Installation Methodology - don't like it... :-)

[joegasper]

I really don't like the installation method. I appreciate the extra automation attempts, but this app can be a 3-tier application and I don't think anyone running their own SQL server and IIS server needs the extra hand holding. 🙂

I don't want the installation to attempt to modify the security of my SQL server. I'm running perfectly Lansweeper without mixed mode (just run the service as a domain account that has permissions to the database - and only the database is needed.) I can't get around this. You don't get to decide the name of my Lansweeper database, I do. It should be an option at install. And what is also needed is choosing an existing database - will find many SQL dbs that will want to create an empty database for Lansweeper to populate (where they can also properly set the initial size).

I don't want the installation to try to create a web service or virtual folder setup under IIS. You don't get to stop and start my services. I get to choose my app pool. Etc. You just need to provide a folder of the web files we can copy to our IIS server and configure as we choose. Easy to set a web.config line to point to the database and very common in asp.net applications.

If the user is going to use the free SQL express and the new built-in web service, then that might be a demographic to target for hand holding.

You have an Enterprise level product coming out, I feel above are enterprise requirements.

I am a happy Premium customer...

[Hemoco]

If you take a look in the %programfiles%\lansweeper folder you should find everything needed to make your custom installation (including SQL scripts)

[joegasper]

I use the following apps:
SelectSurvey.NET: http://classapps.com/SelectSurveyDocumentation.asp
MojoPortal: http://www.mojoportal.com/installation-quick-start.aspx
ScrewTurn Wiki: http://www.screwturn.eu/Help.InstallSqlServer.ashx

Other programs like DotNetNuke are similar. Create an empty database, permission it. Copy the web files to your IIS server. Set database connection in web.config. Go to an install.aspx page and it sets up the database.

No BOFH. I control my SQL server. I control my IIS server. I control my App Pools. I want to be able to control the Lansweeper install. Best practice for SQL is to use Windows Authentication for authentication mode. The installer routine currently allows you to choose the 3 parts individually. That's a good breakdown - it allows an Enterprise company to allow the SQL admin to handle the SQL portion, the service portion installed by a Server admin, and the web portion installed by an IIS admin. For the SQL portion, I would like to run the installer and have it create the Lansweeper database where I choose the SQL server, database name, the Windows credentials. For the service portion I would like to give the server to run on and the option for Windows credentials to run the service as. For the web portion, I would like to provide a folder path (I'll do the IIS setup), and the web.config file could be auto updated with the information already provided.

I'll reiterate, I'm a happy Premium pro-active customer.

-Joe

[slimbyte]

joegasper, can you point me to a such installer for a web application, with features/options as you mentioned in your post?

I'm just curios.

[Facilities]

Well now.... we should all remember that this is a beta version and nothing is final. We will have to wait and see exatly what comes out with the final release.

Do i sense some BOFH coming out with this post?