Merge Modules and Installer Packages

Merge modules provide you with a standard method by which you can deliver shared Windows Installer components and setup logic to your applications.

The Deployment Toolkit includes a merge module (.msm file) which you can merge into an application’s Windows installer package (.msi) file to make available all of the COBOL Server components. It also includes merge modules and executable (.exe) files to install Visual C++ libraries that COBOL Server requires to be able to run applications developed using the Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime and Microsoft Visual Studio 2017 or later.

The names of the supplied merge modules and the installer files are different for 32-bit and 64-bit Windows systems.

For 32-bit Windows systems the files are:

  • cobolserver_243x86.msm - the COBOL Server merge module
  • cobolserver_243x86.msi - the COBOL Server installer package
  • cobolserver_core_243x86.msm - includes the COBOL Server core (the native code run-time and debugger support)
  • cobolserver_net_243x86.msm - includes the COBOL Server core support for .NET COBOL code
  • Microsoft_VC141_CRT_x86.msm - the C/C++ run-time distributables for the Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime
  • vcredist_x86.exe - the C/C++ run-time distributables for Microsoft Visual Studio 2017 or later

For 64-bit Windows systems the files are:

  • cobolserver_243x64.msm - the COBOL Server merge module
  • cobolserver_243x64.msi - the COBOL Server installer package
  • cobolserver_core_243x64.msm - includes the COBOL Server core (the native code run-time and debugger support)
  • cobolserver_net_243x64.msm - includes the COBOL Server core support for .NET COBOL code
  • Microsoft_VC141_CRT_x64.msm - the C/C++ run-time distributables the Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime
  • vcredist_x64.exe - the C/C++ run-time distributables for Microsoft Visual Studio 2017 or later
Note: If your application is being installed onto a system that does not already include the Visual C++ libraries that are required to run applications developed using the Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime and Microsoft Visual Studio 2017 or later, your installer must include one of vcredist_x86.exe, vcredist_x64.exe, Microsoft_VC110_CRT_x86.msm or Microsoft_VC141_CRT_x64.msm as appropriate.

Depending on the type of applications you deliver, you need to include the following merge modules:

  • Native COBOL applications - you only need to ship the *_core_* merge module
  • .NET COBOL applications - you need to ship both the *_core_* and the *_net_* merge modules
  • JVM COBOL applications and applications that use the Consolidated Tracing Facility (CTF) - you need to ship the entire COBOL Server merge module

For example:

  • If your application installer requires the managed Run-Time System and your application's installer package is an .msi file, include either the cobolserver_net_243x86.msm or the cobolserver_net_243x64.msm merge module.
  • If your application's installer consists of a group of .msi files, add the COBOL Server installer package file (either cobolserver_243x86.msi or cobolserver_243x64.msi) to the group.

See the MSDN for more information about the Windows Installer and merge modules.

Parent topic: COBOL Server Deployment Toolkit