How to pass arguments to `Configuration.Install.Installer` when installing a long-running service through `installutil`

Question

I have an application that I want to run as a Windows Service. Following instructions provided in this MSDN doc page (I need to host a WCF service, so the procedure also details this part), I can do that, and if I implement the example service it is all right. I use installutil.exe utility and can install and uninstall my application as a Windows Service.

My problem

However I need to install more service of the same application on my local machine. So I need to give them different System.ServiceProcess.ServiceBase.ServiceNames! So consider again the installation code:

[RunInstaller(true)]
public class ProjectInstaller : Installer {
    private ServiceProcessInstaller process;
    private ServiceInstaller service;

    public ProjectInstaller() {
        process = new ServiceProcessInstaller();
        process.Account = ServiceAccount.LocalSystem;
        service = new ServiceInstaller();
        service.ServiceName = /* NEED TO PUT HERE THE NAME!!! */;
        Installers.Add(process);
        Installers.Add(service);
    }
}

Is there a way for me to pass the name of the service when calling installutil.exe? How to approach to this problem? I also tried using the App.Config file and doing something like this:

public ProjectInstaller() {
    process = new ServiceProcessInstaller();
    process.Account = ServiceAccount.LocalSystem;
    service = new ServiceInstaller();
    service.ServiceName = System.Configuration.ConfigurationManager.
        AppSettings["SrvName"];
    Installers.Add(process);
    Installers.Add(service);
}

But of course it did not work, this file is called when the application runs!!!

When installUtil is running, your app.config isn't used by the configuratio manager - it used installUtil's app.config (under c:\windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework(fw_number)\installUtil.exe.config — M.A. Hanin
– M.A. Hanin, Commented May 27, 2013 at 8:16

Alexander · Accepted Answer · 2013-05-27 08:37:17Z

3

You can open config file for executing assembly. If your installer code is placed into main service exe file - it will be your app.config. Otherwise, config file need to be named [assemblyname].dll.config.

process = new ServiceProcessInstaller();
process.Account = ServiceAccount.LocalSystem;
service = new ServiceInstaller();

var path = Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly().Location;
var config = ConfigurationManager.OpenExeConfiguration(path);
service.ServiceName = config.AppSettings.Settings["ServiceName"];
Installers.Add(process);
Installers.Add(service);

Also, this article explains how to pass installutil parameters explicitly through command line.

answered May 27, 2013 at 8:37

Alexander

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1 Comment

Andry Over a year ago

Thankyou very much for your answer. In my case I prefer the solution posted by C4stor 'cause it looks more reliable to me. But I want to let you know that your approach sure is a valid one to me.

Andry · Accepted Answer · 2013-05-27 08:57:26Z

2

Faced with this problem, I first used the approach here :

But I then switched back to an architecture where I have a single service launching a variable amount of processes (in my case, I use zookeeper to set the number of processes to run and their command line arguments, but if it's just a matter of a number of instances, app.config is good to go).

The main advantage I found in that way is that my launching service can monitor the running sub processes and, for example, relaunch one if it has crashed.

edited May 27, 2013 at 8:57

Andry

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answered May 27, 2013 at 8:24

C4stor

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