AppInstall can be used to install Appx packages on an IoT-Core device This blog covers an updated version of the toolkit for use on the latest Winsider IoT-Core builds.
Previous blog in tis series: Win 10 IoT- AppX Installation Options–1
There is an AppInstall sample tool on GitHub: AppInstall on GitHub which enables you to install an AppX app package on an IoT-Core device using two scripts that run on the device. This, as discussed in the previous blog (an updated yesterday) targets Threshold builds (10512). There is an alternative for the latest 14XXX Redstone Winsider builds of the IoT-Core OS.
With AppInstall, there are two batch files that you modify for the specific package to be installed and place with the package files (Package .appx, .cer, and depdendancy .appx’s) in a folder on the device You then place a provide command file, oemcommnd.cmd in \Windows\Sys32 on the target that calls AppInstall.bat in the folder.. You then reboot the device and the app install runs on booting.
Alternatively you can directly run AppInstall.bat in a shell (PowerShell, SSH or the on device command shell).
The AppInstall toolkit
AppInstall.bat and DeployAppx.bat have to modified for the particular application package as does the dependencies.
There is now an updated version of this tool for 14XXX versions of the Windows 10 IoT-Core OS.
The main difference is that in Threshold there was Mindeployappx.exe in c:\windows\system32 where as for 14XXX this was replaced by deployappx.exe in c:\windows\system32
The original AppInstall fails because of this on 14XXX and continues to fail if you copy Mindeployappx to a 14XXX system.
The alternative tool is set up in the same manner and can differentiate between Threshold and 14XXX systems It is located at::
https://github.com/ms-iot/iot-adk-addonkit/tree/develop/Source-arm/Packages/Appx.Main/AppInstall
The new toolkit uses command files rather than batch files. Apart from that, the setup is the same.
You download the toolkit to your desktop, replace MainAppx.appx and .cer with your target package files; as well as update the dependency .apps’s.
You then modify the two command files for your package and run AppInstall.cmd in a shell.
Here is the MainApp installing in a PowerShell run an a RPI3 with OS build 14366
[192.168.0.26]: PS C:\temp\appinstall> c:\temp\appinstall\appinstall.cmd
Appx Name :MainAppx_1.0.0.0_arm
Adding AllowAllTrustedApps Reg Key.
Installing dependency appx packages
Installing Microsoft.VCLibs.ARM.14.00.appx
Installing Microsoft.NET.Native.Runtime.1.1.appx
Installing Microsoft.NET.Native.Framework.1.2.appx
Installing MainAppx_1.0.0.0_arm.appx with install MainAppx_1.0.0.0_arm.appx
Launching 7a11c6a0-d9a8-40cd-80cf-91d6a409edae_pft3qchy8afw0
AppId changed to 7a11c6a0-d9a8-40cd-80cf-91d6a409edae_pft3qchy8afw0!App
[192.168.0.26]: PS C:\temp\appinstall>
To get the new Toolkit you may need to copy or clone the whole IOT-ADT-ADDON toolkit at:
https://github.com/ms-iot/iot-adk-addonkit/tree/develop
Thanks to Paramesh Babu from Microsoft for directing me to this solution.
This project contains command line scripts for package creation and image creation process. Users are expected to have ADK and WDK installed to make use of this. In addition, this project also contains samples for iot products based on RPi2/MBM. To be able to create images, Users should get IoTCore OS Packages from MSDN. Target audience is OEM’s and Maker Pro’s who want to manage multiple images and updates.
Great infos, thanks. I've been using the mindeployapp for a while to achieve "Over Air Updates" and after looking at all the iot-core OEM stuff, we are confused about the automatic update options: Can the above be used long-term and free, or do we need to create a (free?) oem-addition? Is there a free auto-update option in the oem-edition or are they only available via "Pro". We really just need to update our app (headless) every once and a while. How do you achieve updates to your apps deployed on RPi/iot-core?