Deploying Crystal Reports

[hammerman]

I have a Winforms app that generates a crystal report. Everything works fine. I create my deployment project add the the crystal merge files - I put in the proper license number and create my setup file. I install it on my build server, test it and it all works fine.

 

[How it Breaks]

Our user base is about 200 pc's and we do new build several times a week. So when a new version is available I take the contents of the installed program and copy it down to the local pc. Everything works fine except Crystal. I get all kinds of Crystal errors. I'm assuming because I didn't install the app on the individual PC there is some cyrstal registry entry or some kind of hook not getting done. Any had this problem or any idea how I can make this deployment scheme work for Crystal?

[mocella]

Have you looked into the Application Updater blocks from Microsoft? It uses the BITS service to get code to the end-user as new updates are published in some predetermined location.

 

Basically - you do your install package once, then the app pulls the new code to the client as it's available. This may get you around the issues you're having.

 

On issue you may have is if your clients are on XP SP2, there's some changes to how BITS works - so you may have to look into that. We're on Win2K, so the blocks worked fine for us.