Capture Methodologies: SmartMonitor and Snapshot

Here's a nice tip that explains the advantages (and disadvantages) of two capture mechanisms and how to use them both to create the best possible installation packages.

SmartMonitor

This Setup Capture mechanism monitors and records the installation's operations as they happen. This method is faster than snapshot comparisons, because it doesn't require a time-consuming scan of the computer. SmartMonitor records the following operations:

1. Copying, moving, deleting, or opening a file.
2. Replacing files even if they are the same size, modification date, and version.
3. Creating or removing a directory.
4. Creating, starting, stopping, or deleting a service.
5. Setting or deleting a registry value, creating or deleting a registry key.
6. Overwriting existing registry keys with the same value.
7. Installing ODBC drivers or configuring ODBC data sources.
8. Changing .INI files regardless of their location.

Snapshot

This Setup Capture mechanism scans the computer before installation occurs, then you perform the installation, then Setup Capture rescans the computer. Setup Capture records the differences between the two scans and adds them to the repackaged installation.

The disadvantages of this method are:

1. It does not capture the replacement of files if the files are the same size, modification date, and version.
2. It does not capture overwriting of existing registry keys.
3. INI file changes are handled differently-if an .INI file is in the Windows directory, changes to it are recorded as an .INI file change. If an .INI file is outside the Windows directory, the entire .INI file is added instead of just editing the file.

Using SmartMonitor in conjunction with Snapshot

Merge the results of both methods. If the results of the two methods don't match, the differences between the methods are added to the repackaged installation as well. This provides the most accurate and complete representation of the captured installation. If you selected the snapshot method, the Initial Scan dialog might appear. Specify whether to rerun the initial scan or use the initial scan that was created previously.

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