[wpkg-users] WPKG Development Status

[heiko.helmle at horiba.com]

Hello CL,


>> You could marry this feature with the prompt. AFAIK there's an API 
>> for Applications to pop up a message on shutdown (like Word with a 
>> document open displays Save, Don't Save, Cancel). You could pop up a
>> dialog as well (install update, shutdown immediately) via the same 
>> API, but (upon "install update") signal the OS that the shutdown was
>> cancelled and instead emit a force shutdown once WPKG has finnished. 
> The issue is that with Windows >= Vista no process is allowed to 
> delay indefinitely or cancel shutdown. If a user space process is 
> trying to do this, the black shutdown screen asking you if you want 
> to wait for the process, or kill it appears after a small timeout.

You're right - just tested again - and if an application tries the 
cancel-hook the black screen appears immediately. I guess this is MS' 
reaction to lots of Applications abusing that hook and users asking why 
windows doesn't shut down at all... grrr

>> Alternatively there must be a way for a service to prevent shutdown.
>> Acronis Backup & Recovery uses this and (at least for that piece of 
>> SW) it's a huge headache -> Our installations of Acronis regularly 
>> fall into endless loops and then Windows 7 stalls at shutdown 
>> ("Actions running" is displayed.....) 
> Most likely this software is using a shutdown script. This could be 
> done by wpkg-gp as well, but without any user feedback. 
> Alternatively, wpkg-gp  could execute wpkg.js when it receives the 
> shutdown service signal. This can potentially delay shutdown 
> indefinitely, but there is no way to provide user feedback here 
> either. (At least no documented way, because MS software does this, 
> Windows Update for example).

Hmm... if the user is expecting a delay (because he was told before 
shutdown or even ack'd it) then I don't think this is a big problem. What 
could really bite us would be an installer hanging (e.g. waiting for input 
on an invisible screen). How does WPKG-GP handle this on boot? Is there a 
timeout?

>> some things I'd love to see: 
>> - Ability for the WPKG-Script to start as a different (local) user. 
>> Typically WPKG runs as user SYSTEM - I had lots of problems with 
>> installers barfing when run as SYSTEM - especially on 64bit systems.
>> Our WPKG-Client runs as a different user now (but still elevated) - 
>> no problems any more and saved me from repackaging quite a few 
installers. 
> This is possible by running the wpkg-gp service as another user :), 
> and should be configurable via the installer in a future version.

Yep - I'm pretty sure it'l work by giving the service the same treatment 
that the old WPKG-Client gets ->
* Add user with random PW
* Add user to admin-group
* Add username to HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows 
NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\SpecialAccounts\UserList (so it won't show up 
in the logon-list)
* sc config type= own obj=<...> password= <...>
* Give User SeServiceLogonRight

>  
> - Ability to debug somehow. Some processes still make problems and 
> show dialog windows (mostly errors) when run by a service (but not 
> when run directly via cmdline). I know this is impossible on pre-
> login - but for the second mode (system tray call to service) - it 
> should be possible to switch to the "installing desktop".
> 
> Ahh, this would actually be difficult! As the service is being run 
> in a hidden desktop on W7. I am wondering: Wouldn't a runas /
> u:the_user_running_wpkg_service path_to_wpkg.js /switches do much 
> the same thing?

Not if your WPKG runs as user SYSTEM - runas won't do this. If you have a 
worker-user instead of SYSTEM, this totally works as long as the 
installers behave the same on a hidden and on a visible desktop.

If the "hidden" Desktop is the one that comes up as an icon during install 
(like with the WPKG-Client "An application wants attention"), this would 
suffice.

Best Regards
        Heiko
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