Firefox.exe File Version

jeffs@belkin.com · Post by **jeffs@belkin.com** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 1:33 pm

I want to use Microsoft SMS to deploy and routinely update Firefox. I successfully tested automated installation and upgrades of older Mozilla Firefox installations using Firefox CE.

The problem I have going forward is that on these new/upgraded installations the Firefox.exe executable no longer has a numeric file version - instead of 2.0.0.5 it reads as "Personal". The Product Version property does contain the version, but this property is not collected by SMS during software inventory.

If I can't automatically determine the software version then I can't build SMS collections using file version queries. Without the capability I can't determine which systems need upgrades once they have the CE version installed.

Is there a reason that the firefox.exe file version isn't set for the CE version? If not, is this possible for future releases?

I just tried Firefox MSI (non CE) and it does have the file version set. You do have to manually decipher that 1.8.1.6.2007072518 means 2.0.0.6, but this does at least make it possible to query for machines that need version upgrdes.

Thanks for your help!

Jeff

Post by **DraconPern** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 3:03 pm

Currently the MSI handles the versioning instead of by per file. Are you using msiexec as the command for the install? I am not familiar with SMS so I am curious why it is by passing the builtin MSI routines. Or are these version numbers used for some other purpose?

jeffs@belkin.com · Post by **jeffs@belkin.com** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 3:14 pm

SMS is not bypassing. The basic situation is:
- Install Firefox CE using the MSI installer. Right-click firefox.exe and view the properties. The file version is listed as "personal".
- Install Firefox MSI using the MSI installer. Right-click firefox.exe and view the properties. The file version will be listed just like it would be if you had installed Firefox using the Mozilla installer - something like "1.8.1.6.2007072518".

Where SMS comes in is that like similar tools you can query system inventory information, use this information to group machines together, and deploy updates remotely in an automated fashion. In this situation I would query for systems that have firefox.exe present where the file version is less than 1.8.1.6.2007072518 to know which machines need to be updated to Firefox 2.0.0.6. When I use the Community Edition, it is impossible to know what the firefox executable version is since it returns a word ("personal") rather than a file version number.

Hope that makes more sense.

Jeff

Post by **DraconPern** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 3:30 pm

Aahh.. Ok, i got it now.

Post by **DraconPern** » Tue Aug 21, 2007 12:45 pm

2.0.0.6 now has the fileversion set to 2.0.0.6