Module 15

Configuring and Deploying Windows Client Applications

Module Overview

• Deployment Options

• Deploying a Stand-Alone WPF Application

• Deploying an XBAP

• Configuring Security Settings

Lesson 1: Deployment Options

• Deployment Technologies

• Full Trust and Partial Trust Applications

• WPF Features Available in Partial Trust

• WPF Features Unavailable in Partial Trust

• XBAPs on the Local Intranet

• Features and Benefits of the .NET Framework Client Profile

Deployment Technologies

• ClickOnce deployment

• XCopy deployment

• Windows Installer

Full Trust and Partial Trust Applications

RegistryRegistry

WPFApplication

WPFApplication

DNS DatabaseDNS Database

Web ServicesWeb Services

Environment VariablesEnvironment Variables

SQL ServerSQL Server

OLEDB Data SourceOLEDB Data Source

File SystemFile System

Windows Event LogWindows Event Log

Unmanaged CodeUnmanaged Code

EnvironmentPermissionEnvironmentPermission

Remote ServersRemote Servers

SecurityPermission.UnmanagedCodeSecurityPermission.UnmanagedCode

WebPermissionWebPermission

DNSPermissionDNSPermission

RegistryPermissionRegistryPermission

SqlClientPermissionSqlClientPermission

SocketsPermissionSocketsPermission

FileIOPermissionFileIOPermission

OleDbClientPermissionOleDbClientPermissionEventLogPermissionEventLogPermission

WPF Features Available in Partial Trust

General features:General features:

Web integration:Web integration:

Visual effects:Visual effects:

Reading:Reading:

Editing:Editing:

• Spelling checker and copy and paste

• Flow documents, XPS documents, and fonts

• 2-D and 3-D graphics, animation, media, audio, and video

• Browser window, isolated storage, commands, and simulated drag and drop

• Browser download dialog box, top-level navigation, and HTTP Web requests

WPF Features Unavailable in Partial Trust

General features:General features:

• Application-defined windows and dialog boxes, file system access, registry access, and Windows Forms interoperability

Visual effects:Visual effects:

• Bitmap effects and image encoding

Editing:Editing:

• Access to the RTF clipboard and full XAML support

XBAPs on the Local Intranet

By default, XBAPs run with partial trust:By default, XBAPs run with partial trust:

• Default Internet zone permission set

If you launch an XBAP from the local intranet:If you launch an XBAP from the local intranet:

• The XBAP can take advantage of the LocalIntranet permission set

LocalIntranet permissions grant access to additional resources:LocalIntranet permissions grant access to additional resources:

•DNS

•Environment variables

•File dialog boxes

•Isolated storage

•Printing

•Reflection

•Security

•User interface

Features and Benefits of the .NET Framework Client Profile

.NET Framework Client Profile:.NET Framework Client Profile:

• Is a subset of the .NET Framework optimized for client applications

• Enables you to create fast and small installation packages

• Does not require installation of the full version of the .NET Framework on client computers

Features:Features:• CLR

• ClickOnce

• Windows Forms

• WPF and WCF

• Entity Framework

• Windows Workflow Foundation

• Speech

• XSLT support

• LINQ to SQL

• Runtime design libraries

• Managed Extensibility Framework

• Dynamic types

• Parallel programming

• Debugging client applications

Lesson 2: Deploying a Stand-Alone WPF Application

• Deploying a Stand-Alone Application by Using ClickOnce

• Deploying a Stand-Alone Application by Using Windows Installer

• Installing the .NET Framework 4

Deploying a Stand-Alone Application by Using ClickOnce

To create a ClickOnce deployment:To create a ClickOnce deployment:

1. Select the project that you want to deploy

2. On the Build menu, click Publish

3. Follow the steps in the Publish Wizard

4. Distribute the published location

Deploying a Stand-Alone Application by Using Windows Installer

To create a Windows Installer Setup project:To create a Windows Installer Setup project:

1. Add a Setup project to your solution

2. Configure your application as an output project

3. Configure the properties of the Setup project

4. Add any additional files

5. Build the project

6. Distribute the .msi file

Installing the .NET Framework 4

To run a WPF application, the Microsoft .NET Framework 4 must be installed on the client computerTo run a WPF application, the Microsoft .NET Framework 4 must be installed on the client computer

For WPF browser-hosted applications launched from Windows Internet Explorer:For WPF browser-hosted applications launched from Windows Internet Explorer:

• If the .NET Framework is installed, Internet Explorer detects it

• If the .NET Framework is not installed, Internet Explorer downloadsit and installs it

Lesson 3: Deploying an XBAP

• XBAP Files That Must Be Deployed

• Manifest Files

• Publishing an XBAP to a Web Server

• Installing an XBAP on a Client Computer

XBAP Files That Must Be Deployed

An XBAP is a compiled application that requires at least the following three files to be deployed:An XBAP is a compiled application that requires at least the following three files to be deployed:

•ApplicationName.exe

•ApplicationName.xbap

•ApplicationName.exe.manifest

Manifest Files

An application manifest file describes:An application manifest file describes:

• Application assemblies

• Dependent assemblies

• Permissions that are required by the application

A deployment manifest file describes:A deployment manifest file describes:

• Location

• Current version

• Update behavior

• Publisher identity

• Digital signature

Publishing an XBAP to a Web Server

To deploy an XBAP by using ClickOnce deployment:To deploy an XBAP by using ClickOnce deployment:

1. Select the project that you want to deploy

2. On the Build menu, click Publish

3. Follow the steps in the Publish Wizard

4. Distribute the published location

To deploy an XBAP by using XCopy deployment:To deploy an XBAP by using XCopy deployment:

1. Build the application

2. Copy the output files to the target Web server

Installing an XBAP on a Client Computer

To deploy an XBAP by using XCopy deployment:To deploy an XBAP by using XCopy deployment:

1. Build the application

2. Copy the output files to the target client computer

To deploy an XBAP by using Windows Installer:To deploy an XBAP by using Windows Installer:

1. Add a Setup project to your solution

2. Configure your application as an output project

3. Configure the properties of the Setup project

4. Add any additional files

5. Build the project and distribute the .msi file

Lesson 4: Configuring Security Settings

• Manifest Generation and Editing Tools

• Using Mage.exe

• Using MageUI.exe

• Setting Properties for Application Manifests

• Setting Properties for Deployment Manifests

• Setting Properties for Application and Deployment Manifests

• Setting Signing Properties for Application and Deployment Manifests

Manifest Generation and Editing Tools

You can use the Manifest Generation and Editing tools to create and edit manifest files:You can use the Manifest Generation and Editing tools to create and edit manifest files:

You can use Mage.exe and MageUI.exe to set:You can use Mage.exe and MageUI.exe to set:

• Mage.exe is a command-line tool

• MageUI.exe is an equivalent graphical tool

• Common properties in deployment and application manifests

• Application manifest properties

• Deployment manifest properties

• -New

• Create a new deployment or application manifest file

• -Update

• Make changes to a manifest file

• -Sign

• Sign a manifest file by using a certificate

• -Help

• List all of the available commands and their options

Using Mage.exe

Mage.exe syntaxMage.exe syntax

Mage [commands] [commandOptions]Mage [commands] [commandOptions]

Using MageUI.exe

Setting Properties for Application Manifests

• -FromDirectory directoryPath

• Populates the application manifest with descriptions of all assemblies and files found in the directory path. Also creates a hash for each file to check that no tampering happens

• When used with the –Update command, removes files that no longer exist in the directory

• -IconFile filePath

• Specifies the full path to the icon file

• -TrustLevel level

• Specifies the level of trust to grant to the application on client computers

• -UseManifestForTrust willUseForTrust

• Specifies whether the signature of the manifest will be used for making trust decisions on the client

Setting Properties for Deployment Manifests• -AppCodeBase manifestReference

• Inserts a URL or file path to the application manifest

• -AppManifest manifestPath

• Inserts a reference to a deployment’s application manifest

• -IncludeProviderURL url

• Indicates whether to include the update location

• -Install willInstall

• Indicates whether to install on the local computer or run from the Web

• -MinVersion [version]

• Specifies the minimum version of the application that a user can run

• -ProviderURL url

• Specifies the location to examine for application updates

Setting Properties for Application and Deployment Manifests

• -Name nameString

• Signifies the name used to identify the application

• -Publisher publisherName

• Adds the publisher name to the description element of the manifest

• -SupportURL uri

• Specifies the link to appear in Add or Remove Programs

• -ToFile filePath

• Specifies the output path of the file that has been created or modified

• -Version versionNumber

• Signifies the version of the deployment

Setting Signing Properties for Application and Deployment Manifests

• -CertFile filePath

• Specifies the location of an S509 digital certificate for signing the manifest

• -CertHash hashSignature

• Signifies the hash of a digital signature stored in the personal certificate store on the client computer

• -Password passwd

• Signifies the password used for signing the manifest file with a digital signature

Lab: Deploying Applications

• Exercise 1: Developing a Stand-Alone Installer

• Exercise 2: Configuring a ClickOnce Deployment

• Exercise 3: Updating a ClickOnce Deployment

Logon information

Estimated time: 60 minutes

Lab Scenario

You have been asked to develop deployment packages for both the Product Inventory application and the Work Orders application. The Product Inventory application usage is isolated to a small number of users and is not updated very often; therefore, you are to develop a stand-alone installer for that application. However, the Work Orders application is used widely throughout the organization in many locations, with an active development and release cycle; therefore, you need to develop a ClickOnce deployment for that application.

Lab Review

Review Questions

• Which project template enables you to create a Windows Installer package for an application?

• What do you need to do before you can configure an application for ClickOnce deployment from a UNC share?

• What happens if an application is configured to check for updates each time it runs and you modify the published application?

Module Review and Takeaways

• Review Questions

• Best Practices

• Tools

Course Evaluation