Remotely update web site and mobile application

Question

We have a system that includes a small PC with a website (developped in ASP.net 3.5 using VS 2010) and a SQL database, and some Windows CE 5.0 smart devices (running a homemade WinForm Compact Framework 2.0 software). Those systems are installed to many customers across the country.

Now, I need to be able to automatically update the website and the CE application remotely.

I developped a program that runs on the small PC and retrieve the files (by FTP) to be updated from a WebService in our office. The program executes the database scripts and copy the file to its intended destination locally.

Question: can we "packaged" the website to be deploy remotely? Having to copy every files to the remote PC is very cumbersome and not efficient.

Also: How can I update the software running on the smart device? IP addresses are unknown, they needs be on the DHCP without IP reservation, as we need to be able to hot-swap any devices without doing any configuration.

thanks a lot for your time and help

Answer 1

For both scenarios, the de-centrailized PC servers and the Windows Mobile clients you should consider a Remote Management System.

There is normally no way to push a file onto a windows mobile device, except for having an 'agent' running on the devices (ie a ftp server, or a Mobile Device Management Agent (ie by SOTI MobiControl or others).

You may provide a link to a CAB file (a windows mobile installation package) either on the remote servers or better on one central server) and let the users pick that by clicking it in a HTML page.

Are all the Windows Mobile devices by the same vendor and are the same models? Some industrial devices have software agents pre-installed. Some industrial devices also support download/setup via scanning a barcode.