How to define a prerequisite source (web installer or offline) within your installer

Defining prerequisites and building the configuration

We present two categories of configuration packages – offline and online – paired with the corresponding prerequisites. Here’s what they feature:

• Offline: The installation file is present locally and does not require the Internet for execution or installation.
• Online: The installation executable is a small copy of the configuration and everything required for installation is stored on a web site.

This classification leads to four distinct configuration possibilities:

1. Offline prerequisite with offline installer
2. Online prerequisite with offline installer
3. Online prerequisite with offline installer
4. Offline prerequisite with online installer

In this article, we will use Visual Studio Tools for Office 4.0 as our prerequisite.

1. Prerequisite Offline with Offline Installer

This is the most common configuration scenario, preferred in the enterprise environment, and involves storing all components within the same local installation resource. It does not rely on an Internet connection, allowing for use and installation in isolated environments.

Let’s dive into the practical steps to configure this setup.

Start by defining the offline installer build.

Advanced Installer automatically generates an offline installer (MSI) build when you create an Installer Project. If you want to change it to an EXE configuration, navigate to Package Definition -> Builds section from the left panel.

Configure your prerequisite.

Navigate to Requirements -> Prerequisites section from the left panel and select your desired prerequisite.

When prompted, select “Yes” to have the prerequisite downloaded to disk and included for offline use.

This is. Now you can build your project. The result is an executable that includes your package and prerequisite.

3. Prerequisite Offline with Online Installer

In this setup, your main installer is hosted in a designated location on the Internet, complete with the prerequisites fully downloaded. Running the online installer causes all components to be downloaded from this specified location, requiring an active Internet connection.

Start determining the online installer build by navigating to Package Definition -> Builds section from the left panel and selecting Web Installer option.

Adjust the URL to the web location where you intend to host the large MSI installer file.

To maintain accuracy, update the MSI Name to match the one at the end of the URL. While editing the EXE name is optional, it is advisable to give it a descriptive name.

Next, add the offline prerequisite in the same way as in “Offline Prerequisite with Offline Installer”

4. Prerequisite Online with Online Installer

In this scenario, your main installer is also stored in a designated location on the Internet, but without the prerequisites included, reducing the amount of space it takes up on the Internet.

When you run the small exe installer, it first downloads the core package without any prerequisites. Then, if the prerequisites are required, a subsequent download for them begins.

This configuration is the “lightest” space-efficient option. As with other online installations, an active internet connection is required.

Define the build of the online installer as the previous scenario “Online Prerequisite with Offline Installer“.

As for the prerequisite, set it as a scenario “Online Prerequisite with Offline Installer“.

In the end, you will have an easy setup.exe that downloads and installs all the necessary components.

CONCLUSION

Understanding how to effectively manage the prerequisites for your software installations can significantly improve the deployment process, ensuring that your applications run smoothly and efficiently regardless of the installation environment.

By leveraging the flexibility of the Advanced Installer, you can tailor your configuration packages to meet the specific needs of your users, whether in offline scenarios, where all components are available locally, or in online scenarios, where internet access is used to simplify the installation process.