Application deployment

[ksaab]

Hi all,

I have a VB6 application that connects to and stores data in an Access 2000 DB through ODBC. The app contains no ActiveX controls - I would like to recompile the app to run on a server level - as it currently is installed on each PC and I have a growing population of remote users each needing frequent reinstalls with each update my bosses ask me to add on. Could someone please let me know if this is feasible and most importantly - what the process is for creating an executable to be run from the server. (If it helps to know server types please respond and I will iterate the types we have here on the farm privately)

Much Thanks in advance!

ksaab

 

[DarenNM]

When you say 'run from the server' do you mean you will store your application on the server and users will execute it from there? If that is the case then you don't need to make any changes, just place the latest version on the server and make sure all of the users' short-cuts point to it. If the application uses an ini file which it expects to find in its application directory, you might need to make some changes to any paths stored in the ini file.

One thing I have found with this is that often users have the application open when you want to make an update. The way I got around this is to write a small application which checks a setting (ini file or registry setting) to see which version of your main application should be launched. The launcher starts the named application and then exits. The users' short-cuts all point to this small "loader" application.

Each time you make a change to your main application you can compile it and then copy it to the server with a slightly different name e.g. "MyApp Ver 1.2.EXE". You can then change the ini file/registry setting and then the next time the users run your application they get the latest version. I found this much easier than trying to get all users to close the application so that I could over-write the exe file.

Another option is to have the loader application check the version or date/time of the exe on the server against the copy on the user's PC and then copy it down to the user's hard-drive if it is newer. The loader then launches the exe on the hard-drive and exits. This may require a bit of work setting up initially on each user's PC, but once it is done it makes life a bit easier.

Hope this helps (and that I haven't confused things!).

Good luck

Daren


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[johnwm]

Don't forget that if you run your app on a server you will still need to install and register any DLLs and ActiveX components on the workstations

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[Rougy]

I don't know if this will help, but what I do is:

1) When I compile the program I make it a shared program.

2) Install the program on everybody's computer

3) Keep the *.exe file in a centralized folder on a network drive that everybody has access to.

4) Make a shortcut to that *.exe on everybody's desktop.

That way, every time I update the program, I just put the updated *.exe on the network drive which updates everybody automatically.

The only time I have to reinstall the program is when I add a reference or a component that wasn't included with the original (a ref to Excel or maybe a Flexgrid).



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