Deploying to Floppy Disks

You deploy to disks in a situation where

• Users are in many locations without any common central connection.

• Not all users have access to the Web.

• Not all users have a CD drive.

A typical application requiring disk deployment would be one whose users were salespeople with various types of laptop PCs scattered across a wide geographic area. You might not be able to guarantee that every salesperson has a CD drive or a fast modem.

As you can see from this example, a disk deployment is a "lowest common denominator" solution. Deploying to disks will cast the widest net around possible users of the application. To deploy an application to disks, you must take the steps in Step by Step 21.1.

STEP BY STEP
21.1 Deploying an Application to Disks

1. Create an installation package as discussed in the first part of this chapter and make sure that you have saved the packaging script. Note that the installation package must have created multiple CAB files, and the size chosen for the CAB files must be less than or equal to the capacity of the disk media that you will be using.

2. From within the project, run Package and Deployment Wizard, choosing the Deployment icon (the middle icon) on the opening screen.

3. Choose Floppy Disks as the deployment method (see Figure 21.19).
   
   
   FIGURE 21.19 Choosing the Floppy Disks option.

4. Choose a disk drive (see Figure 21.20). You may also elect to have the wizard format each disk before copying information to the disk.
   
   
   FIGURE 21.20 Choosing a disk drive.

5. Rename your deployment script from the standard name supplied by the wizard (see Figure 21.21).
   
   
   FIGURE 21.21 Assigning a name to the floppy disk deployment script.

6. After you have clicked the Finish button, you’re not done! Setup wizard will begin copying information to disks. It prompts you before it begins with each disk (see Figure 21.22). This is also the first time that you know how many disks the deployment will require (the information appears in the prompt).
   
   
   FIGURE 21.22. The Package and Deployment Wizard prompt to insert a disk.

7. If you chose to format the disks (see step 4), then the wizard will present you with a Format dialog box, as shown in Figure 21.23.
   
   
   FIGURE 21.23. Package and Deployment Wizard’s Format dialog box.

8. Setup wizard will copy information to each disk (see Figure 21.24).
   
   
   FIGURE 21.24 Package and Deployment Wizard copies information to a deployment disk.

9. You will repeat steps 6 through 8 until you have created all the disks that the deployment requires.