Client: [v2.5.0 rc1] [Windows] Always build two MSis, one English, one Multilingual

[mreichh]

Expected behaviour

• MSI should install via Group Policy without any further ado

Actual behaviour

• MSI installation during boot is aborted (error code: %%1605)
• MSI of Owncloud version 2.5.0 beta2 works like a charme

Steps to reproduce

1. Create new GPO and add MSI via _Computer Configuration -> Policies -> Software Settings -> Software installation_
2. Connect GPO to an Organisational Unit which contains a test client
3. run "gpupdate /force" within test client's CMD
4. restart test client
5. verify that Owncloud did not get installed on the test client and check Admin Events in Event Log for the error code named above

Client configuration

Client version: v2.5.0 rc1

Operating system: Windows 10

OS language: German

Installation path of client: default

[guruz]

ERROR_UNKNOWN_PRODUCT | 1605 | This action is only valid for products that are currently installed.
-- | -- | --

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/desktop/msi/error-codes

[guruz]

@dschmidt AFAIK the beta2 MSI didn't contain translations. The rc1 does. Does this play a role? I can't imagine other differences between the MSIs right now
(Can't verify this right now).

[mreichh]

well, actually I told the GPO to ignore the client OS' language.

I just ran a full MSI validation via ORCA on both MSI versions and the resulting validation outputs differs, resp. RC1 shows two additional output rows

ICE03   ERROR   Bad conditional string; Table: Component, Column: Condition, Key(s): cmpD1DBE0B8AA4878C58F7BD563A6468EFE
ICE61   WARNING This product should remove only older versions of itself. The Maximum version is not less than the current product. (2.5.0.10528 2.5.0.10528)

Maybe this leads to the relevant change(s)? Maybe just the MSI was created in a different/wrong way?

BTW: The passive installation of RC1 according to https://doc.owncloud.org/desktop/latest/installing.html does not work either.

Thanks for your help!

[dschmidt]

Hey @mreichh,

thanks for your valuable feedback.
There was indeed a slight difference in the way the rc1 was built. Due to a bug in the build scripts the beta msi did not contain the crash reporter, which was added back for rc1. The code path adding the crashreporter which was disabled before contained the bad conditional string shown by ORCA. I just triggered a new daily build that should have it fixed:
https://download.owncloud.com/desktop/daily/ownCloud-2.5.0.10550.10584-daily20180911.msi

(This build has no translations because they take a rather long time to build and I wanted to get out a fresh build to you as quickly as possible, as soon as a new build with translations finishes, I will replace the link)

Please let me know if this fixes your issue. The error code/message in your original report does not look like it is really related, but this is the only real change from beta to rc1 afaict.

[dschmidt]

If it doesn't fix your issue:

Was beta installation a fresh installation and rc an upgrade?

[mreichh]

perfect - the new build works like a charm, even for upgrading the previous beta. Thanks for that!

[guruz]

Superb :)
thank you @mreichh @dschmidt

[ingogoeppert]

I have the same problem (error 1605) with the released version ownCloud-2.5.0.10598.msi.
This version shows "Spanish" as language in the GPO.

The daily build, for example https://download.owncloud.com/desktop/daily/ownCloud-2.5.0.10680.10625-daily20180921.msi, installs per GPO without problems. This build shows English as language in the GPO. I don't know why, but it looks like multi-language MSIs can not be installed by GPO. If this ist the root cause, is it possible to provide a single language build to install per GPO?

[guruz]

@ingogoeppert Do you have more info like log output?

[ingogoeppert]

I enabled the debug log for the msi installer. I also have to set "Ignore the language", otherwise the GPO/Software is completly ignored on a Windows 8.1 x64 System with German language setting.

Here are the three logfiles I got:
MSI668c.LOG
MSI668e.LOG
MSI668f.LOG

[mreichh]

issue also arises with us. Is there a fix?

[michaelstingl]

Idea was to provide a English-only *.MSI. Does this work for you?

[mreichh]

actually optional German would be important for us.

[michaelstingl]

How do other projects handle this? Do they build 50+ installers?

[mreichh]

well, I'm not familiar with MSI technology in detail so I don't know. For ownCloud-2.5.0.10550.10584-daily20180911.msi German UI worked though.

[ingogoeppert]

How do other projects handle this? Do they build 50+ installers?

No. For example Kopano provides a english-only installer for GPO-installation and a multilingual installer for manual installation. This installer works also in a german Windows installation, no need to provide different installers. The software it self is multilingual in all installers.

[dschmidt]

Do you have sugesstions for filenames?

ownCloud-2.5.1.en-US.msi and ownCloud-2.5.1.MUI.msi?

edit:
After a short discussion with @michaelstingl I go for .en-US. infix for english only and no infix for multilingual user interface msi. Still happy to hear other suggestions tho :-)

[dschmidt]

https://download.owncloud.com/desktop/daily/ownCloud-2.5.1.10821.10745-daily20181016.msi
https://download.owncloud.com/desktop/daily/ownCloud-2.5.1.10821.10745-daily20181016.en-US.msi

https://download.owncloud.com/desktop/daily/ownCloud-2.6.0.10820.10744-daily20181016.msi
https://download.owncloud.com/desktop/daily/ownCloud-2.6.0.10820.10743-daily20181016.en-US.msi

[ingogoeppert]

Testet with https://download.owncloud.com/desktop/daily/ownCloud-2.5.1.10821.10745-daily20181016.en-US.msi. Works in our environment as expected :+1:

[jnweiger]

=== Tested by looking at the download mirrors
yesterday the daily build generated both daily20181016.msi and daily20181016.en-US.msi
today only daily-20181017.en-US.msi was generated.

Fixed the client daily job to include BUILD_WIN32_MSI_TRANSLATIONS=true

trigggered a client daily without manual help, this generated both msi flavours for 2.5

-> GOOD

[dschmidt]

pfff...

FTR: that's because dailies had no translations enabled. That's also why daily builds could be installed via GPO before already.
You enabled msi translations in dailies now and we should see both msis being built again.
(What I posted yesterday was triggered manually with translations enabled)

[michaelstingl]

actually optional German would be important for us.

@mreichh Could you elaborate on your use case for a German-only MSI installer? Your non-English-speaking end users should never see/use the English-only MSI installer with automated GPO deployment. The client itself is always multi-language, also in the English-only MSI installer.

[mreichh]

sorry for replying so sluggishly, just havent found time to test the new builds till now!

For GPO deployment https://download.owncloud.com/desktop/stable/ownCloud-2.5.3.11470.11300.en-US.msi now works like a charme, though the German MSI https://download.owncloud.com/desktop/stable/ownCloud-2.5.3.11470.11300.msi still does not. For me going with the English version is completely ok as after installation the Owncloud UI is in German resp. adapts to German OS environment.

Maybe I didn't really get the difference between both MSIs. Is it just the installer language? If so I think this really does not matter with regards to the silent GPO-based installation. Anyway, I'm now really fine with https://download.owncloud.com/desktop/stable/ownCloud-2.5.3.11470.11300.en-US.msi, many thanks for that!

[michaelstingl]

Is it just the installer language?

@mreichh Yes, only the installer is EN-only. And in automated deployments, users will never have to read inside the *.MSI.

[guruz]

@michaelstingl @dschmidt Can we have a better name for the en-US MSI? something with "GPO" without "en-US"?

[michaelstingl]

I have no strong opinion. @guruz suggestions?