BackCreating software installs
17 Feb 2009
Note: This information is provided as a reference and does not imply that Juniper Systems will provide full support for the use of any specific third-party hardware or software with a Juniper Systems product.
Many options are available for creating installation utilities for your mobile software application. Generally, installing software to a Microsoft Windows CE/Mobile device includes one method for moving files to the device, and one method to extract the files from a compressed archive (CAB file format) if needed.
Juniper Systems Field PC products include a CAB file extraction utility in the operating system, so the main concern with installations on the Field PC are creating a compatible CAB file, copying it to the device, and starting the extraction process.
Creating Compressed Archive (CAB) File
For information on creating Windows CE software install CAB files using the Microsoft CAB Wizard, please visit:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms924762.aspx
We recommend using the OCP Software WinCE CAB Manager program, available at:
Desktop Installation (Transfer and Execution) Utilities
There are a number of install programs that can be used to create installation packages for installing software to the mobile device through Microsoft ActiveSync/ Windows Mobile Device Center or directly. One option is InstallShield or InstallAnyWhere. Another is the NullSoft Installer (NSIS).
We recommend using the NullSoft Installer (NSIS). Though this open source utility can be complicated to begin creating an installation package from scratch, the below sample application may help get you started.
Or you can create your own install using the CECopy and RAPI Start tools included in the Microsoft Windows Mobile Developer Power Toys.
Some of the mentioned programs create app installs containing more than one setup file (such as both an MSI and an EXE file). To be able to post and run an installer from a website, it is recommended to compress and execute these from within a single self-extracting archive utility. Such a utility can be created using one of the following tools.
- IExpress (built-in to newer Microsoft Windows desktop operating systems)
- ZipMagic (no longer produced, though old versions may still be available)
Others may be mentioned at:
