Vital Product Data (VPD) Registry

To enable product life-cycle management, InstallShield MultiPlatform 11.5 creates a powerful Vital Product Data (VPD) registry that is stored in an HSQL database on the end user's machine. It stores information about the product that has been installed, and also contains its uninstaller. With the Premier Edition, target machines can also have multiple VPDs, which facilitates the ability for you to specify your own, unique location on your customers' machines.

Maintains a listing of installed software objects.

Maintains a listing of all persisted variables.

Facilitates software object and assembly reuse between products.

Determines whether an original installation exists during the installation of a patch or update.

Prevents broken installations by managing and enforcing software product dependencies.

Determines whether and when a shared file should be uninstalled.

A software object is defined to be a suite, product, assembly, feature, or component, and each is registered separately in the VPD. In addition, each file associated with the installation is registered. The Product Uninstaller engine and platform pack JAR files for each installed product are stored in the VPD Registry directory structure.

A software object is uniquely defined on a given system by its software object key and instance number. The software object key is the set of properties that are configured in the interface for the software object in its Advanced > Key properties, and consists of a universal unique identifier string (UUID) along with version information. A file is uniquely identified by its file name and installation location. Since software objects and files can be installed multiple times to different locations on a target system, information about each software object and file is stored in the VPD along with its installation location and a unique instance number.

All requirements between files, assemblies, and products are maintained in the VPD. A file, assembly, or product is not uninstalled until all of the software objects and products that require them have been uninstalled.

Changes are made to the information about the software objects and files contained in the VPD when a product or an update or patch to a product is installed on or uninstalled from the target machine.

For instructions to create a custom bean that finds the installation location of a product, feature, or component that is registered in the VPD, see Knowledge Base article #Q105543.

Manual editing of the VPD Registry is not supported by Macrovision Corporation.

Help Library Topics

The following topics are available to assist you in understanding and using the VPD Registry:

Topics for Understanding the VPD Registry
Topic	Content
Location of the VPD Registry	A list of the platform-specific locations to where the VPD Registry is stored on the target machine, along with how to change this location in the General Information view (Premier Edition).
Tables Within the VPD Registry	A list of each of the HSQL tables that the VPD Registry is composed of, along with their contents.
Location of the VPD Registry Uninstaller Engine	A description of the Product Uninstaller engine and where they are stored in the VPD Registry directory structure. Also includes a workaround for uninstalling an assembly that was installed with Version 10.5 and was subsequently updated by a product built with Version 10.5 SP2 or later.
Using the VPD Exporter Utility	A description of and instructions for using the VPD Exporter command line utility.

Vital Product Data (VPD) Registry

Contents

Help Library Topics