Provisioning support for .appinstaller?

Hi tjmullen2,

If I understand your request correctly, you wish to provision an app for all users, and make use of an auto-update feature, to prevent the need for re-deploying the application to client devices. If this is your desire, then the following options should be considered:

1. Option 1 (Custom Installer):
   1. Create a PowerShell script, with the following cmdlets:
      

      Add-AppxProvisionedPackage -SkipLicense -Online -PackagePath .\FileName.msixbundle
      Add-AppxPackage -AppInstallerFile .\FileName.appinstaller​

   2. Create a new application in Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (ConfigMgr) with the "Scripted Installer" deployment type. Use the previously created script to install the app.
      
      
2. Option 2 (Force Provisioning):
   1. Create a PowerShell script leveraging this API, with the following cmdlets:
      

      ## Sets the Variable values 
      $AppInstallerLocation = "C:\Users\MSIX\Desktop\AppInstallers\HeadTraxPkg_x64.appinstaller" 
      [xml]$AppInstallerContent = [xml]$(Get-Content $AppInstallerLocation)
      
      ## Installs the AppxPackage
      Add-AppxPackage -AppInstallerFile $AppInstallerLocation
      
      ## Forces the App to be Provisioned
      $PackageFamilyName = $(Get-AppxPackage -Name $($AppInstallerContent.AppInstaller.MainPackage.Name) -Publisher $($AppInstallerContent.AppInstaller.MainPackage.Publisher)).PackageFamilyName
      $PackageManager = new-object windows.management.deployment.packagemanager
      
      $PackageManager.ProvisionPackageForAllUsersAsync($PackageFamilyName)​

       

       

   2. Create a new application in Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (ConfigMgr) with the "Scripted Installer" deployment type. Use the previously created script to install the app.
      
      
3. Option 3 (Microsoft Store for Business):
   
   1. Create a Microsoft Developer account for your developers.
   2. Link their Developer Accounts to your Private Microsoft Store for Business (MSfB) instance.
   3. The Developers submit their new or updated apps to your organizations the MSfB instance.
   4. Link your organizations Intune or ConfigMgr to your instance of MSfB.
   5. Retrieve an online / offline version of your app for delivery to client devices, then push the install to client devices.
      
      

Option 3 will allow you to create a private instance of your business app for distribution only to users within your enterprise environment. Devices will connect into the store on a set frequency and will retrieve any new updates. This solution does not require the device to be within your network to receive updates. ConfigMgr inventory reports will allow for software version validation.

Answers to your question in-order:

1. Currently, the Add-AppxProvisionedPackage does not support the provisioning of apps using a *.appinstaller file. Fortunately the *.appinstaller file does support the installation of *.msixbundle installers.
2. Installing an *.appinstaller file type can be performed by running the following PowerShell cmdlet: Add-AppxPackage -AppInstaller FileName.appinstaller. This install string can be delivered through using the Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (ConfigMgr) by creating an application with the "Scripted Installer" deployment type.
3. ConfigMgr does support the installation of *.msixbundle installers, by creating an Application with either the "Scripted Installer" or "Windows App Package" deployment types. The second option doesn't require an install string as it'll automatically be applied. I am unaware of any way to then activate the appinstaller API.

I hope that you found this information useful.

Thank you,

Roy