write permission denied

[Dica]

i'm working on an installation package that needs to write to an existing
folder on the user's system, but keep getting an error message about write
perms denied. i can't really ask the person installing my app to manually
grant write perms for ASPNET user account to the folder. what are my
options?

tks

 

[Mark Rae [MVP]]

i'm working on an installation package that needs to write to an existing
folder on the user's system, but keep getting an error message about write
perms denied. i can't really ask the person installing my app to manually
grant write perms for ASPNET user account to the folder. what are my
options?

Slightly confused...

When you say "the user's system", are you talking about a client machine? If
so, what exactly are you trying to install there? Is this some sort of
"desktop" ASP.NET app...?

 

[Dica]

Slightly confused...

When you say "the user's system", are you talking about a client machine?
If so, what exactly are you trying to install there? Is this some sort of
"desktop" ASP.NET app...?

yes, i'm talking about a client machine.

and yes, this is a desktop ASP.Net app. my installation package needs to do
various things like create the IIS web site, install SQL Express, and then
copy over and attach an sql database. it's here that my app is crapping out
because the log files are created automatically by SQLDMO;

// attach the lighting_control db //

SQLDMO.Application sqlApp = new SQLDMO.ApplicationClass();

SQLDMO.SQLServer srv = new SQLDMO.SQLServerClass();



srv.Connect("localhost\lighting_control", "sa", "XXX");

// TODO - need to grant write perms on folder //

srv.AttachDB("Lighting_Control", @"[C:\lighting_db\lighting_control.mdf]");
// craps out here due to ldf creation //

 

[Mark Rae [MVP]]

yes, i'm talking about a client machine.
and yes, this is a desktop ASP.Net app.
Wow!

my installation package needs to do various things like create the IIS web
site, install SQL Express, and then copy over and attach an sql database.
it's here that my app is crapping out because the log files are created
automatically by SQLDMO;

What installation package are you using? Presumably it doesn't have the
ability to modify ACLs etc...

But that's what you're going to have to do, one way or another...

 

[Dica]

What installation package are you using?

well, i'm still working on that. this is a VS2005 solution which includes:
1. web site project
2. windows service project
3. installation project.
4. VS Setup project

the installation project is a windows forms based application, which walks
the user through various forms that require them to do things like accept a
disclaimer, specify a userName/password for the app, etc. the installation
app is primarily responsible for doing things like installing IIS, AJAX, SQL
Express and writing registry keys.

the VS Setup project is responsible for creating the program folder and
copying over the web site files. i'm primarily a web developer and have very
little experience with writing setup projects. from what i've seen so far
with the setup template, it's possible to specify any number of folders i
want created on the user's system, but i seem to have no ability to specify
folder permissions. if i did, it'd be a simple matter of granting write
perms on my DB folder to the aspnet account.

on an unrealated note, i'm still struggling with how to have the setup
project call/execute my installation.exe package once it's done copying over
the files. in other words, it seem a setup project is only capable of
copying files to the user's system and not capable of executing additional
apps.


Presumably it doesn't have the

 

[Mark Rae [MVP]]

i'm primarily a web developer

I guessed...

from what i've seen so far with the setup template, it's possible to
specify any number of folders i want created on the user's system, but i
seem to have no ability to specify folder permissions. if i did, it'd be a
simple matter of granting write perms on my DB folder to the aspnet
account.

That's right. What I usually do is write a WinForms executable which does
everything the Setup project can't (e.g. file and folder permissions) and
then add that as a Custom action at the Commit stage.

on an unrealated note, i'm still struggling with how to have the setup
project call/execute my installation.exe package once it's done copying
over the files. in other words, it seem a setup project is only capable of
copying files to the user's system and not capable of executing additional
apps.

You simply add your executable to the Setup project, and then set it as a
Custom Action. If you add it to the Commit section, the Setup project will
run it when it's completed its own setup tasks...

 

[Dica]

I guessed...


That's right. What I usually do is write a WinForms executable which does
everything the Setup project can't (e.g. file and folder permissions) and
then add that as a Custom action at the Commit stage.


You simply add your executable to the Setup project, and then set it as a
Custom Action. If you add it to the Commit section, the Setup project will
run it when it's completed its own setup tasks...

perfect. i was assuming there'd be something in the setup project to allow
me to do that, but couldn't find it.

tks for all the help.

 

[Mark Rae [MVP]]

perfect. i was assuming there'd be something in the setup project to
allow me to do that, but couldn't find it.

No problem.

tks for all the help.

Welcome.

AAMOI, I'm curious as to why you chose a browser-based solution for what is
(to me, at least) fairly obviously a WinForms app...

I appreciate that you're primarily a web developer - so am I - but WinForms
is actually fairly straightforward. Certainly, it would have removed all the
hoops you're currently having to jump through just to get the thing
installed...

 

[Dica]

No problem.


Welcome.

AAMOI, I'm curious as to why you chose a browser-based solution for what
is (to me, at least) fairly obviously a WinForms app...

i originally considered doing a winForms app, but decided that the user
should have the ability to access the app remotely via WWW if desired.

 

[Mark Rae [MVP]]

i originally considered doing a winForms app, but decided that the user
should have the ability to access the app remotely via WWW if desired.

And how are they going to do that if the app is installed on their local
machine...?

 

[Dica]

And how are they going to do that if the app is installed on their local
machine...?

i think this is a matter of semantics. the machine where my app is
considered 'local' during the installation. local machine becomes any other
machine i'm on after the installation. for instance, if i install my app on
a PC with netBios name 'terminal1', i'd consider that my local machine. once
i'm done installation, i go to another PC with netBios 'terminal2' which is
now 'local machine'. terminal2 shoulld be able to use the web application on
terminal1 via IP or DNS addressing.

 

[Mark Rae [MVP]]

i think this is a matter of semantics. the machine where my app is
considered 'local' during the installation. local machine becomes any
other machine i'm on after the installation. for instance, if i install my
app on a PC with netBios name 'terminal1', i'd consider that my local
machine. once i'm done installation, i go to another PC with netBios
'terminal2' which is now 'local machine'. terminal2 shoulld be able to use
the web application on terminal1 via IP or DNS addressing.

Ah - when you said "remotely via WWW" I understood WWW to mean worldwide web
i.e. the Internet, not your local workgroup...

 

[Dica]

Ah - when you said "remotely via WWW" I understood WWW to mean worldwide
web i.e. the Internet, not your local workgroup...

i did mean WWW. i should be able to access the resources on terminal1 from
the other side of the world provided i've got a dns entry and forward port
80 to that machine through my firewall.