We are using Orca to automate our setups.
Our automation works with Windows Installer SDK 2.0 and/or Windows
Installer SDK 3.1.4.

Question 1:
Does it take longer to install a Small Update or a Minor Upgrade
considering the same target machine, the same files in the MSP, the
same CAs, The same Target MSI, same Upgraded MSI…?

I have been asked to make sure that there is not a lost of performance
when installing an identical Small Update or an identical Minor
Upgrade, both doing and patching the same files.

I used the same command lines to install the Small Update and Minor
Upgrade:

msiexec /l*v C:\Logs\Install_MU_1390F.log /p C:\\MSPOut
\GMPP_MU_v10_06010401.msp REINSTALLMODE=omus /qb

msiexec /l*v C:\Logs\Install_SU_1390F.log /p C:\\MSPOut
\GMPP_SU_v10_06010401.msp REINSTALLMODE=omus /qb

I looked at the logs and found a small difference in time spent that
could have been caused by other processes running on my machine. The
installation MSI was local on the machine, the MSPs were local on the
machine to eliminate performance differences caused by the network.
For example:

Time to install the Small Update MSP 102 MB containing the same 1390
files over the installed released version:

=== Verbose logging started: 5/6/2008  14:35:31
...
=== Verbose logging stopped: 5/6/2008  14:42:00 ===

Installation of Minor Upgrade MSP

Time to install the Minor Upgrade MSP 102 MB containing the same 1390
files over the installed released version:

=== Verbose logging started: 5/6/2008  15:20:31
....
=== Verbose logging stopped: 5/6/2008  15:26:10 ===

I also looked at the logs to find differences in the actions taken
during the installation of a Small Update and a Minor Upgrade over the
same release version. I could not find anything major at all beside
for example the following lines:

MSI (s) (20:EC) [14:35:41:955]: PATCH SEQUENCER: verifying the
applicability of QFE patch
….
And
….
MSI (s) (2C:30) [15:20:41:886]: 3.0 patch C:\01TestSmallUpatesSpeed
\MSPOut\GMPP_MU_v10_06010401.msp of type minor upgrade takes product
{xxxxxxx} to version 06.01.04.01

Question 2:
Do you know any instance when a performance difference in noticeable
when installing identical Small Update vs. an identical Minor Upgrade
over the release product?

Dominique G. Schneider
Huntsville Alabama
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