookie

3. Hello, I'm your 32bit Impersonated custom action server

4. SECREPAIR

[Jenifer · Accepted solution]

Hi @mikomada ,

Few details if that could answer your questions:

1. Cloaking enabled.-Cloaking is a COM security capability that determines what identity the client projects toward the server during impersonation.During installation MSI engine enables this property for impersonation
2. Generating random cookie-not much information from MSI related documents
3. Hello, I'm your 32bit Impersonated custom action server.-
   1. Windows installer starts additional instances of msiexec.exe to host custom actions that are either scripts or DLLs.  
   2. No custom actions are ever run under the msiexec.exe instance that presents the UI because that instance is exposed to the user and desktop environment.
   3. Instead an additional msiexec.exe instance is started with the user's security token (essentially "logged in as the user") - this is done for custom actions that are not marked "system" context".
   4. So it is basically a message that shows windows installer service's communication with server for Custom Action purposes
   5. SECREPAIR-It is general message printed by MSI engine when trying to create HASH for the target file

Thanks,

Jenifer

[mikomada]

Thank you Jenifer