ActivePatch - Summary

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Summary

ActivePatch by Catalyst Development Corporation

URLs: activepatch, catalyst-development, catalyst development, catalystdevelopment

Conserve bandwidth and speed update time for your applications. ActivePatch software development toolkit enables your application to reduce the size of updated files as much as 90%, significantly reducing network load and file download time. Use it to provide automatic updates for your software over the Internet, distribute modified databases over a corporate WAN, or reduce the storage requirements for archived files. ActivePatch does not depend on external tools or complicated batch files and proprietary scripting languages.

New in Version 1.2:

Modified patch generation and compression routines to reduce the overall size of patch files and packages. Implemented a new patch file format which reduces overhead for patches that contain a large number of change records. Existing patch files and packages can be used by the current version, but previous versions of the product will not be able to read the new format

Corrected a problem where package options were not propagated to individual patch files created when building a package. This could potentially cause the application of a package to fail because the correct options were not being specified at the time the patch was being applied

Corrected a problem where the Options property in the Package control was not being updated when a package was opened, and setting the property only worked when creating new packages. When a package is opened, the Options property is now set to that package's current options. Setting the property while a package is open will change the options for that package. Setting the property when there is no open package will change the default options used when a package is created

The CreatePatchFile, CreatePackage and SetPackageOptions functions will now ignore the PACKAGE_OPTION_NOUPDATE option if it is specified. This option is only valid when applying a patch file or package

Corrected a problem where PACKAGE_OPTION_NOUPDATE would indicate that the specific package could be applied successfully, but would fail when actually applied. This option now provides more extensive validation of the package and the patches that it contains

Corrected a problem where the compression ratio for a patch file would be returned as a very large number. This affected both the values returned in the PATCH_FILE_INFORMATION structure as well as the Compression property for the PackageFile object

Corrected a problem where temporary files could be left in the installation or system temporary directory when the application process failed or was canceled

Corrected a problem where an error would be returned when attempting to access certain properties of the control in a scripting environment, such as the Windows Scripting Host

The error AP_ERROR_INVALID_PATCH_LEVEL is returned if an invalid patch level is specified when creating a patch file. Patch levels must be between 1 and 9, defined as PATCH_LEVEL_MINIMUM and PATCH_LEVEL_MAXIMUM. Patch level 0 is a special value which specifies a default patch level that has the best balance between patch size and patch generation speed. This patch level is defined as PATCH_LEVEL_DEFAULT and corresponds to patch level 4

Updated Developer's Guide, Technical Reference online help and product samples

New in Version 1.1:

Corrects a problem with progress events not firing correctly, under some circumstances, or the percentage values being incorrect as a package is created or applied

Corrects a problem with locked files on Windows 95/98, where in some cases the files would not be replaced after the system was restarted

Corrects a problem where a locked file could cause the library or control to search for another matching file on the local system (as if the locked file did not exist)

Adds three new methods to the Package control. Open, which explicitly opens a package (rather than using the side-effect of setting the FileName and Password properties, although this can still be done); Close which explicitly closes a package; Flush which forces any changes to the package to be written to disk

Adds a new property to the Package control called Applied; if this value is zero, the package has not been applied on the local system; if the value is non-zero, the package has been applied and the actual value specifies one or more bitfields (1=completed, 2=delayed). This allows your application to determine if any of the updates were delayed because a file was locked. The code would look like this:

If Package1.Applied And apApplyDelayed Then

MsgBox "You must restart you system ...", vbInformation

End If

The ApplyPackage syntax has been updated in the DLL so that the reserved parameter is now a pointer to an unsigned long integer which contains status bits that provide information about the package application; this is backwards compatible as long as developers followed the documentation and only specified a value of 0 for the reserved parameter

The PACKAGE_OPTION_NOUPDATE and PATCH_OPTION_NOUPDATE option flags have been added for the ApplyPackage and ApplyPatchFile functions respectively. This allows an application to test the package or patch apply process without modifying any files on the target system. In the case of packages, it can be combined with the apply status to determine if applying a package would potentially require the user to reboot the system

The PACKAGE_OPTION_IGNORE_MODIFIED option flag has been added for the ApplyPackage function. This specifies that ApplyPackage should not return an error if it determines that a target file has been modified. Instead, it ignores the file and processes the next update in the package. This option should be used with caution, since it explicitly bypasses the an integrity check that makes sure that each target file is identical to the original version of the file at the time that the package was created. Inappropriate use of this flag can potentially leave a target system in a "half-patched" state

A new FlushPackage function has been added which corresponds to the control's Flush method

A new error code AP_ERROR_FILE_LOCKED has been added which is more explicit than the more general access denied error; a problem where the AP_ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND error may be returned for a locked file has also been corrected

The ActivePatch API is designed to be simple enough to easily integrate into existing products, as well as offer a great degree of power and flexibility. ActivePatch comes with sample programs written in Visual Basic and C++, and includes utilities that simplify the creation and application of patches.

Using ActivePatch has a number of important advantages over the common methods of software re-packaging or incremental updates:

Reduces the size of an update

ActivePatch analyzes the original and updated file at the byte level, generating the smallest size patch file required to perform the update. This results in a significant reduction in the size of the patch, which translates into lower bandwidth usage, shorter download times and increased reliability.

Faster update creation and distribution

Unlike re-packaging or creating incremental updates, generating a patch does not require the developer to create another program or modify an existing script (such as an InstallShield installation script) for each update that is released.

Improved technical support and customer satisfaction

With the ability to easily generate patches for updated software, there is no reason to keep customers waiting for the next version. Your customers always have the latest version of your software, reducing the number of technical support issues for those defects, which have already been corrected.

Lowered media and distribution costs

The ability to distribute a small patch, rather than re-packaging the complete product, can significantly reduce the costs associated with creating and shipping media. In addition, the smaller size of the patch files means bandwidth savings when making the update available for download.

Complete integration with the application

The ActivePatch SDK allows the developer to fully integrate the patching process within the application. This provides the flexibility to implement custom user interfaces, specialized processing on updated files or any other customization required during the patching process or after the patch has been applied.

Safety and security

The patching process is designed to be completely safe, committing the update only if no problems are encountered during the process. The original and updated file version, checksum and digital signature (if any) are checked to ensure that the file was patched correctly. A patch may be encrypted so that a password is required before it can be applied. Because a patch consists only of the changes to a file, it requires that the user actually have the software installed on their system, and can help protect against illegal distributions of updates for your software.

ACTIVEPATCH FEATURES

ActivePatch provides a comprehensive solution for the generation and application of product updates and upgrades. The following are some of the key features of ActivePatch:

Support for all file types

Patches are generated by analyzing the original and updated file at the byte level and will work on all file types including text files, binary data files, and executable programs.

Optimal patch file generation

The patch generation algorithm is adaptive, selecting the optimal method for creating the patch based on the contents of the file and the extent of the changes between the original and updated versions of the file. The developer has the option to generate smaller patches at the expense of speed and memory usage, or minimize memory usage during patch generation at the expense of the patch size.

Fast patch file application

The patch application algorithm is designed for speed, and minimal memory and CPU utilization on the target platform.

Update multiple files and directories.

Create patch packages that can be used to update multiple files at once. Directories can be recursively scanned, producing a list of files that have been added, deleted and modified from the original distribution.

Safe error recovery

A patch is only applied when it has been determined that all updated files have been patched successfully and have passed all validation checks. The patch application process calculates and verifies CRC checksums for each file, compares file version information, and validates any AuthentiCode digital signatures present in object modules. File deletions may be sent to the Windows recycle bin for easy recovery by the user.

Automatic file backup and logging

Backup copies of the files modified during the patching process can be created, allowing the patch to be rolled back if needed. Activity during the patch application process is automatically logged in a human-readable text format.

Support for file attributes and permissions

After the patch process has completed, the file's timestamp, attributes and permissions are updated to match the new version of the file. The developer can choose to ignore these values if required.

Support for shared files

A file can be marked as shared and if it is currently in use, it will be replaced after the next system reboot. If a shared file is added or removed from the system, the file's reference count in the registry will be updated accordingly.

Support for ActiveX components

When a self-registering ActiveX component is updated, it can be automatically registered after the patching process has completed.

Support for executable programs

After the patching process has completed, a designated program or script can be executed along with any required command line arguments.

Conserve bandwidth and speed update time for your applications.

Pricing: ActivePatch V1.2 SP1 1 Developer License, ActivePatch V1.2 SP1 1 Developer License with Standard Support, ActivePatch V1.2 SP1 1 Developer License with Priority Support

Evals & Downloads: Read the ActivePatch help file, Read the ActivePatch Review, Read about the Catalyst Support Annual Subscription Options, Download the ActivePatch V1.2 SP1 evaluation on to your computer - Expires after 30 days

Operating System for Deployment: Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows ME, Windows 2000, Windows 98, Windows NT 4.0, Windows 95

Architecture of Product: 32Bit

Product Type: Component

Component Type: ActiveX OCX, DLL

Built Using: MFC V4.2 / V6.0, ActiveX Template Library (ATL)

General: Includes Digital Signature, Marked as Safe for Initialization, OCX96 Compatible, Supports Apartment Model Threading

Compatible Containers: Microsoft Visual Studio .NET, Microsoft Visual Studio 6.0, Microsoft Visual Studio 97, Microsoft Visual Basic .NET, Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0, Microsoft Visual Basic 5.0, Microsoft Visual C++ .NET, Microsoft Visual C++ 6.0, Microsoft Visual C++ 5.0, Microsoft Visual C# .NET, Microsoft ActiveX Control Pad, Microsoft Office 2000, Microsoft Office 97, Microsoft Internet Information Server 5.0, Microsoft Internet Information Server 4.0, Delphi 6.0, Delphi 5.0, Delphi 4.0, .NET Framework 1.0

Product Class: Business Components

Keywords: File Handling Components patch patching installation activepatch analyze differences apply patches archive files automatic file update software upgrade binary data compare version compress create patch between distribute updates distribution archive fix

Catalyst Development Corporation socket tools

Updates Update Updating Patch Patches

File Handling

ecommerce e commerce e-commerce e-business e-sales

Internet Communication IP comms

Version versioning versions

Part numbers: PC-511806-22530 511806-22530 PC-511806-27515 511806-27515 PC-511806-27518 511806-27518

Mfr. Part No: AP1 AP1-EP AP1-ES