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Online Update System
#65106
02/26/06 21:02
02/26/06 21:02
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Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 7,726
old_bill
OP
Senior Expert
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OP
Senior Expert
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 7,726
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I want to give the idea of an online update system, which should replace the actual update system and cycle.
The idea is based on a small tool, in which the user puts in his user and password data. The tool connects to the conitecserver and logs in into a database and validates the users data. In the 3dgs folder would be a file, which has a version table inside, and the tool checks this table and compares the versions with the versions given in the online database. Maybe it could also give a few lines of short text with fixes listed, like: -changed exit() to sys_exit() -improved text functions -new MED import filter -...
Then the user clicks "Download" and the tool will download all the new files and replace the existing ones in the 3dgs folder. With this method, it would be possible to release updates more frequently, as even small changes can be spread (like only a new acknex.dll) without having a large expenditure on the administration side, and also bugs could be fixed much faster then acutally, where it sometimes takes over a half year between the update releases.
And on the security side there shoulnd be more risk then with the current solution, as only users with a valid userdata could access the database, like at the moment, and you could easily remove or "ban" accounts.
old_bill
Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.
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Re: Online Update System
[Re: HeelX]
#65109
02/28/06 14:49
02/28/06 14:49
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Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 7,726
old_bill
OP
Senior Expert
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OP
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Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 7,726
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No, it should not be based on an ActiveX control, but an independent *.exe file. The setup is not that hard, we have done this here in another circumstance, and it's very easy to administrate, both on the server and the client side.
The advantage would be the option to spread even small updates very easy, all the same if its just a new wdl file fróm the templates or the new ackenx.dll .
old_bill
Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.
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Re: Online Update System
[Re: fastlane69]
#65111
03/01/06 05:21
03/01/06 05:21
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Anonymous
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Anonymous
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If Conitec have a Windows server, Conitec can develop a web service which can allow the .net Framework application to connect to the server. Written either in C# or VB.net, a webservice can talk to the database server like in SQL Server 2005, then in the client-side application (the updating program) can then give the version information to the server, which the web service can check the application's version with the version that's already in the server, then the web service will return whether the the 2 version numbers match. If it's true, then the user already have an up-to-date version of the software. If false, then start downloading the updates.
It doesn't take that much time to do this with C#/VB.net than unmanaged C++.
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Re: Online Update System
[Re: old_bill]
#65112
03/01/06 14:29
03/01/06 14:29
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Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 139 Norway
Turotulco
Member
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Member
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 139
Norway
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I use Linder SetupBuilder to handle exactly this. The $249 price tag is way less than it would cost me to design, build and implement a system like this myself. You can make the updates silent, or notify the user of availability. Your choice. Friedrich Linder is also extremely responsive to change requests, defects and suggestions. It's worth a look.
b. rgds.
T
"That which does not kill us, makes us stranger.
Are you sure you don't you mean stronger?
Yes. Quite sure."
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A6 Commercial Ver 6.5
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Re: Online Update System
[Re: Turotulco]
#65113
03/01/06 17:18
03/01/06 17:18
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Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 6,818 Minot, North Dakota, USA
ulillillia
Senior Expert
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Senior Expert
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 6,818
Minot, North Dakota, USA
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I like the idea of alerting users of a new update being available. Winamp does this as well as Winzip. Winzip uses a "check once a ___" method where it could be every day, every week, or every month and it checks under these conditions, but only when the program is run. I had Winzip set to check weekly and it's been 2 weeks at one time since I last used it and it didn't check for updates until I did finally use the program. Winamp uses some sort of webserver flag system so, when the program is run, it checks the availability of an update indicated by a flag of some sort and if one is available, it notifies the user. No update is downloaded or anything - the user does that manually using the username and password provided to them when they ordered the program.
Edit: for beta users, it could be done with a special flag saying that a new beta release is available. A public beta is a bit difference than that of the private beta.
Last edited by ulillillia; 03/01/06 17:20.
"You level up the fastest and easiest if you do things at your own level and no higher or lower" - useful tip
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Re: Online Update System
[Re: ulillillia]
#65114
03/05/06 01:00
03/05/06 01:00
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Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 2,185
mpdeveloper_B
Expert
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Expert
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 2,185
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this is an incredible idea, having a seperate program that downloads updates, it'd be very simple acually all conitec has to do is set up an update folder over the internet, and then have a folder for each kind of update, if u'd like to have updates to acnex.dll, sed.exe, etc... each folder could be like this
update/acnex_upd update/sed_upd update/wed_upd update/med_upd ....
on and on, this way they could focus on one update at a time and when they get done with it they upload it to that folder, and we d/l a exe file that would be set to search the update folder and search for files newer than the ones currently held, that way if you have a file that is old in a dir, and another file in that dir is new, it would only update the old file...this idea is really expandible and it would not be as hard as it sounds
- aka Manslayer101
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