Windows Azure Bootstrapper: A Command Line Tool for post processing jobs like downloading, unzipping, installing outside web or worker role

The Windows Azure Bootstrapper is a command line tool meant to be used by your
running Web and Worker roles in Windows Azure. This tool allows you to easily
download resources (either public resources or ones in your blob storage),
extract them if necessary, and launch them. Since you don't want to always
download and run during restarts, it will also help track those dependencies and
only launch an installer one time! In addition, there are some very useful
features that make it a great tool to package with your roles.

  • Downloading from arbitrary http(s) sources or Windows Azure blob storage
  • Logging
  • Parsing configuration from the RoleEnvironment or app.config
  • Interacting with the RoleEnvironment to get ports, DIP addresses, and Local Resource paths
  • Unzipping resources
  • Launching processes
  • Ensuring that resources are only installed once (or downloaded and unzipped once)

 

Sample 1:  

 bootstrapper.exe -get bootstrap/Installer.zip  -lr $lr(temp) -unzip $lr(temp)\extract -sc  $config(ConnectionString) -run $lr(temp)\extract\installer.msi  -args /qn -block

This example will download the 'Installer.zip' from a container called 'bootstrap' in the storage account defined in 'ConnectionString' setting. It will download it to the 'temp' local resource, unzip it to a folder called 'extract' and then run a .msi file located there called 'installer.msi' and pass it the '/qn' parameters as arguments. Finally, it will block during the installation until the .msi exits.

 

Sample 2:

 bootstrapper.exe -get https://download.microsoft.com/download/F/3/1/F31EF055-3C46-4E35-AB7B-3261A303A3B6/AspNetMVC3ToolsUpdateSetup.exe -lr $lr(temp) -run $lr(temp)\AspNetMVC3ToolsUpdateSetup.exe -args /q 

This sample will download the MVC3 installation from Microsoft to the 'temp'
local resource and will execute it, passing the '/q' arguments. It is
non-blocking in this case.

 

Download from: https://bootstrap.codeplex.com/