Intelligent Deployment and Update

One of the features of .NET smart client applications is that they can be deployed and updated from a file or Web server using Microsoft .NET ClickOnce technology, making it easier for users to get and run the latest version of an application and easier for administrators to deploy it.

PowerBuilder Windows Forms applications can use this "intelligent update" feature.

As the developer of a Windows Forms application, you can specify:

Whether the application is installed on the user’s computer or run from a browser.
When and how the application checks for updates.
Where updates are made available.
What files and resources need to be deployed with the application.
What additional software needs to be installed on the user’s computer.

All these properties can be set in the Project painter before you publish the application. Support for these features is built into the .NET Framework and runtime.

To support intelligent update, you (or a system administrator) need to set up a central HTTP, FTP, or UNC file server that supports file downloads. This is the server to which updates are published and from which they are deployed to a user’s computer.

When the user clicks on a link, typically on a Web page or in an e-mail, the application files are downloaded to a secure cache on the user’s computer and executed. The application itself contains an updater component. If the application can only be run when the user is connected, the latest version is always downloaded. If the application can also be run offline, the updater component polls the server to check whether updates are available. If they are, the user can choose to download them.

Publishing an application for the first time
When you are ready to deploy an application to users, you publish it to the server. Users can then download the application, usually from a publish page that contains a link to the server.
Application Installation on the User’s Computer
Users can install the application from a CD or DVD or from a file server or Web site. The system administrator or release engineer is responsible for writing the files to the disk if a CD or DVD is used.
Publication of Application Updates
When you update an application and publish the updates, the revision number is incremented automatically unless you clear the check box in the Publish Version group box on the Publish page.
Application Bootstrapping
To ensure that your application can be successfully installed and run, you must first make sure that all components on which it depends are already installed on the target computer.
Rolling Back
You can roll back a version on the server by replacing the current deployment manifest with the deployment manifest of the version to which you want to roll back.
MobiLink Synchronization
You can use MobiLink synchronization with smart client applications to take advantage of the "occasionally connected" nature of a Windows Forms application that has been installed on a client so that it can be run from the Start menu as well as from a browser.

Parent topic: Windows Forms Targets