Is there a way to auto deploy executable update?

Question

I am in a position  where I develope database systems. I control everything with LabVIEW executables, and I am constantly deploying updates. What I do is to load my flash drive with the latest and greatest and run around to 50 or so computers updating the different systems. About half of the computers have the user as an administrator, and the other half I am able to log on as an administrator to install the updates. This is a time consuming and interuptive process. Is there a way to force updates to the variious computers whether the user has an administrator account or not? I don't want the programs to be stored in an accessible location, because the security of the system depends on only certain people having certain programs. There are roughly 25 programs that make up the systems. Thank you for any suggestions that will make the deployment of updates less painful.

Answer 1

Nickerbocker wrote:
I can't think of anything built into LabVIEW that would allow this to happen seamlessly.  I would probably write in an automatic update feature in the main program that periodically checks a secure location for a new file or something along those lines.  That way, computers and users that are already authorized to use the program will get their updates when they are available and people who do not have it will not get their updates.  It will probably involve a lot of extra coding and be a whole lot of fun...  The process could be something like:
1. Main VI checks secure network location for update.
2. If new update exists, Main VI shuts itself down and calls an "updater" VI that replaces the Main VI's executable with the new one.
3. Updater VI closes itself and calls the new Main VI to load
You could also add something like an email alert that a particular system was updated successfully (or not).  Since LabVIEW comes with VI's for accessing FTP servers or SMB file shares, I think this would be fairly straight forward.
Our IT guy did something like this for one of the main VB programs we use in engineering.  However, you could do it by eliminating a step.
Let the exectuable that the user launches be the updating program.  If it detects a new executable is available, it copies that to the user's hard drive then launches that.  If a new exectuable is not present, then it just launches the executable already present.  I believe he just uses a comparison of the executable file dates.
This will essentially eliminate step 2 where the main VI needs to shut itself down and call an updater, because the main VI executable that you want to update hasn't actually launched yet.