MSIX Modern Packaging – Part 2

Introduction

In the last “MSIX Modern Packaging – Part 1” I showed you how to get a virtual environment to start creating MSIX.

For MSIX to work we need to sign our packages, and this is typically where we say "ok, I give up". At least back in the days when I heard about certificates I got tired right there. Don't be, it is cool and it is easy once you get the pattern.

In this chapter I will show you how to get a certificate (PFX) ready to use for packaging. How cool is that. Just follow the steps and you are soon to begin packaging your very own packages.

Requirements

• Hyper-V
• PKI

Setup your PKI

Let’s start by creating a new template for your endpoint

 

Right click and Manage your certificate templates

 

Choose Code Signing and Duplicate Template

 

On Compatibility choose the minimum compatible you need.

 

Go to security tab and add Domain Computers.

Tick Enroll

 

On the General tab give it name MSIX Template

Template name: MSIX_Template

Validity period: whatever your security requires.

 

Go to Request Handling and allow private key to be exported

 

Go to Extensions

Choose Basic Constraints

Edit

Enable this extension

 

Go to Subject Name

Choose Supply in the request (This will make sure we can insert a common name when we request the certificate)

Ok

 

Now we will make the template available for the client devices on the domain

 

Find MSIX Template

Click OK

Now everything we need, to be able to sign our packages, is ready.

Because we build the certificate on a root authority that we trust, no other certificates need to be installed into our environment for our MSIX packages to work.

Export PFX for MSIX packaging

Let’s start on a client that is in our environment.

Go to the start menu and open a CMD with elevated permissions

 

Click Yes

 

Type “MMC”

 

Choose File and “Add/Remove Snap-in”

 

Choose Certificates and click Add>

 

Choose My user account

Finish

ok

 

Choose Personal – Certificates

All Tasks -> Request New Certificate..

 

Next

 

Next

 

Mark the template and click the blue text

 

Choose “Common name”

Value: Mindlab (type your own)

Add

ok

 

Enroll

 

Finish

 

Export the certificate

 

Next

 

Yes, export the private key

Next

 

Next

 

Set password. (You need to remember it when we create MSIX package with it, we will be asked for the pw)

Encryption AES256-SHA256

Next

 

Browse

 

Save it to a central location (I prefer together with source files you need to package)

 

Next

 

Finish

 

OK

Save the certificate to a central location. Could be wise to gather all your source and stuff you need for packaging.

 

You can delete the cert from your store now. As it is not needed.

 

Now that we package apps with that certificate, we will see this sign when executing it on a device trusting our CA:

 

And on a device that are not trusting our CA, you don’t get to install this package.

Summary

By now we know how to build a virtual environment for our app automation through MSIX.

We also know how to create a template in our PKI and export that certificate for use when we develop MSIX packages. This is the foundation of app automation.

Stay tuned for part 3 where we will start developing a simple package: Notepad++

MSIX Modern Packaging – Part 1

Introduction

If you are working with system management, you also come across applications that need to be mass deployed to your endpoints. Before that can happen the vendor either deliver unattended parameters to their installation process or they deliver another installation format like MSI or MSIX.

Every business can benefit from standardizing software deployment and here I will try to help you start doing that.

By going through these steps, you will have a basic setup to start building MSIX packages.

I recommend to read the fundamentals of MSIX which can be downloaded here. Tim Mangan, Bogdan Mitrache and Kevin Kaminski did an excellent job.

 

Requirements

• Hyper-V
• Minimum 8GB RAM
• 50GB free HDD
• 2GHZ processor

 

Setup your LAB

Install Hyper-V

Right click your StartMenu

 

Open PowerShell with admin rights

Paste this command to the PowerShell console

Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName Microsoft-Hyper-V -All

Restart if needed

 

Start Hyper-v

Right click your environment and click “Quick Create”

 

   

Choose MSIX Packaging Tool Environment

 

 

Create Virtual Machine

It will start download ~ 5.6 gb

 

Start your newly imported MSIX Packaging Tool Environment

 

Let the virtual machine configure and wait for OOBE to kick in. Make sure your hyper-v is connected to the internet and when you reach this screen choose Domain join instead:

 

Add a username and click next

 

Type a password and click next

 

Retype your password and click next

 

Go through the questions and click next (I’ll skip the next couple of questions)

 

Don’t use online speech recognition and click accept

 

Choose No and click Accept

 

If your virtual machine get lost, this feature isn’t going to help you click accept

 

Send required diagnostic data click accept

 

Say NO and click accept

 

Say NO and click accept

 

Say No and click accept

 

The virtual machine will logon and you will have all the resources you need to get started.

 

Start the packaging tool

 

Click yes

 

Accept

 

Open the application package. (we do that because we need to install MSIX packaging Tool Driver.)

 

Choose Create package on this computer

 

Now that we got the tool installed, we cancel the packaging process

 

Let’s configure the virtual machine for better and cleaner packages

Run commandline: Services.msc

Disable Windows Search

Disable Windows update

 

For better startup performance stop all unnecessary apps that start with windows

Start task Manager

 

Restart the virtual machine and log back into it.

Create snapshot

 

Give it a name and click yes

Summary

By now you should be familiar with your new packaging virtual machine. It is best practice to build packages on a clean machine where we can roll back and have a clean state every time we need to package.

Stay tuned for part 2 where I will cover how to obtain the certificate we will need for signing our applications.