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Installing ArcGIS Engine for Windows silently (ArcObjects .NET 10.8 SDK)
ArcObjects Help for .NET developers > ArcObjects Help for .NET developers > Developing with ArcGIS > Building stand-alone applications > Deploying stand-alone applications > Installing ArcGIS Engine for Windows silently

Installing ArcGIS Engine for Windows silently


In this topic

Installation requirements

ArcGIS Engine for Windows can be installed without a user interface (UI) by running the setup using Windows Installer command line parameters. The following are the requirements:
  • All previous versions of ArcGIS software must be uninstalled before you proceed with the silent installation.

ArcGIS Engine for Windows command line parameters

The following table shows parameters that can be used to execute the ArcGIS Engine for Windows Microsoft Software Installer (MSI) directly from the command line or in a script (use these parameters with Windows Installer [MSIEXEC] command line options):
 
Parameter
Required
Description
INSTALLDIR
No
ArcGIS Engine for Windows installation location. If this parameter is not specified, the installation location is %System Drive%\Program Files (x86)\ArcGIS\Engine10.x.
INSTALLDIR1
No
Python installation location. If this parameter is required and this value is not specified, the default location is C:\Python27.
ENGINE_CONFIG
No
By default this is FALSE. Setting this to TRUE prevents the ArcGIS Admin wizard from appearing after installation.
SEAT_PREFERENCE_ENGINE
No
Set this to Fixed (ArcGIS Engine Single Use mode) or Float (ArcGIS Engine Concurrent Use mode). The default is Float. 

Perform a complete (typical) installation of ArcGIS Engine for Windows silently

Run the following command from the command line or a script to install a complete ArcGIS Engine for Windows: 
msiexec /I <setup location>\setup.msi /qb
  • /qb provides the basic UI of progress status and error handling.
  • /qn provides no UI.
For more information, see the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) Web site topic Command-Line Options.

Add a command line parameter

As previously noted, you can supply INSTALLDIR=<installation directory> and/or INSTALLDIR1=<installation directory> if you do not want to install to the default locations. See the following command line: 
msiexec /I <setup location>\setup.msi INSTALLDIR=C:\EngineRT INSTALLDIR1=C:\Python /qb
For an administrative setup, use the /a command line parameter rather than /I. To specify the installation location for a silent administrative installation, the command line property is TARGETDIR rather than INSTALLDIR. An administrative setup uncompresses the files in the target location and makes them accessible for other machines to install from this location. The client installation from an administrative setup can be installed using the same parameters provided in this topic.

Perform a custom installation of ArcGIS Engine for Windows silently

You can install select features of ArcGIS Engine for Windows by supplying the ADDLOCAL argument when using the command line or a script to perform a custom ArcGIS Engine for Windows installation. See the following:
  • msiexec /I <setup location>\setup.msi /qb ADDLOCAL=<feature1>,<feature2>, ...
The following are the available features:
  • ArcEngine
  • DotNetSupport
  • JavaRuntime
  • Python
For example, to install core ArcGIS Engine for Windows with .NET support, run the following: 
msiexec /I <setup location>\setup.msi /qb ADDLOCAL=ArcEngine, DotNetSupport
See the following regarding usage:
  • All dependencies and relevant files will also be installed with the specified feature, with the exception that the .NET Framework is not installed with the DotNetSupport feature.
  • Feature names are case sensitive.
The ArcGIS Data Interoperability extension is not installed with ArcGIS Engine for Windows. If required, this extension needs to be installed separately.

ArcGIS Engine for Windows menu shortcuts

By default, a complete installation of ArcGIS Engine for Windows 10 or later creates a shortcut on the ArcGIS menu (accessed from Start, All Programs, ArcGIS, ArcGIS Administrator or from Start, Programs, ArcGIS, ArcGIS Administrator). See the following screen shot:
The following command line parameters provide options to display or not display the shortcuts on the ArcGIS menu:
  • SHORTCUTS=YES - Installs the shortcut.
  • SHORTCUTS=NO - Will not install the shortcut.
In the following command line, ArcGIS Engine for Windows is installed silently without shortcuts:  
msiexec /I <location of setup>\setup.msi /qb SHORTCUTS=NO

Install an ArcGIS Engine for Windows service pack

If your application also requires an ArcGIS Engine service pack, you can instruct your user to download the service pack from the Esri Support Center Web site or you can provide the service pack (.msp file) on ArcGIS Engine for Windows media that you provide.
To verify the required ArcGIS Engine for Windows service pack has been installed to the target machine, use the Service Pack finder or check for the SPNumber registry key under the following registry hive:
  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ESRI\Engine10.x
The SPNumber value reflects the installed service pack number. Install the service pack using the following command line: 
msiexec.exe /p <location of .msp file>\ArcGIS<Product>.msp REINSTALL=ALL /qb

Uninstall ArcGIS Engine for Windows silently

To uninstall a product silently, use the following Windows Installer command:
  • msiexec /x <{product code}> /qb
For example, to uninstall ArcGIS Engine for Windows 10.x silently, use the following command line: 
msiexec.exe /x {4384DA75-4135-4B0F-8B56-37BB281CAAE8} /qb
Any ArcGIS product can be uninstalled silently using the preceding Windows Installer uninstall command. For a list of product codes, see the Esri Support Center's knowledge base article (#28709), HowTo: Silently uninstall ArcGIS products.

Authorize ArcGIS Engine for Windows Single Use silently

Silent authorization of ArcGIS Engine can take place using a provisioning file (*.prvc) and the SoftwareAuthorization.exe application. See the following:
  • A provisioning file can be created through the Customer Care Web site or by following the steps in the Creating a provisioning file section.
  • Include the following parameters to the silent install command line arguments. Set ENGINE_CONFIG=TRUE (prevents ArcGIS Software Authorization Wizard from appearing) and the SEAT_PREFERENCE_ENGINE parameter to Float or Fixed, depending on if you are registering for Concurrent Use or Single Use, respectively.    
  • Run the SoftwareAuthorization.exe application, which is located in C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\ArcGIS\bin, where file.prvc is the provisioning file and /s runs the process silently.

    See the following command line: 
SoftwareAuthorization.exe /LIF file.prvc /s
The authorization process is an online process and can take between 30 seconds and two minutes depending on network speeds, hardware configuration, and the number of products authorized.
  • Silent authorization of ArcGIS Engine can only be done online (that is, the user must be connected to the Internet). For offline authorization, the end user must use the ArcGIS Administrator.
  • The choice to use a Concurrent Use license and define a license manager needs to be made during the ArcGIS Engine for Windows install; however, if after the initial setup, ArcGIS Engine is authorized silently with a Single Use license in the provisioning file, the Software Authorization Wizard switches the seat type to Single Use. The SoftwareAuthorization.exe application cannot switch to Concurrent Use from Single Use. For this, the end user must use the ArcGIS Administrator.
  • Silent deauthorization is not supported. For this, the end user has to start the ArcGIS Administrator and click Deauthorize.
The SoftwareAuthorization.exe application returns a - 1 if there is an error during execution and a 0 if it executed successfully. The following code example shows how to use the error codes in a .bat script file: 
"C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\ArcGIS\bin\SoftwareAuthorization.exe" /LIF file.prvc /S

if %ERRORLEVEL%==0 (
  echo Success
)  else if %ERRORLEVEL%==-1 (
     echo Failure
)

Creating a provisioning file

The following creates a provisioning file for a Single Use Engine for Windows. Open a text editor, such as Notepad, and type the following information based on the features you need to authorize. The following code example shows how to create a provisioning file for ArcGIS Engine for Windows Single Use deployment:
  1. Add the following required information:
    • First Name=
    • Last Name=
    • Organization=
    • Department=
    • Email=
    • Address 1=
    • City=
    • State/Province=
    • Country=
    • Zip/Postal Code=
    • Phone Number=
  2. Optionally, add the following information about yourself:
    • Your Organization=
    • Your Industry=
    • Yourself=
  3. Add the authorization numbers for the features you are trying to install: 
    • ArcGIS Engine for Windows=
    • Geodatabase Engine=
    • 3D Analyst Engine=
    • Spatial Analyst Engine=
    • Network Analyst Engine=
    • Data Interoperability Engine=
    • Maplex Engine=
    • Schematics Engine=
    • Tracking Analyst Engine=
  4. Save this as a *.prvc file.
The following command line is a provisioning file that registers ArcGIS Engine for Windows Single Use with a Geodatabase Update Extension and a 3D Analyst Extension: 
First Name=John
Last Name=Doe
Organization=My Company
Department=My Department
Email= jdoe@mycompany.com
Address 1=1234 Street St.
City=My City
State/Province=CA
Country=USA
Zip/Postal Code=92373
Phone Number=555-555-555

Your Organization=Commercial/Private Business
Your Industry=Other
Yourself=Other

GIS Engine Runtime=ESU*********
Geodatabase Engine=ESU*********
3D Analyst Engine=ESU*********
The following shows how to create a provisioning file for ArcGIS Engine Concurrent Use. Open a text editor, such as Notepad, and type the following information based on the features you need:
  1. Type the License Manager information:
    • Actserver=
  2. Type the authorization numbers for the features you are trying to install:
    • ArcGIS Engine for Windows=
    • Geodatabase Engine=
    • 3D Analyst Engine=
    • Spatial Analyst Engine=
    • Network Analyst Engine=
    • Data Interoperability Engine=
    • Maplex Engine=
    • Schematics Engine
    • Tracking Analyst Engine=
  3. Save this as a *.prvc file.

Putting it all together (a scenario)

An organization has purchased 20 ArcGIS Engine for Windows and Spatial Analyst Single Use licenses, and developed a custom application they want to deploy within that organization. They have received their authorization numbers from Esri Customer Service and have developed their own installation program for their application. The organization's client machines are connected to the Internet.
The following steps would be performed to silently deploy and authorize ArcGIS Engine for Windows and the Spatial Analyst extension:
  1. Create a provisioning file following the previous steps and share this provisioning file on a network location.
  2. Create a batch file that installs ArcGIS Engine for Windows silently into a specified directory, run the Software Authorization Wizard silently, and run the custom application's install. The script resembles the following:
rem //Launch the engine msi silently
msiexec /I \\Network\ArcEngine10.x\setup.msi ENGINE_CONFIG=True SEAT_PREFERENCE_ENGINE=Fixed INSTALLDIR=C:\EngineRT INSTALLDIR1=C:\Python /qn

rem //Launch the software authorization silently.
Start C:\"Program Files (x86)"\"Common Files"\ArcGIS\Bin\SoftwareAuthorization.exe /LIF "\\Network\PRVC\engine.prvc" /S

rem //Launch the custom application installer.
msiexec /I \\Network\CustomApp\CustomApp.msi
  1. The batch script then runs on the client's machines, and installs and authorizes ArcGIS Engine for Windows silently.
  2. If the organization attempts to install and authorize a 21st copy of the application without using the ArcGIS Desktop Administrator to deauthorize a runtime, the authorization fails.  


See Also:

Deployment overview
Application development and license initialization
Licensing and copy protection questions and answers
Using an ArcGIS Desktop license to run an ArcGIS Engine application



Additional Requirements
  • ArcGIS Engine for Windows DVD