Windows Installer Editor Reference
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Advanced Installations
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The Web Site tab lacks the Connections and Logging sections.
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The Home Directory and Virtual Directory tabs lack the options to specify where the
content should come from.
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The Directory Security tab lacks the IIS options for IP address and domain name
restrictions and Secure communications. The navigation of this tab is also different
from IIS.
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The HTTP Headers tab lacks the ability to edit content ratings.
How options are set on the Web server
When you install a Web site or virtual directory that already exists, you can control
whether settings are changed on the Web server. Use the Override Existing Settings
drop-down list on the Web site Details dialog box > Installation Settings tab.
See also:
About Web Installations
on page 245
Installing Web Settings From a File
You can let the end user run your Web installation on multiple computers and set the
same settings on each one without having to step through the Web dialog boxes.
Example: An end user, who operates a Web farm, wants to run your installation with the
same Web site settings on 12 computers.
This is accomplished by a Web settings XML file that is generated by the end user from a
special command line. The end user can edit this XML file to set the Web installation
options they want. When the end user runs the installation with another special
command line, the Web installation settings are obtained from the XML file.
The XML file can be created and used during the initial installation only. Using the
command lines during a reinstall or uninstall does not work. Instead, the .MSI runs as it
normally would for the reinstall or uninstall.
About the Web settings XML file
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The XML file is generated for a specific operating system type. If the end user
creates the XML file on a server-class computer, those settings cannot be installed
on a workstation, and vice versa.
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The XML file is generated for a specific .MSI and should only be used with that .MSI.
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The XML file is generated for a specific version of Windows Installer Editor and can
only be used with that version.
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The XML file contains the default Web site settings that you set in the installation.
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If the installation contains a Web site, the XML file cannot be generated on a
workstation that runs on an operating system earlier than Windows Vista.
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End users should limit their editing to the sections in the XML file that are
commented. These generally are settings that appear in the Web dialog boxes, that
is, settings that appear on the Installation Settings, Web Site UI, and Virtual
Directory tabs on the Web site details dialog box. Editing non-commented settings
can cause the installation to fail or cause IIS to be configured improperly. We cannot
provide technical support for such problems.