Installing Visual COBOL Build Tools for Windows

To install Visual COBOL Build Tools for Windows:

1. Read the following sections of this documentation to minimize the chances of encountering issues during or after the installation process:
   • Licensing Considerations
   • Prerequisites for using Visual COBOL Build Tools for Windows
   • Restrictions when using Visual COBOL Build Tools for Windows
2. Run the <build_tools_exe> file and follow the wizard instructions to complete the installation.

   The <build_tools_exe> file for this product is named:

   • vcbt_70.exe

     Or:

   • vcbtx64_70.exe (64-bit-only product)

vcbt_70.exe or vcbtx64_70.exe can take a number of parameters, enabling you to specify a number of different types of installation. Examples are as follows:

• Non-standard Installation
  • Format:
  • <build_tools_exe> skipmstools=1
  • Summary:
  • Full installation, minus the Microsoft package dependencies. A standard installation downloads and installs the latest Microsoft Build Tools (for Visual Studio 2017) and Windows SDK packages. Refer to Microsoft Package Dependencies to see if you will depend on these packages, and if not, use the option above to skip installation of the packages, thus reducing the footprint and duration of the installation process.
• Offline Installation (preparation)
  • Format:
  • start /wait <build_tools_exe> /q downloadmstools=<directory>
  • Summary:
  • This type of installation should be run by an administrator when preparing an installation that will be run in an offline environment.
  • The <directory> specified as part of the downloadmstools option should be a fully-qualified path name to a directory that is accessible to the offline clients. It is to this location that the required Microsoft packages are placed. For more information on these packages, see Microsoft Package Dependencies.
  Important: Note that running <build_tools_exe> with the downloadmstools option does not always download the SDK or the vs_buildtools. This is dependent on Microsoft technology. For example, if there are newer versions of these Microsoft components installed on your machine, when you execute this command the Microsoft tools perform a check and prevent the executables from being placed in the location specified by downloadmstools.

  If any of the components are not downloaded, you need to find and open the relevant Microsoft URL in a browser to download the components manually. For example, use https://www.visualstudio.com/thank-you-downloading-visual-studio/?sku=BuildTools to download vs_buildtools__someid.exe.

• Offline Installation (client install)
  • Format:
  • <build_tools_exe> installmstools=<directory>
  • Summary:
  • This type of installation should be run for client installs where internet access is not available during the installation. It must be run after an administrator has run the offline installation preparation (above).
  • The <directory> specified as part of the installmstools option should be the fully-qualified path name to the directory containing the Microsoft packages that were downloaded during the offline installation preparation.
• Silent Installation
  • Format: <build_tools_exe> /quiet
  • Summary: Full installation, but the components are installed non-interactively with no user interface, using default options and directories.
• Modified Silent Installation
  • Format: <build_tools_exe> /quiet InstallFolder=d:\otherdirectory
  • Summary: Full installation, but the components are installed non-interactively with no user interface, and Visual COBOL Build Tools for Windows is installed to d:\otherdirectory.

<build_tools_exe> /?