Updating Application with new version

[Toga]

I was wondering how, if I had a small VB exe file on the network available for multi users, I update it with a newer version of the application.

Years ago, with Quick Basic, I could just copy over the file on the network with no adverse effects on the user. When he got out & back in again, they would then be using the new version.

If ya do that with an MDE file from Access 97, your almost guaranteed to mess the users up if they had it open. As a result, you either have to copy the new version in under a new file name or get everyone out of the program.

How does this work with a VB6 application? Can I do it like I used to years ago or will I have the same problems that I have with Access 97?

Thanks....Toga

 

[chiph]

Well, this may be covered under a recent patent issued to McAfee (yes, the patent system is screwed up here in the US). But to answer your question -- I think you'll get a "file is in use" error, and NT Server won't let you overwrite it *if* someone is accessing it at that particular moment. Now, what this means is if someone is in the process of launching the program, the file is locked. But once the program is running on the user's machine, the lock ought to be released. So the window of time when the file is locked should be small to long, depending on the number of users.

A tool like Microsoft's Systems Management Server might be able to handle this without problems, as it can reboot the server if need be.

Chip H.