This appears not to change in .NET Framework 3.5 Beta 2, which isn't too
surprising as this is part of System.dll and hence one of the 'red bits', so
the assembly is still marked version 2.0.0.0 and part of '.NET Framework 2.0
SP1'. Yes, the new Framework bits are added onto the existing Framework in
new assemblies, apart from a few places where new methods have been added to
existing classes.
For completeness, .NET Framework 3.5 adds support for Windows Vista and
Server 2008's new 'PERFLIB 2.0' which changes the way performance counters
are defined and managed. This time it looks like the Framework people have
actually understood that you might want to register the counters in an
elevated process and use them from a non-privileged one. This will entail
additional extensions to how WiX currently does it, because, guess what, the
only documented way to do it is to run lodctr with a /m switch specifying
the XML-derived manifest. Well, barely documented - MSDN says to look on
TechNet, there's no command-line reference for Windows Vista on there, and
the Windows Server 2008 documentation omits lodctr.exe.
I can't find any documented APIs to do this - maybe you still call
LoadPerfCounterTextStrings passing effectively the lodctr command line? But
MSDN only refers to the old .ini method.
Honestly, though, I don't think anyone will be using PerfLib 2.0 for a while
simply because it's only supported on Windows Vista and Server 2008. There
isn't a library to transform back to the old way for downlevel Windows.
--
Mike Dimmick
_____
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Mike Dimmick
Sent: 22 October 2007 23:17
To: 'Daniel Doubrovkine'; wix-users@lists.sourceforge.net
Subject: Re: [WiX-users] custom action executing managed executables
WiX includes functionality to call the LoadPerfCounterTextStrings and
UnloadPerfCounterTextStrings APIs and create the registry entries required.
See the PerformanceCategory and PerformanceCounter elements in the Util
schema. This feature is new in WiX v3.0.
If still using WiX 2.0, you can instead specify an INI file which contains
the counter information, which in turn includes a header file which defines
the order of the names. This is in fact what .NET does internally when you
call PerformanceCounterCategory.Create - it's the only supported method of
doing it - but they have failed to provide a way to export the INI and
header files, such as you might need to do if, I don't know, you were
building an installer! .NET actually runs the lodctr.exe program, which has
shipped with Windows since at least Windows 2000 I believe (it might have
been a resource kit tool in NT 4.0, it certainly was before that), whereas
WiX currently calls the APIs which were only added in Windows 2000.
If you want to build a horrible hack tool using reflection <g>, see
System.Diagnostics.PerformanceCounterLib.CreateSymbolFile and CreateIniFile
in System.dll. Sadly PerformanceCounterLib is declared 'internal' while both
methods are declared 'private', that's why you'd have to use reflection.
You'd also have to add the required registry entries yourself, see the
CreateRegistryEntry method for what needs to be added. Still, I'd much
prefer doing this than some messy managed custom action lashup. Or you could
simply see the code in src\ext\UtilExtension\wixext\UtilCompiler.cs from WiX
v3.0 in the ParsePerformanceCategoryElement method.
--
Mike Dimmick
_____
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Daniel
Doubrovkine
Sent: 22 October 2007 22:30
To: wix-users@lists.sourceforge.net
Subject: [WiX-users] custom action executing managed executables
Dear all,
I read robmen's article on managed custom actions. I have an installer type
activity to execute that I must do during installation (installing
performance counters). You need to be admin to do that, so I have to run it
within the installation.
We want to execute the InstallPerfCounters.exe with a CA, which works easily
with a CustomAction. Unfortunately you don't get any feedback except success
and failure. I'd like InstallPerfCounters.exe to log back.
So I thought of a simple solution: implement a C++ custom action that spawns
InstallPerfCounters.exe, hooks up to its stdout and logs all lines into the
MSI log using the MSI API. Thus anything that InstallPerfCounters.exe
outputs will appear in the log.
Has anyone done something like this? Is this a good/bad/crazy idea?
Thx
dB.
Daniel Doubrovkine (dB.)
Development Manager & Lead Architect
Application Security Inc.
appsecinc.com <http://www.appsecinc.com/>
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
This SF.net email is sponsored by: Splunk Inc.
Still grepping through log files to find problems? Stop.
Now Search log events and configuration files using AJAX and a browser.
Download your FREE copy of Splunk now >> http://get.splunk.com/
_______________________________________________
WiX-users mailing list
WiX-users@lists.sourceforge.net
https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/wix-users
