November 2005 - Installer-dev

Re: Admin vs Root Authorization
by Peter Bierman 30 Nov '05

30 Nov '05

site_archiver(a)lists.apple.com Delivered-To: installer-dev(a)lists.apple.com No, the two mechanisms are not connected in any way. -pmb _______________________________________________ Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored. Installer-dev mailing list (Installer-dev(a)lists.apple.com) Help/Unsubscribe/Update your Subscription: http://lists.apple.com/mailman/options/installer-dev/site_archiver%40lists.… At 11:26 PM +0100 11/30/05, Stéphane Sudre wrote: Hum, if you are a user with an admin account but do not belong to the sudoers, does this mean that Admin Authorization is still the same as Root Authorization? "Admin" authorization for the Installer only cares if you are in the 'admin' group. This email sent to site_archiver(a)lists.apple.com

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Re: Admin vs Root Authorization
by Stéphane Sudre 30 Nov '05

30 Nov '05

site_archiver(a)lists.apple.com Delivered-To: installer-dev(a)lists.apple.com On mercredi, novembre 30, 2005, at 10:49 PM, Peter Bierman wrote: It's a policy distinction, not a technical one. _______________________________________________ Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored. Installer-dev mailing list (Installer-dev(a)lists.apple.com) Help/Unsubscribe/Update your Subscription: http://lists.apple.com/mailman/options/installer-dev/site_archiver%40lists.… 'Admin' and 'Root' authorization in the Installer enable the exact same behavior for the install. They differ only in that 'Admin' authorization does NOT ask users in the admin group for a password first. Much like System Preferences does not force admin users to enter their password for otherwise protected operations. Unfortunately, the installer itself can not determine if your package "should" ask for a password. 99% of the time, such packages probably should ask for a password and use "Root" authentication. There's been plenty of confusion about this, even inside Apple, so the behavior of these flags is currently being reviewed and may change if we decide that "admin" authorization is an unnecessary risk. The issue isn't capability, but notification. Asking users for their password in order to "alert" them to an unusual situation can lead to password fatigue, so in the case of the broadband tuner, someone decided that an extra "heads up" wasn't necessary. Hum, if you are a user with an admin account but do not belong to the sudoers, does this mean that Admin Authorization is still the same as Root Authorization? This email sent to site_archiver(a)lists.apple.com

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Re: Admin vs Root Authorization
by Peter Bierman 30 Nov '05

30 Nov '05

site_archiver(a)lists.apple.com Delivered-To: installer-dev(a)lists.apple.com It's a policy distinction, not a technical one. -pmb Stupid question: _______________________________________________ Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored. Installer-dev mailing list (Installer-dev(a)lists.apple.com) Help/Unsubscribe/Update your Subscription: http://lists.apple.com/mailman/options/installer-dev/bierman%40apple.com _______________________________________________ Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored. Installer-dev mailing list (Installer-dev(a)lists.apple.com) Help/Unsubscribe/Update your Subscription: http://lists.apple.com/mailman/options/installer-dev/site_archiver%40lists.… 'Admin' and 'Root' authorization in the Installer enable the exact same behavior for the install. They differ only in that 'Admin' authorization does NOT ask users in the admin group for a password first. Much like System Preferences does not force admin users to enter their password for otherwise protected operations. Unfortunately, the installer itself can not determine if your package "should" ask for a password. 99% of the time, such packages probably should ask for a password and use "Root" authentication. There's been plenty of confusion about this, even inside Apple, so the behavior of these flags is currently being reviewed and may change if we decide that "admin" authorization is an unnecessary risk. The issue isn't capability, but notification. Asking users for their password in order to "alert" them to an unusual situation can lead to password fatigue, so in the case of the broadband tuner, someone decided that an extra "heads up" wasn't necessary. At 9:11 PM +0100 11/30/05, Stéphane Sudre wrote: What is the theoretical limit when you need to stop asking for Admin Authorization and start asking for Root Authorization? I'm asking this because the limit is not clearly defined I think (or I just don't get it). If I take for instance the BroadBandTunerInstaller Metapackage that Apple just released, this pseudo-installer (interesting solution BTW) is requiring Admin Authorization to change the /private/etc/sysctl.conf file whose owner is root:wheel. In this case, since this is a system owned file, I would tend to believe Root Authorization should be required. Yet only Admin authorization is requested. This email sent to bierman(a)apple.com This email sent to site_archiver(a)lists.apple.com

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Admin vs Root Authorization
by Stéphane Sudre 30 Nov '05

30 Nov '05

site_archiver(a)lists.apple.com Delivered-To: installer-dev(a)lists.apple.com Stupid question: _______________________________________________ Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored. Installer-dev mailing list (Installer-dev(a)lists.apple.com) Help/Unsubscribe/Update your Subscription: http://lists.apple.com/mailman/options/installer-dev/site_archiver%40lists.… What is the theoretical limit when you need to stop asking for Admin Authorization and start asking for Root Authorization? I'm asking this because the limit is not clearly defined I think (or I just don't get it). If I take for instance the BroadBandTunerInstaller Metapackage that Apple just released, this pseudo-installer (interesting solution BTW) is requiring Admin Authorization to change the /private/etc/sysctl.conf file whose owner is root:wheel. In this case, since this is a system owned file, I would tend to believe Root Authorization should be required. Yet only Admin authorization is requested. This email sent to site_archiver(a)lists.apple.com

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Re: Required Packages in Distributions?
by Christopher Ryan 30 Nov '05

30 Nov '05

site_archiver(a)lists.apple.com Delivered-To: installer-dev(a)lists.apple.com For example: <choice id='requiredChoice' start_enabled='false' start_selected='true' title='required choice'/> <choice id='requiredChoice' start_selected='choiceSelected()' start_enabled='choiceEnabled()' title='required choice'/> <script> function checkRAMRequirement(RAM) { var requiredRAM = (RAM * 1024 * 1024); var actualRAM = system.sysctl('hw.memsize'); return (actualRAM > requiredRAM); } function choiceEnabled(){ if(checkRAMRequirement(2048)) return false; return true; } function choiceSelected(){ if(checkRAMRequirement(2048)) return true; return false; } </script> Chris Thanks! Karl Schramm _______________________________________________ Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored. Installer-dev mailing list (Installer-dev(a)lists.apple.com) Help/Unsubscribe/Update your Subscription: http://lists.apple.com/mailman/options/installer-dev/site_archiver%40lists.… There is no "required" bit in distributions, but it is rather a combination of setting the enabled and selected bits correctly. This would create a choice named "required choice" that is selected (checked), but disabled, which has the same behavior of "required." Of course, enabled and selected can be javascript and only require an item "dynamically." Hi, I've been following the thread on required packages in metapackages and was wondering if the same can be done with distributions. This email sent to site_archiver(a)lists.apple.com

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Re: Required Packages in Metapackage (Metapackage not required)
by robert.maggi＠kodak.com 30 Nov '05

30 Nov '05

site_archiver(a)lists.apple.com Delivered-To: installer-dev(a)lists.apple.com _______________________________________________ Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored. Installer-dev mailing list (Installer-dev(a)lists.apple.com) Help/Unsubscribe/Update your Subscription: http://lists.apple.com/mailman/options/installer-dev/site_archiver%40lists.… This email sent to site_archiver(a)lists.apple.com On 29/11/2005, at 7:07 AM, robert.maggi(a)kodak.com wrote: > I am creating a CUPS printer driver and need to put the driver in / > Library/Printers/Kodak/... and its PPD file in /Library/Printers/ > PPDs/Contents/Resources/en.lproj. While I currently move everything > to the Kodak folder and then run a postflight script to copy the > PPD file where it belongs, this seems like a good place to use a > metapackage file (10.3.9 or later, so dist files need not apply). I > can create the two .pkg files, and I can create a metapackage file > that includes the two .pkg files (both with the Required > attribute), but the .mpkg file allows the user to deselect either > (or both) packages after clicking the Customize button during > installation. While I don't mind them seeing there are two > packages, I need both be installed for the driver to work.

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Required Packages in Distributions?
by Karl Schramm 30 Nov '05

30 Nov '05

site_archiver(a)lists.apple.com Delivered-To: installer-dev(a)lists.apple.com Hi, Thanks! Karl Schramm _______________________________________________ Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored. Installer-dev mailing list (Installer-dev(a)lists.apple.com) Help/Unsubscribe/Update your Subscription: http://lists.apple.com/mailman/options/installer-dev/site_archiver%40lists.… I've been following the thread on required packages in metapackages and was wondering if the same can be done with distributions. This email sent to site_archiver(a)lists.apple.com

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Re: Can I use "Check" programs, instead of scripts?
by Peter Bierman 29 Nov '05

29 Nov '05

site_archiver(a)lists.apple.com Delivered-To: installer-dev(a)lists.apple.com -pmb _______________________________________________ Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored. Installer-dev mailing list (Installer-dev(a)lists.apple.com) Help/Unsubscribe/Update your Subscription: http://lists.apple.com/mailman/options/installer-dev/site_archiver%40lists.… At 1:20 PM -0800 11/21/05, Scott Fraser wrote: I'm using PackageMaker (v2.1 (122)) to create an installer. I'm trying to use a compiled tool, rather than a script, for the InstallationCheck and VolumeCheck. Others have answered why they aren't being run and how to get them to run, but I want to comment on the question in the subject line... You _can_ use executable binaries for the various tools, but you should avoid it if you can. Your package might be opened on any release of Mac OS X past and future, from 10.0 to Mac OS 20 (someday.) A well written shell script is a lot more likely to work on systems in the past and in the future. This email sent to site_archiver(a)lists.apple.com

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Re: Using InstallerPlugins
by Stéphane Sudre 29 Nov '05

29 Nov '05

site_archiver(a)lists.apple.com Delivered-To: installer-dev(a)lists.apple.com On mardi, novembre 29, 2005, at 12:07 AM, Russ Seehafer wrote: o Put the Plugin in Contents/Plugins of the package <usual plist header stuff before> <array> <string>Introduction</string> <string>YourPlugin.bundle</string> <string>ReadMe</string> <string>License</string> <string>Target</string> <string>PackageSelection</string> <string>Install</string> </array> <usual plist footer stuff after> My $0.02 _______________________________________________ Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored. Installer-dev mailing list (Installer-dev(a)lists.apple.com) Help/Unsubscribe/Update your Subscription: http://lists.apple.com/mailman/options/installer-dev/site_archiver%40lists.… I am having a very hard time figuring out how to incorporate an InstallerPlugin created in Xcode into my distribution package. I may very well be missing something obvious but, for the life of me, I cannot figure it out. If anyone knows how to do this I would greatly appreciate a reply. Thank you, If you already have built your plugin with XCode, you just need to copy the appropriate components in your (distribution) package. o Add an InstallerSections.plist file which defines the order of relations between the sections. This email sent to site_archiver(a)lists.apple.com

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Using InstallerPlugins
by Russ Seehafer 28 Nov '05

28 Nov '05

site_archiver(a)lists.apple.com Delivered-To: installer-dev(a)lists.apple.com Domainkey-signature: a=rsa-sha1; q=dns; c=nofws; s=beta; d=gmail.com; h=received:mime-version:content-transfer-encoding:message-id:content-type:to:from:subject:date:x-mailer:sender; b=FOHqbf1sYJK+ay4o1ccMsLI8VC5Uo/oJgguyIxt4ayfsjCCRAE+eC2N01Qw/2iYZDlN7uEOeV77a4YkZS+wSZzu/Sx5o4gUg0yiHHcjNxoVBv8sQpIFWhnbNa3FCs2sVlBtrdenCDw6urhv8tDrh4gtaxmu9L3KIfmFYyd2GKXw= I am having a very hard time figuring out how to incorporate an InstallerPlugin created in Xcode into my distribution package. I may very well be missing something obvious but, for the life of me, I cannot figure it out. If anyone knows how to do this I would greatly appreciate a reply. Thank you, Russ. _______________________________________________ Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored. Installer-dev mailing list (Installer-dev(a)lists.apple.com) Help/Unsubscribe/Update your Subscription: http://lists.apple.com/mailman/options/installer-dev/site_archiver%40lists.… This email sent to site_archiver(a)lists.apple.com

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