[WiX-users] Adding Downgrade support to MSI

[Suryadeep Biswal]

Hi,
I have been trying to add "Downgrade" support to our MSI. I know Uninstall/Re-install is preferred over this, but this is needed for automated deployments and is specially helpful for our zero-downtime product upgrades across multiple machines. So the requirement is that any version can be installed over any other version which is different.
I am using the AllowDowngrades="yes" option with MajorUpgrade element i.e.<Product Id="*" ..... UpgradeCode="<GUID>" >
<MajorUpgrade Schedule="afterInstallInitialize" AllowDowngrades="yes" />
However, I see a few issues while testing downgrade (say installing v1.9 while 2.0 is already installed) -
1. Our wxs file contains one file per component, however all the components are skipped during the installation of v1.9.2. As a result, Custom action execution fails with this error -
The File 'File_xxxx' is not marked for installation.MSI (s) (A4:E4) [15:45:47:544]: The installer has encountered an unexpected error installing this package. This may indicate a problem with this package. The error code is 2753. The arguments are: File_xxxx, ,
I would like to know possible ways to solve this problem.Please note that versions of all our files will change across releases.
P.S - I read about using REINSTALLMODE=amus to force reinstallation of all files. I also saw comments saying that this is okay for dev testing and is NOT RECOMMENDED for production systems.
Regards,Surya

[Blair Murri]

[Suryadeep Biswal]

[Blair Murri]

[unknown]

Are/will any of the binaries you distribute in this product (or ever intend to distribute) ever [be] distributed by any other product?

> From: ***@hotmail.com
> To: wix-***@lists.sourceforge.net
> Date: Sat, 3 Aug 2013 04:39:26 +0530
> Subject: [WiX-users] Adding Downgrade support to MSI
>
> Hi,
> I have been trying to add "Downgrade" support to our MSI. I know Uninstall/Re-install is preferred over this, but this is needed for automated deployments and is specially helpful for our zero-downtime product upgrades across multiple machines. So the requirement is that any version can be installed over any other version which is different.
> I am using the AllowDowngrades="yes" option with MajorUpgrade element i.e.<Product Id="*" ..... UpgradeCode="<GUID>" >
> <MajorUpgrade Schedule="afterInstallInitialize" AllowDowngrades="yes" />
> However, I see a few issues while testing downgrade (say installing v1.9 while 2.0 is already installed) -
> 1. Our wxs file contains one file per component, however all the components are skipped during the installation of v1.9.2. As a result, Custom action execution fails with this error -
> The File 'File_xxxx' is not marked for installation.MSI (s) (A4:E4) [15:45:47:544]: The installer has encountered an unexpected error installing this package. This may indicate a problem with this package. The error code is 2753. The arguments are: File_xxxx, ,
> I would like to know possible ways to solve this problem.Please note that versions of all our files will change across releases.
> P.S - I read about using REINSTALLMODE=amus to force reinstallation of all files. I also saw comments saying that this is okay for dev testing and is NOT RECOMMENDED for production systems.
> Regards,Surya
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Get your SQL database under version control now!
> Version control is standard for application code, but databases havent
> caught up. So what steps can you take to put your SQL databases under
> version control? Why should you start doing it? Read more to find out.
> http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/clk?id=49501711&iu=/4140/ostg.clktrk
> _______________________________________________
> WiX-users mailing list
> WiX-***@lists.sourceforge.net
> https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/wix-users

[unknown]

No, the binaries are specific to a product only and will never be distributed by any other product.

> From: ***@live.com
> To: wix-***@lists.sourceforge.net
> Date: Fri, 2 Aug 2013 20:05:21 -0700
> Subject: Re: [WiX-users] Adding Downgrade support to MSI
>
> Are/will any of the binaries you distribute in this product (or ever intend to distribute) ever [be] distributed by any other product?
>
> > From: ***@hotmail.com
> > To: wix-***@lists.sourceforge.net
> > Date: Sat, 3 Aug 2013 04:39:26 +0530
> > Subject: [WiX-users] Adding Downgrade support to MSI
> >
> > Hi,
> > I have been trying to add "Downgrade" support to our MSI. I know Uninstall/Re-install is preferred over this, but this is needed for automated deployments and is specially helpful for our zero-downtime product upgrades across multiple machines. So the requirement is that any version can be installed over any other version which is different.
> > I am using the AllowDowngrades="yes" option with MajorUpgrade element i.e.<Product Id="*" ..... UpgradeCode="<GUID>" >
> > <MajorUpgrade Schedule="afterInstallInitialize" AllowDowngrades="yes" />
> > However, I see a few issues while testing downgrade (say installing v1.9 while 2.0 is already installed) -
> > 1. Our wxs file contains one file per component, however all the components are skipped during the installation of v1.9.2. As a result, Custom action execution fails with this error -
> > The File 'File_xxxx' is not marked for installation.MSI (s) (A4:E4) [15:45:47:544]: The installer has encountered an unexpected error installing this package. This may indicate a problem with this package. The error code is 2753. The arguments are: File_xxxx, ,
> > I would like to know possible ways to solve this problem.Please note that versions of all our files will change across releases.
> > P.S - I read about using REINSTALLMODE=amus to force reinstallation of all files. I also saw comments saying that this is okay for dev testing and is NOT RECOMMENDED for production systems.
> > Regards,Surya
> > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > Get your SQL database under version control now!
> > Version control is standard for application code, but databases havent
> > caught up. So what steps can you take to put your SQL databases under
> > version control? Why should you start doing it? Read more to find out.
> > http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/clk?id=49501711&iu=/4140/ostg.clktrk
> > _______________________________________________
> > WiX-users mailing list
> > WiX-***@lists.sourceforge.net
> > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/wix-users
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Get your SQL database under version control now!
> Version control is standard for application code, but databases havent
> caught up. So what steps can you take to put your SQL databases under
> version control? Why should you start doing it? Read more to find out.
> http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/clk?id=49501711&iu=/4140/ostg.clktrk
> _______________________________________________
> WiX-users mailing list
> WiX-***@lists.sourceforge.net
> https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/wix-users

[unknown]

The primary problem with amus is when it is used with anything shared (e.g. the VC merge modules).
A secondary problem exists with large MSIs where it causes repairs (and patches) to take longer to run, or where custom actions that use component states are needlessly rerun in patches and repairs.
The point is that you need to be certain of every possible contingency and every single scenario, including knowing what scenarios you must exclude from future versions of your product.
> From: ***@hotmail.com
> To: wix-***@lists.sourceforge.net
> Date: Sat, 3 Aug 2013 09:00:17 +0530
> Subject: Re: [WiX-users] Adding Downgrade support to MSI
>
> No, the binaries are specific to a product only and will never be distributed by any other product.
>
> > From: ***@live.com
> > To: wix-***@lists.sourceforge.net
> > Date: Fri, 2 Aug 2013 20:05:21 -0700
> > Subject: Re: [WiX-users] Adding Downgrade support to MSI
> >
> > Are/will any of the binaries you distribute in this product (or ever intend to distribute) ever [be] distributed by any other product?
> >
> > > From: ***@hotmail.com
> > > To: wix-***@lists.sourceforge.net
> > > Date: Sat, 3 Aug 2013 04:39:26 +0530
> > > Subject: [WiX-users] Adding Downgrade support to MSI
> > >
> > > Hi,
> > > I have been trying to add "Downgrade" support to our MSI. I know Uninstall/Re-install is preferred over this, but this is needed for automated deployments and is specially helpful for our zero-downtime product upgrades across multiple machines. So the requirement is that any version can be installed over any other version which is different.
> > > I am using the AllowDowngrades="yes" option with MajorUpgrade element i.e.<Product Id="*" ..... UpgradeCode="<GUID>" >
> > > <MajorUpgrade Schedule="afterInstallInitialize" AllowDowngrades="yes" />
> > > However, I see a few issues while testing downgrade (say installing v1.9 while 2.0 is already installed) -
> > > 1. Our wxs file contains one file per component, however all the components are skipped during the installation of v1.9.2. As a result, Custom action execution fails with this error -
> > > The File 'File_xxxx' is not marked for installation.MSI (s) (A4:E4) [15:45:47:544]: The installer has encountered an unexpected error installing this package. This may indicate a problem with this package. The error code is 2753. The arguments are: File_xxxx, ,
> > > I would like to know possible ways to solve this problem.Please note that versions of all our files will change across releases.
> > > P.S - I read about using REINSTALLMODE=amus to force reinstallation of all files. I also saw comments saying that this is okay for dev testing and is NOT RECOMMENDED for production systems.
> > > Regards,Surya
> > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > > Get your SQL database under version control now!
> > > Version control is standard for application code, but databases havent
> > > caught up. So what steps can you take to put your SQL databases under
> > > version control? Why should you start doing it? Read more to find out.
> > > http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/clk?id=49501711&iu=/4140/ostg.clktrk
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > WiX-users mailing list
> > > WiX-***@lists.sourceforge.net
> > > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/wix-users
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > Get your SQL database under version control now!
> > Version control is standard for application code, but databases havent
> > caught up. So what steps can you take to put your SQL databases under
> > version control? Why should you start doing it? Read more to find out.
> > http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/clk?id=49501711&iu=/4140/ostg.clktrk
> > _______________________________________________
> > WiX-users mailing list
> > WiX-***@lists.sourceforge.net
> > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/wix-users
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Get your SQL database under version control now!
> Version control is standard for application code, but databases havent
> caught up. So what steps can you take to put your SQL databases under
> version control? Why should you start doing it? Read more to find out.
> http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/clk?id=49501711&iu=/4140/ostg.clktrk
> _______________________________________________
> WiX-users mailing list
> WiX-***@lists.sourceforge.net
> https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/wix-users

[Christopher Painter]

We use the downgrade / AMUS pattern a lot at my day job. Not every
installer ( as Blair points out ) but if it's a basic application that is
privately deployed with no overlapping footprints, we do it. Most of
these installers are relatively small so repair isn't a concern. The
primary reason we do it is that it's easier from an operations perspective
if you want to perform a backout. It's easier to deactivate the newer
advertisement and reactivate the older advertisement without having to
promote any additional changes or first do an uninstall.

In other words, it's OK to break the rules as long as you know you are
doing it and completely understand the consequences.

----------------------------------------
From: "Blair Murri" <***@live.com>
Sent: Friday, August 02, 2013 11:19 PM
To: "General discussion for Windows Installer XML toolset."
<wix-***@lists.sourceforge.net>
Subject: Re: [WiX-users] Adding Downgrade support to MSI

The primary problem with amus is when it is used with anything shared (e.g.
the VC merge modules).
A secondary problem exists with large MSIs where it causes repairs (and
patches) to take longer to run, or where custom actions that use component
states are needlessly rerun in patches and repairs.
The point is that you need to be certain of every possible contingency and
every single scenario, including knowing what scenarios you must exclude
from future versions of your product.
> From: ***@hotmail.com
> To: wix-***@lists.sourceforge.net
> Date: Sat, 3 Aug 2013 09:00:17 +0530
> Subject: Re: [WiX-users] Adding Downgrade support to MSI
>
> No, the binaries are specific to a product only and will never be
distributed by any other product.
>
> > From: ***@live.com
> > To: wix-***@lists.sourceforge.net
> > Date: Fri, 2 Aug 2013 20:05:21 -0700
> > Subject: Re: [WiX-users] Adding Downgrade support to MSI
> >
> > Are/will any of the binaries you distribute in this product (or ever
intend to distribute) ever [be] distributed by any other product?
> >
> > > From: ***@hotmail.com
> > > To: wix-***@lists.sourceforge.net
> > > Date: Sat, 3 Aug 2013 04:39:26 +0530
> > > Subject: [WiX-users] Adding Downgrade support to MSI
> > >
> > > Hi,
> > > I have been trying to add "Downgrade" support to our MSI. I know
Uninstall/Re-install is preferred over this, but this is needed for
automated deployments and is specially helpful for our zero-downtime
product upgrades across multiple machines. So the requirement is that any
version can be installed over any other version which is different.
> > > I am using the AllowDowngrades="yes" option with MajorUpgrade element
i.e.<Product Id="*" ..... UpgradeCode="<GUID>" >
> > > <MajorUpgrade Schedule="afterInstallInitialize"
AllowDowngrades="yes" />
> > > However, I see a few issues while testing downgrade (say installing
v1.9 while 2.0 is already installed) -
> > > 1. Our wxs file contains one file per component, however all the
components are skipped during the installation of v1.9.2. As a result,
Custom action execution fails with this error -
> > > The File 'File_xxxx' is not marked for installation.MSI (s) (A4:E4)
[15:45:47:544]: The installer has encountered an unexpected error
installing this package. This may indicate a problem with this package. The
error code is 2753. The arguments are: File_xxxx, ,
> > > I would like to know possible ways to solve this problem.Please note
that versions of all our files will change across releases.
> > > P.S - I read about using REINSTALLMODE=amus to force reinstallation
of all files. I also saw comments saying that this is okay for dev testing
and is NOT RECOMMENDED for production systems.
> > > Regards,Surya
> > >
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
> > > Get your SQL database under version control now!
> > > Version control is standard for application code, but databases
havent
> > > caught up. So what steps can you take to put your SQL databases under

> > > version control? Why should you start doing it? Read more to find
out.
> > >
http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/clk?id=49501711&iu=/4140/ostg.clktrk


> > > _______________________________________________
> > > WiX-users mailing list
> > > WiX-***@lists.sourceforge.net
> > > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/wix-users
> >
> >
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
> > Get your SQL database under version control now!
> > Version control is standard for application code, but databases havent

> > caught up. So what steps can you take to put your SQL databases under
> > version control? Why should you start doing it? Read more to find out.
> >
http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/clk?id=49501711&iu=/4140/ostg.clktrk


> > _______________________________________________
> > WiX-users mailing list
> > WiX-***@lists.sourceforge.net
> > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/wix-users
>
>
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
> Get your SQL database under version control now!
> Version control is standard for application code, but databases havent
> caught up. So what steps can you take to put your SQL databases under
> version control? Why should you start doing it? Read more to find out.
>
http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/clk?id=49501711&iu=/4140/ostg.clktrk


> _______________________________________________
> WiX-users mailing list
> WiX-***@lists.sourceforge.net
> https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/wix-users

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
Get your SQL database under version control now!
Version control is standard for application code, but databases havent
caught up. So what steps can you take to put your SQL databases under
version control? Why should you start doing it? Read more to find out.
http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/clk?id=49501711&iu=/4140/ostg.clktrk