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This is related to this other question. I need to dynamically generate a custom Windows EXE installer from a *nix machine (running PHP, or whatever) that contains custom files to be installed on the client's machine.

This will be used to generate client-specific OpenVPN installers based on their preferences and authentication information. Runtime is not important, as it can be done async.

Some ideas, already tried and not working:

  1. Use a scheme similar to ninite.com, where the downloaded executable is always the same, but the filename is different, so the installer uses the information in the filename to make decisions.
  2. Using a resource editor to edit a prebuilt installer's resources. Not only are unix resource editors for windows executable rare, it also creates new problems, and don't solve the problem of different files being installed.

What would work best is a NSIS/InnoSetup compiler (targeting Windows) running on UNIX, but other inventive solutions are okay.

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Ricardo Pardini
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  • Take a look at how Google are using [Omaha](http://code.google.com/p/omaha/), it's not quite what you're looking for but might give you some ideas. – saschabeaumont Feb 10 '11 at 05:38
  • Thanks, it's very interesting, but not really related. I need to generate (compile) an installer on UNIX, to be run on Windows. After that it might even the using Omaha to keep the software updated, but first things first, I need to get the installer to the client. Thanks. – Ricardo Pardini Feb 11 '11 at 23:10

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Answering my own question, it seems that both NSIS (used by default on OpenVPN source code) and Inno Setup can run on Linux.

Inno Setup can be used under Wine, it's a command line utility so it's really simple and works. See http://katastrophos.net/andre/blog/2009/03/16/setting-up-the-inno-setup-compiler-on-debian/

NSIS actually has a native Unix port, it's available as "nsis" package on Ubuntu/Debian. It has the "makensis" available, which can compile (on Unix) the windows executable from a .nsi file.

Just for info, I can compile a complete .exe installer in under 5 seconds, including all the dynamic stuff. PHP is used to exec() the build after preparing it, and sends the exe as a download to the client.

I suppose this (or something very similar) is how it works in the commercial OpenVPN server offering.

Ricardo Pardini
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