Silent Update OS Dialog

Summary

• On Windows updates (when Firefox is installed into the default Program Files Directory) cannot currently be made without the User Account Control (UAC) dialog prompting for elevated permissions.
• The purpose of this subfeature is to make updates available and easy to perform whether they are made by an administrator or by a limited user account.
• Firefox updates will be executed through a service named Mozilla Maintenance that will prevent UAC prompts to be displayed.
• The service is installed via software update, in the installer there is also a checkbox for whether or not install the service.
• There will only be one Windows service for every product and every development channel.
• After the service is started it will watch a directory for the new files - named 'work items', and will generate 'logs' for the install/uninstall and update processes that will be logged separately.
  • The work items can be found in the "updates" folder that is located in:
    • C:\ProgramData\Mozilla\updates - on Windows Vista and Windows 7
    • C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Mozilla\updates - on Windows 2003 and Windows XP
  • Logs can be found in the "logs" folder that is located in:
    • C:\ProgramData\Mozilla\logs - on Windows Vista and Windows 7
    • C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Mozilla\logs - on Windows 2003 and Windows XP
  • The newest log will always be called maintenanceservice.log and 5 backup logs will be stored for the last 5 operations before the latest

(maintenanceservice-1.log, maintenanceservice-2.log, maintenanceservice-3.log, maintenanceservice-4.log and maintenanceservice-5.log).

• If a service is already installed, the service will be replaced on updates and installs only if it is newer than what is installed.
• If the user is running on an x64 computer with a native x64 build, then the service will not be installed nor used by that build.
• If the user is on an x64 computer with an x86 build, then the service will be used and installed by the build as an x86 process.

Reference

• Feature wiki page - Link
• Process Description wiki page - Link

Not Tested

• Other Silent Update sub-features.
• Non-silent updates.

Use Cases to Test

• Test that on Windows 2000 the service is not installed nor used when performing an update.
• Test that using a limited user account does not install the service.
• Test that installing an x64 native build on an 64-bit machine does not install the service nor uses the service.
• Test that installing an x86 build on an 64-bit machine, installs the service.
• Test that when performing an update and the service is not needed for write access (the UAC is set to off or is not present) the service will not be used (no new maintenanceservice logs are generated).
• Test that if the service is already installed:
  • installing an update of a higher service number will replace the old service.
  • installing an update of a lower service number will NOT replace the old service.
  • and another product with a higher version number gets installed, it will replace the old service.
  • and another product with a lower version number gets installed, it will NOT replace the old service.
• Test applying updates on a limited user account having the service already installed on the admin user account.
• Test applying updates on a limited user account without having the service already installed on the admin user account.
• Test applying updates on an limited user account from a Windows XP/ Windows 2003 machine (UAC is not present).
• Test applying updates on an admin user account from a Windows XP/ Windows 2003 machine (UAC is not present).
• Test applying updates on an admin user account having the UAC active (at all levels) from a Windows Vista/Windows 7 machine.
• Test applying updates on a limited user account having the UAC active (at all levels) from a Windows Vista/Windows 7 machine.
• Test applying updates on an admin user account having the UAC off from a Windows Vista/Windows 7 machine.
• Test applying updates on a limited user account having the UAC off from a Windows Vista/Windows 7 machine.
• Test doing 2 updates at once.

Edge Cases

Test Cases

• Test cases can be found in the Spreadsheet: Google Spreadsheet under the Required TC - Template and the Test Cases sheets.
• The results of the prior testing done can also be found in the same Spreadsheet: Google Spreadsheet.

Important bugs

• bug 481815 - Provide a Windows service to update applications without asking Administrator password - RESOLVED FIXED
• bug 529746 - App update should request elevation when the user doesn't have privileges to update - NEW
• bug 307181 - Eliminate wait while restarting Firefox after update (apply update in background) - - NEW
• bug 708778 - Updater service used on Windows should drop as many permissions as possible - RESOLVED FIXED
• bug 715876 - Allow native x64 builds to install and use the Mozilla Maintenance Service - NEW
• bug 716477 - Canceling the Firefox uninstaller shows a Program compatibility assistant window (ditto Mozilla Maintenance Service uninstaller) - NEW
• bug 716492 - Maintenance service does not get installed if the user has write access to their installation directory - NEW
• bug 509158 - Sign builds as part of the build process - RESOLVED FIXED
• bug 508158 - On the /user page under the 'My Reviews' section the links to the addons are broken - VERIFIED FIXED
• bug 709598 - If no registry keys exist for the install dir, don't try to use the maintenance service for updates RESOLVED FIXED
• bug 715489 - MozillaMaintenance service is missing a description in Service Manager RESOLVED FIXED
• bug 715910 - Service is sometimes not used because security does not always get set to allow unelevated user access RESOLVED FIXED
• bug 716126 - Include update.status contents inside maintenanceservice.log file on failed updates RESOLVED FIXED
• bug 716473 - Mozilla Maintenance Service uninstaller asks the user to stop the service RESOLVED FIXED
• bug 716480 - Control Panel program list entry for Mozilla Maintenance Service says "Uninstall/Change" instead of "Uninstall" - RESOLVED FIXED
• bug 716915 - Service is sometimes not used after several successful service updates because maintenanceservice.exe is missing - RESOLVED FIXED
• bug 719947 - Add an indeterminate progress bar for updates applied from service - RESOLVED FIXED

Sign off criteria for Aurora

Sign off criteria for Beta

Sign off criteria for Release

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