Topic: Run once on numerous machines

[Rod]

I am about to write a lisp that will check if there any update lisps to run and run them

For example
- add some new lisp the the appload startup suite
- check something for me and write it to a log file

I am currently thinking of having a folder \lisps\updates with files update001.lsp update002.lsp. The program will read from the registry which update lisp is current, look for it, if it is present run it, log whether it worked or not, then change the registry value to look for the next routine.

Any other ideas, on a similar way to implement this. Does anyone have anything similar already written?

Regards Rod

[alanjt]

You could use setenv/getenv. Just use the same variable (eg. "CompanyName_Update") and assign the value to be the date of update implementation. If the user's (getenv "CompanyName_Update") doesn't match the date, run the update and use (setenv "CompanyName_Update" "2012.01.31") to change value so the updates won't run again.

[ronjonp]

I use xcopy ... See if this will help you
 www.theswamp.org/index.php?topic=39415.msg446782#msg446782

[Chris]

The way I have my office set up is to all load a common lisp file from the network, it loads everything necessary (also on the network).  If I want to push an update, I add it to that file and it updates everyone the next time they open a drawing.  I even wrote in a back door routine that will allow me to update a program during a session without the need to reopen the current drawing (from that user's machine). 

I have found that it is best to avoid using the startup suite.

[dgorsman]

I use registry entries to keep track of my "run once" routines, one section under HKCU for those needed per user and one under HKLM for those needed per machine.  Part of the standard start-up routine is to check the contents of various Autoload folders against the registry entries and run those that are not in the registry.  Not everything needs to be run every time at startup e.g. replacing a local data file for a third-party application, those that do are handled as part of the start-up system.

[ronjonp]

My updates only occur when the user logs on. Checking every time a drawing opens seems a bit over the top. But I guess if you write a date to check and compare current, then it will only run once that day anyways  .

[dgorsman]

My updates only occur when the user logs on. Checking every time a drawing opens seems a bit over the top. But I guess if you write a date to check and compare current, then it will only run once that day anyways  .

I considered date-specific checking, but we have a high staff turnover plus have to deal with users at site, on holidays, etc. so keying stuff to run on a certain date looked to be too much of a hassle.

[cmwade77]

The way I have my office set up is to all load a common lisp file from the network, it loads everything necessary (also on the network).  If I want to push an update, I add it to that file and it updates everyone the next time they open a drawing.  I even wrote in a back door routine that will allow me to update a program during a session without the need to reopen the current drawing (from that user's machine). 

I have found that it is best to avoid using the startup suite.

This is how we do ours as well, although we don't have the backdoor option.

[Chris]

My updates only occur when the user logs on. Checking every time a drawing opens seems a bit over the top. But I guess if you write a date to check and compare current, then it will only run once that day anyways  .

I dont think that it necessarily checks much of anything, we dont really have any user dependent lisp files, everybody gets the same stuff and uses it on the network, so there are no copies to be updated, there is just one set of programs that are always current and up-to-date.  There are a couple of things we have that are local, but I used vl-file-systime to determine if the network version is newer, and if so, overwrite the local file.  Our CHM help is that way, windows security wont let you run it from the network, so we have a local copy on each computer.

[Chris]

This is how we do ours as well, although we don't have the backdoor option.

the backdoor option is pretty simple to implement, in the main startup program I added
(defun c:override (/)
(load "override.lsp")
)
then in the override.lsp, if there is an update that I need to introduce on the fly, I add a line
(load "myupdatedlisp.fas")

you type in override at any computer and it will reload the updated lisp.

[Clina]

a guess,

Why do not use acad.lsp ?

[Rod]

Thanks everyone I think I will use acad.lsp for the update check and HKLM and HKCU for the storing of the current update.
Regards Rod