Automatically update Winows .NET Service

**\Ji Zhou [MSFT]\** · Nov 3 '08, 10:35 AM

RE: Automatically update Winows .NET Service

Hello Peter,

Actually, from the MSDN document
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms973805.aspx, we can see that the
ClickOnce does not support installing the .Net Windows Services. We have to
implement the self update logical by ourselves. The following is my simple
solution for this objective.

Firstly, I describe the scenario of my solution,

1.A .net Windows service named service.exe located at c:\services\
2.A folder named c:\services\upd ates stores the new version of a .net
Windows service
3.Now, you have a new version of the above mentioned service named
newservice.exe
4.An app named serviceupdate.e xe is located at c:\services\ for updating a
services automatically
Now, the solution is described as the following steps:

1.Creating an instance of FileSystemWatch er to listen to the change of file
system, the code looks like:
private void IntializeFileSy stemWatcher()
{
System.IO.FileS ystemWatcher newexe = new System.IO.FileS ystemWatcher(
"c:\\services\\ Updates", "newservice.exe ");
//other codes are described in step 2
}

protected override void OnStart(string[] args)
{
IntializeFileSy stemWatcher();
}

2.Listen to the Created or Changed event of the FileSystemWatch er instance,
the code looks like:
//the following code is put in the method IntializeFileSy stemWatcher()
newexe.Created += new FileSystemEvent Handler(NewExec utable);
newexe.Changed += new FileSystemEvent Handler(NewExec utable);
newexe.EnableRa isingEvents = true;

private void NewExecutable(o bject source, FileSystemEvent Args e)
{
Process.Start(" c:\\services\\s erviceupdate.ex e","service" ,
"newservice ");
}

The above code listen to the changed and created event. When the event
occurs, serviceupdate.e xe will be called to automatically update services.

3.Creating the serviceupdate.e xe app. The app is a simply console
application that is used to stop the old service, replace the service file
and then restart new service. The code looks like:
static void Main(string[] args)
{
if (args.Length == 0)
return;

string oldname = args[0];
string newname = args[1];

System.ServiceP rocess.ServiceC ontroller target = new
System.ServiceP rocess.ServiceC ontroller(oldna me);
target.Stop();

while(target.St atus
!=System.Servic eProcess.Servic eControllerStat us.Stopped)
{
target.Refresh( );
}
Thread.Sleep(20 00);

File.Delete("c: \\services\\" + oldname + ".exe");
File.Move("c:\\ services\\Updat es\\" + newname + ".exe", "c:\\services\\ "
+ newname + ".exe");

target.Start();
}

Serviceupdate.e xe needs two parameters. The first one is the name of old
services that is located at c:\seriveces in the solution. The second one is
the name of new services that is located at c:\services\upd ates in the
solution. Of course, you can set the same name for the old and new service
because they are in different folder.

Another solution is to create a separate AppDomain for each unique managed
service assembly and use Remoting to create and control the managed
service's IService implementation. There are two nice articles related to
this topic here.

http://www.15seconds.com/issue/040624.htm

http://www.15seconds.com/issue/040817.htm

Please let me know if these help for your scenario. If you have any future
questions or concerns, please let me know.

Best regards,
Ji Zhou (v-jzho@online.mic rosoft.com, remove 'online.')
Microsoft Online Community Support

Delighting our customers is our #1 priority. We welcome your comments and
suggestions about how we can improve the support we provide to you. Please
feel free to let my manager know what you think of the level of service
provided. You can send feedback directly to my manager at:
msdnmg@microsof t.com.

=============== =============== =============== =====
Get notification to my posts through email? Please refer to
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/subs...#notifications.

Note: The MSDN Managed Newsgroup support offering is for non-urgent issues
where an initial response from the community or a Microsoft Support
Engineer within 1 business day is acceptable. Please note that each follow
up response may take approximately 2 business days as the support
professional working with you may need further investigation to reach the
most efficient resolution. The offering is not appropriate for situations
that require urgent, real-time or phone-based interactions or complex
project analysis and dump analysis issues. Issues of this nature are best
handled working with a dedicated Microsoft Support Engineer by contacting
Microsoft Customer Support Services (CSS) at
http://support.microsoft.com/select/...tance&ln=en-us.
=============== =============== =============== =====
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

**Peter** · Nov 3 '08, 03:15 PM

Re: Automatically update Winows .NET Service

"""Ji Zhou [MSFT]""" <v-jzho@online.mic rosoft.comwrote in message
news:%23FELX9ZP JHA.1644@TK2MSF TNGHUB02.phx.gb l...

Hello Peter,
>
Actually, from the MSDN document
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms973805.aspx, we can see that the
ClickOnce does not support installing the .Net Windows Services. We have
to
implement the self update logical by ourselves. The following is my simple
solution for this objective.
>
Firstly, I describe the scenario of my solution,
>
1.A .net Windows service named service.exe located at c:\services\
2.A folder named c:\services\upd ates stores the new version of a .net
Windows service
3.Now, you have a new version of the above mentioned service named
newservice.exe
4.An app named serviceupdate.e xe is located at c:\services\ for updating a
services automatically
Now, the solution is described as the following steps:
>
1.Creating an instance of FileSystemWatch er to listen to the change of
file
system, the code looks like:
private void IntializeFileSy stemWatcher()
{
System.IO.FileS ystemWatcher newexe = new System.IO.FileS ystemWatcher(
"c:\\services\\ Updates", "newservice.exe ");
//other codes are described in step 2
}
>
protected override void OnStart(string[] args)
{
IntializeFileSy stemWatcher();
}
>
2.Listen to the Created or Changed event of the FileSystemWatch er
instance,
the code looks like:
//the following code is put in the method IntializeFileSy stemWatcher()
newexe.Created += new FileSystemEvent Handler(NewExec utable);
newexe.Changed += new FileSystemEvent Handler(NewExec utable);
newexe.EnableRa isingEvents = true;
>
private void NewExecutable(o bject source, FileSystemEvent Args e)
{
Process.Start(" c:\\services\\s erviceupdate.ex e","service" ,
"newservice ");
}
>
The above code listen to the changed and created event. When the event
occurs, serviceupdate.e xe will be called to automatically update services.
>
3.Creating the serviceupdate.e xe app. The app is a simply console
application that is used to stop the old service, replace the service file
and then restart new service. The code looks like:
static void Main(string[] args)
{
if (args.Length == 0)
return;
>
string oldname = args[0];
string newname = args[1];
>
System.ServiceP rocess.ServiceC ontroller target = new
System.ServiceP rocess.ServiceC ontroller(oldna me);
target.Stop();
>
while(target.St atus
!=System.Servic eProcess.Servic eControllerStat us.Stopped)
{
target.Refresh( );
}
Thread.Sleep(20 00);
>
File.Delete("c: \\services\\" + oldname + ".exe");
File.Move("c:\\ services\\Updat es\\" + newname + ".exe", "c:\\services\\ "
+ newname + ".exe");
>
target.Start();
}
>
Serviceupdate.e xe needs two parameters. The first one is the name of old
services that is located at c:\seriveces in the solution. The second one
is
the name of new services that is located at c:\services\upd ates in the
solution. Of course, you can set the same name for the old and new service
because they are in different folder.
>
Another solution is to create a separate AppDomain for each unique
managed
service assembly and use Remoting to create and control the managed
service's IService implementation. There are two nice articles related to
this topic here.
>

http://www.15seconds.com/issue/040624.htm

http://www.15seconds.com/issue/040817.htm

>
Please let me know if these help for your scenario. If you have any future
questions or concerns, please let me know.
>
>
Best regards,
Ji Zhou (v-jzho@online.mic rosoft.com, remove 'online.')
Microsoft Online Community Support
>
Delighting our customers is our #1 priority. We welcome your comments and
suggestions about how we can improve the support we provide to you. Please
feel free to let my manager know what you think of the level of service
provided. You can send feedback directly to my manager at:
msdnmg@microsof t.com.
>
=============== =============== =============== =====
Get notification to my posts through email? Please refer to
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/subs...#notifications.
>
Note: The MSDN Managed Newsgroup support offering is for non-urgent issues
where an initial response from the community or a Microsoft Support
Engineer within 1 business day is acceptable. Please note that each follow
up response may take approximately 2 business days as the support
professional working with you may need further investigation to reach the
most efficient resolution. The offering is not appropriate for situations
that require urgent, real-time or phone-based interactions or complex
project analysis and dump analysis issues. Issues of this nature are best
handled working with a dedicated Microsoft Support Engineer by contacting
Microsoft Customer Support Services (CSS) at
http://support.microsoft.com/select/...tance&ln=en-us.
=============== =============== =============== =====
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.
>

Thank you very much, just what I was looking for

Automatically update Winows .NET Service

Automatically update Winows .NET Service

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