Application installer error with NI System Configuration

[dan_u]

We distribute an application built in LV2012 SP1 with an installer including the required packages (LV Run-time 2012, NI System Configuration 5.5.1, and others).

A user tried to install the application and ran into an error: "Cannot install - NI System Configuration 5.5.1 (higher version already installed)". The installation can't be continued. The user has LabVIEW and NI System Configuration 5.6 installed on that machine.

Is there any way to ignore this error, i.e. don't install this component, but still install everything else? I would like to avoid building two installers (one with and one without NI SysConf.

Thanks.

[mikeporter]

Not that I can think of. Of course if your updated your development system to have the latest NI System Config...

Mike...

[dan_u]

Thanks for the reply. Yes, we could do that. But in my opinion this looks like a bug. If the versions are compatible (which I think they should be) it should leave the higher version installed and use it, not abort the installation. If the versions are not compatible they should be installed in parallel as 2 items.

[dan_u]

Any idea? Anybody from NI?

This can't be expected behavior...

[mikeporter]

Actually it probably is. LV installers have worked this way for many many years.

Mike...

[JÞB]

I'm a bit too busy to go digging for the links but,  I believe their is a KB article or two that explains the install process and how to add switches to the installers so that you can siliently ignore that error and continue.  And yes it could be default behavior BUT, I understand why the "Maximum safe" implementation is used.  Your installer should install what you specify to be installed or error unless you- the developer- specifically decide that it is ok to not installl everything per spec.

[dan_u]

That makes sense, but I still think the dialog should have an option to continue the installation (skip the item which can't install because a newer version is already installed). 

As mentioned in my first post, if the newer (already installed) version is not compatible with the version to be installed they should probably be allowed to install in parallel. I'm aware this is not simple, most driver versions support a certain range of LabVIEW versions, but not all of them.

Thanks for the hint, I will try to find the KB article.

[JÞB]

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@dan_u wrote:

That makes sense, but I still think the dialog should have an option to continue the installation (skip the item which can't install because a newer version is already installed). 

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Not by default!

And let me give you a firinstance using just exactly the MAX setup you provided.

Situation: I somehow need to develop a solution in a historic version of LabVIEW.  I have a requirement to manage Hardware configuration in my app and the system API is degraded in the version I must work in.  So I programmatically go into xml hell and read the files MAX stores all this stuff in to get the information my app needs.

HOLD IT that file structure improves a LOT from 5.2 to 5.6 (Heck even the MAX Icon changed in that period!)  Unless my installer errors with the specific error you see my app is going to be broken in ways that may be VERY bad and actually running it could be hazardous to equipment and personel.   My app cannot run on the enviornment that the install was attempted on !  Your app might be safe to run there but you have to make that call and do your due diligence after learning about the enviornmental changes between the development and deployment enviornments.  

Supporting a second installer spec is cheap in this case but again, IF you are unconcerened about side effects (You are sure of limited impact from the software interaction) there should be a switch available for your installer

[dan_u]

I fully agree, but that's exactly my point: if versions are not compatible, they should not replace one another, but be installed in parallel. I have several versions of the LV Runtime, several versions of the C++ runtime and of the .NET framework, to just name a few. They coexist without problems, and each application uses the version it needs.

Assume a client has 2 LabVIEW applications that use different, incompatible versions of a driver that can't be installed in parallel. The only option is to install the 2 applications on different PCs (or a VM if the driver works this way).

[mikeporter]

I see your point, but I don't see how in the long run it would make things any better. Right now you can install different versions of LV in parallel and you always have to be careful that you load your code in the right version. IMHO, working with parallel versions of applications that don't use visible files (like MAX for instance) would be a nightmare. And suppose you do have parallel versions installed, which one has final word on the configuration of the hardware? 

Mike...