Installing all the new stuff

Brian Harry

March 9th, 20110 0

We released a ton of new stuff this week and this, of course, only adds to all the other stuff we have released.  I got a request on one of my posts to clarify what is installed where and in what order.  I’ll try to make sense of it all here. First a couple of principles:

  • Servicing is all cumulative – Service Packs include all prior GDRs and QFEs, GDRs include prior QFEs, QFEs include prior QFEs if they modified the same binaries.
  • Feature Packs generally don’t change “core” product bits.  There’s a weird one in the list below but I’ll explain how it doesn’t actually violate the principle.  By “core” bits, I mean files that were included in the product when it was originally shipped.
  • Power Tools also don’t change “core” product bits.
  • Feature Packs and Power Tools are orthogonal.  Feature Packs are only available to people with appropriate MSDN subscriptions.  Power Tools are available to everyone with the appropriate product license (with or without MSDN).
  • Feature Packs are cumulative where you are likely to install them on the same machine.  In general, we try hard to minimize the number of things you have to install.  Power Tools tend to have the most separate installs because the Power Tool release process is very streamlined and doesn’t accommodate the coordination to manage cross-team accumulation.

Now let’s look at what we’ve released.

  • SP1 includes all servicing releases before it – including the Lab Management GDR.  Basically, all the software bits to enable the Lab Management GDR are in SP1.  You just need the MSDN subscription to be licensed to use them.
  • The Testing Feature Pack includes the Architecture and Modeling Feature Pack because both are designed to be installed on the VS client.
  • The Lab Management Feature Pack is included in the GDR and SP1.  Officially it doesn’t violate the “Feature Packs don’t change core bits” rule because we shipped the bits on the servicing train (following the servicing train rules).  Really the “Feature Pack” here was a license grant only – no additional bits.
  • The Project Server Feature Pack is a separate install because it is intended to be installed on your Project Server server and, in general, it’s unlikely that’s shared with any of your other infrastructure.  All the TFS (client and server) changes necessary to work with the new Project Server extensions are in SP1.
  • The Load Testing Feature Pack doesn’t include any new software.  It too is really just a licensing change.  The “real” difference, as far as you are concerned, is that if you have a VS Ultimate with MSDN subscription, you can now download vUser license keys from the MSDN Subscriber download site.
  • Power Tools (TFS, Pro, VS Ultimate, etc) are all independent.  You only need to install the latest version of any given line but none of them include others.  VS Ultimate doesn’t include Pro or TFS, for instance.
  • Team Explorer Everywhere SP1 is a combined installer that includes both the RTM code as well as the SP1 updates.

Now let’s look at what you have to install where…

On the client

Other than the restriction that you must install VS before any of the other things, there really aren’t any ordering requirements.  I’ve seen requests to enable “slipstreaming” of 2010 and 2010 SP1 – that’s creating a combined installer that installs both the RTM product and the SP1 together in a single installation experience.  Unfortunately, we are not going to be able to do that this release.  I won’t bore you with all the details but let’s just say that our install is complicated enough that it’s not easy and our infrastructure doesn’t support it well.  Getting into a position where this is something we can do as a matter of course is something we are striving for in our next release.

  • VS 2010 and/or Microsoft Test Professional 2010
  • VS 2010 SP1
  • Team Explorer Everywhere 2010 with SP1
  • Testing Feature Pack (includes Architecture & Modeling Feature Pack)
  • Power Tools
  • Windows SDK – beware that there’s an issue documented here.

On the TFS server

If TFS and VS are on the same machine they the must either both be updated to SP1 or neither.  We don’t support mixing SP1 and non-SP1 on the same machine.

  • TFS 2010
  • TFS 2010 SP1
  • Make sure you upgrade your build machines to SP1 too – while not strictly necessary, it’s highly recommended.

On a Sharepoint Server associated with TFS

The Sharepoint Extensions for TFS need to be patched.  There was at least one very significant performance fix.

  • TFS 2010 SP1

On a TFS Build Machine

  • TFS 2010 Build Controller/Agent(s)
  • TFS SP1
  • VS SP1 (assuming you have VS installed on your build machine too – most people do).

On Project Server

  • Ensure that TFS 2010 SP1 is installed on your TFS server
  • Project Server Integration Feature Pack

On a Test Controller, Test Agent or Lab Agent

On a TFS Proxy

To my knowledge, we didn’t actually make any SP1 fixes for the proxy so, in general, you shouldn’t need to install SP1.  If, however, the Proxy is installed on a machine with VS and you install VS SP1 then you will need to install TFS SP1 as well.  Consistency is required on the same machine.

  • TFS Proxy
  • TFS SP1

FAQ

Can I create a combined RTM & SP1 installer?  Unfortunately, we are not going to be able to do that this release.  I won’t bore you with all the details but let’s just say that our install is complicated enough that it’s not easy and our infrastructure doesn’t support it well.  Getting into a position where this is something we can do as a matter of course is something we are striving for in our next release. Do I need to uninstall the SP1 Beta before installing SP1? No, SP1 will install over top of the Beta. Can an RTM VS work with an SP1 TFS or can an SP1 VS work with an RTM TFS?  Yes to both.  There is no requirement that the client and server be at the same servicing level. If VS & TFS are on the same machine, do I need to install both VS SP1 and TFS SP1?  Yes.  Installing only one of them will break the other one.  You must install both.  The order you install them doesn’t matter but I recommend installing the TFS SP first. Do I need to install SP1 on my TFS build machines if I upgrade my server to SP1? Yes.  While not strictly necessary, we focused our testing on the scenario where the build machine and TFS server are at the same servicing level so it is the strongly recommended configuration. What can I do if I hit an error installing one of the SPs?  Often your most reliable option is to open a support case.  Before that you might want to check out the VS installation forum.  Also, the best blog around for staying up to date on installer issues is Heath Stewart’s.  There’s also a TFS SP1 troubleshooting guide here.

Do I still need to install QFE for Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Feature Pack 2 before I can install Feature Pack 2 now where I have installed VS SP1?  No, that QFE is included in SP1

Will TFS SP1 require a reboot of our sharepoint servers? Yes, unfortunately, it probably will (when you install the SP on the Sharepoint frontends – to update the TFS extensions). If I update my TFS and Controller infrastructure to SP1, do I have to go update all my lab agents too?  No.  The RTM agents will work with SP1 infrastructure but we recommend that you plan to update them at some point.  I suspect I haven’t answered all the very legitimate questions, so I’ll keep updating this post as people as more and we’ll have a nice central place you can go to find the answer. Brian

Brian Harry Corporate Vice President, Cloud Developer Services

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