The Definitive Guide to Windows Software Deployment
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
tm realtimepublishers.com Windows The Definitive Guidetm To Software Deployment Chris Long Introduction By Sean Daily, Series Editor Welcome to The Definitive Guide to Windows 2000 Software Deployment! The book you are about to read is not only the definitive technical resource for information on Windows 2000 software deployment, but represents an entirely new modality of book publishing. The founding concept behind Realtimepublishers.com is the idea of providing readers with high-quality books on today’s most critical IT topics—at no cost to the reader. Although this may sound like a somewhat impossible feat, it is made possible through the vision and generosity of corporate sponsors such as New Boundary Technologies (formerly Lanovation), who agree to foot the production expenses for the book and host it on their website for the benefit of their website visitors. It should be pointed out that the free nature of these books does not in any way diminish their quality. Without reservation, I can tell you that this book is the equivalent of any similar printed book you might find at your local bookstore (with the notable exception that it won’t cost you $30 to $80). In addition to the free nature of the books, this publishing model provides other significant benefits. For example, the electronic nature of this eBook makes events such as chapter updates and additions, or the release of a new edition of the book possible to achieve in a far shorter timeframe than is possible with printed books. Because we publish our titles in “real- time”—that is, as chapters are written or revised by the author—you benefit from receiving the information immediately rather than having to wait months or years to receive a complete product. Finally, I’d like to note that although it is true that New Boundary Technologies’ Web site is the exclusive online location of the book, this book is by no means a paid advertisement for them. Realtimepublishers.com is an independent publishing company and maintains, by written agreement with the sponsor, 100% editorial control over the content of our titles. However, by hosting this information, New Boundary Technologies has set themselves apart from their competitors by providing real value to their customers and transforming their site into a true technical resource library—not just a place to learn about their company and products. It is my opinion that this system of content delivery is not only of immeasurable value to readers, but represents the future of book publishing. As series editor for the Windows IT series at Realtimepublishers, it is my raison d’être to locate and work only with the industry’s leading authors and editors, and publish books that help IT personnel, IT managers, and users to do their everyday jobs. To that end, I encourage and welcome your feedback on this or any other book in the Realtimepublishers.com series. If you would like to submit a comment, question, or suggestion, please do so by sending an e-mail to [email protected], leaving feedback on our website at www.realtimepublishers.com, or calling us at (707) 539-5280. Thanks for reading, and enjoy! Sean Daily Series Editor i Introduction...................................................................................................................................... i By Sean Daily, Series Editor ................................................................................... i Chapter 1: The Foundation of Software Deployment......................................................................1 Getting to the Point ..........................................................................................................................1 What Is Software?............................................................................................................................2 Software Is a Collection of Software...................................................................................3 Software Connects to Software............................................................................................4 Linking.....................................................................................................................4 Software Breaks Software....................................................................................................6 DLL Hell..................................................................................................................7 Software Evolves .................................................................................................................9 Introducing Software Producers and Consumers.............................................................................9 Motivations and Responsibilities.........................................................................................9 Software Producers ................................................................................................10 Software Consumers ..............................................................................................10 Installing Software.........................................................................................................................10 File Transfer.......................................................................................................................11 Configuration .....................................................................................................................11 Autoexec.bat and Config.sys Configuration..........................................................12 System.ini and Win.ini Configuration ...................................................................12 The Advent of Windows....................................................................................................12 Windows’ GUI.......................................................................................................12 Shared Files............................................................................................................13 The System Registry..............................................................................................13 Uninstalls ...............................................................................................................14 Beyond the Install ..........................................................................................................................14 The Evolution of Software Deployment............................................................................15 Repackaging...........................................................................................................16 The Growth of Software Deployment................................................................................17 Large-scale Deployment ....................................................................................................17 Conformance Testing.............................................................................................18 Licensing................................................................................................................19 ii Distribution ............................................................................................................19 Support...................................................................................................................19 The Software-Deployment Life Cycle...........................................................................................19 Release ...............................................................................................................................20 Retire..................................................................................................................................21 Install..................................................................................................................................21 Uninstall.............................................................................................................................21 Update................................................................................................................................21 Adapt..................................................................................................................................21 Activate..............................................................................................................................21 De-activate .........................................................................................................................22 Summary........................................................................................................................................22 Chapter 2: Conformance Evaluation..............................................................................................23 Acquisition.....................................................................................................................................24 Evaluation ..........................................................................................................................24 Determine Whether the Software is Necessary .....................................................24 Calculate the ROI...................................................................................................25 Determine Who Will Require the Software...........................................................25 Develop a Plan Based on Operating System..........................................................26