[wpkg-users] How to deploy a configuration change of a package to wpkg.xml

[Rainer Meier]

Hi Johannes,

Johannes.Brix at evidian.com wrote:
> due to the fact that wpkg uses the local wpkg.xml 
> to get the commands for uninstall, I have a problem to execute the 
> uninstall
> because of a the stored commands do not work for an application.
> 
> I have modofied the configuration in the packages.xml and on
> new deployed machines, uninstallation works.
> 
> How can I get now the new configuration out into the wild
> without running again installation or upgrade commands on the PC 
> (by increasing the version number)?

That's exactly why the upgrade-before-remove functionality has been introduced.
Unfortunately it looks like you did not increase the package revision when you
fixed your package on the server. As a general rule you should always increase
the revision if you're going to change a package.

You can still increase the package revision so also your "old" clients will get
upgraded before the removal procedure starts. Remember that you could even
define no upgrade commands at all so WPKG will not execute anything (no
re-installation) but still add the new entry to the local wpkg.xml.
Caution: This only works if you're sure that no client with old version which
_really_ needs to be upgraded will connect - else the upgrade will fail on this
machine.

The most clean way of course would be to increase the revision and let the
clients re-install the application.

Another possibility would be to write an upgrade script which detects the
version and just skips upgrade if the expected version is already installed -
thus avoiding to upgrade where not necessary.

br,
Rainer