Installation Tools for ASP.Net C# application

Question

We have developed an ASP.Net/C#/SQL Server application and use SetupBuilder (from LinderSoft) and MSI for software installation purposes.

We are having all sorts trouble with the MSI component - in that installations regularly fail and we appear to have limited control over the MSI interface/process.

Are there any installation tools that give us more control over the MSI install process and can anyone recommend a better set of tools for software deployment purposes?

Answer 1

WIX provides a lot of control in creating MSI's. Takes a bit of learning but we have used it for creating MSI's in our projects and it has worked for all of our needs.

From their site:

The Windows Installer XML (WiX) is a toolset that builds Windows installation packages from XML source code. The toolset supports a command line environment that developers may integrate into their build processes to build MSI and MSM setup packages

Sorry for the generic answer, but if you could provide more details regarding the errors that you are facing or exactly what areas you want to be able to control, then might be able to throw some light on it.

Answer 2

Most asp.net applications i've ever used have had a partly manual installation process, eg they ask you to create a sql server database and user, then copy the application in and update the web.config to reflect the sql user, then create the IIS application manually, and any further installation (eg creating the db schema) is handled automatically by the app the first time you use it.

It's always seemed acceptable to me, so long as everything is documented well i've been happy to accept it, worth considering?

I guess it depends upon the expected technical skills of your target user base...