First Binary Distribution of the OpenSSL Library: Windows Installer Testing Release

[Norbert Pócs]

Announcing the OpenSSL Library Installer for Windows (Testing Release)

A testing release of the OpenSSL Library installer for Microsoft Windows is now
available. This is the first officially produced binary distribution of the
OpenSSL Library.

Until now, the OpenSSL Library has been distributed in source form only.
Windows users have had to build the library themselves or rely on binary
packages produced by third parties. The new installer provides a distribution
channel directly from us: binaries built, packaged, and signed by the
OpenSSL Corporation.

The installer provides:

- the OpenSSL Library DLLs,
- the `openssl.exe` command-line application, and
- the development kit for building applications against the OpenSSL Library.

The installer, the application, and all installed DLL files are digitally
signed with the OpenSSL Corporation key, so the authenticity and integrity
of every component can be verified through the standard Windows code-signing
mechanisms.

The minimum supported platforms are Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2.

The testing installer for OpenSSL Library version 4.0.1 is available at:

https://github.com/openssl/installer/releases

Please see the README for installation details and current limitations:

https://github.com/openssl/installer/blob/main/windows-installer/README.md

This is a testing release, and we want it exercised across the full range of
supported Windows versions and configurations before the stable version ships.
Please report any issues through the openssl/installer issue tracker [0] - reports
on installation behavior, packaging, signing, and integration with existing
toolchains are all valuable, as is any other feedback.

The stable version of the installer will ship starting with the 4.1 release of

the OpenSSL Library.

[0] - https://github.com/openssl/installer/issues