OFFLINE installer for the latest updates - Last Update March 21st 2024

[virtuali]

To make it sure: Are these the correct exe-files?

The reason why the FSDT installer placed icons on the Desktop to start the updater, is precisely so you don't have to wonder which one you need to start, which is always the one BOTH icons points to, which is Couatl_Updater.exe, the program is one and the same, and it just change its interface depending if you start it from the "Live Update" icon or the "FSDT Installer" icon.

The reason why there are two .EXEs, is because the one you are supposed to start ( which BOTH icons point to, so you can't be confused what to start, since the Icons start the program for you ), is that the first .EXE doesn't do anything other than checking if there's a new version of the updater *itself* and if there is one, it will download  and use it so, this way, the updater can "update itself", if needed. The one that does most of the work is the 2nd one.

But again, it's not something that concerns you, just use the two icons which enable the two different interfaces, and you won't have to worry what does what.

[ehenkes]

I really get crazy now.

I have 3 icons at start:

- FSDT installer  <--- 2.3.0 is installed   2.3.0 is latest
- FSDT Live update
- Start Couatl ...

No second icon for update.

EDIT:
OK, now I found the Update at FSDT installer. This first, then live update. 

[virtuali]

I have 3 icons at start

You asked about the Live Updater, which is why I said you have 2 icons for it, explaining what they do. Yes, there's a 3rd icon, but it doesn't have anything to do with the updater, it's a shortcut to restart the Couatl engine, for any of these reasons:

- in case it might not start with the sim ( sometimes it happens due to issues with the exe.xml ), so you can start it manually.

- in case it crashed for any reason, so you can start it again.

- in case you want to exit from it intentionally, perhaps because you are sure you don't need GSX for a while ( example, a very long flight ), so you can restart it shortly before landing, or just after.

No second icon for update.

OK, now I found the Update at FSDT installer. This first, then live update.

Nowhere we said to run the Update from the installer and then ALSO from the updater. In fact, I said basically the opposite, they are the SAME program, doing the SAME thing, just with a different interface so, running both is completely useless, since you are basically doing the same thing twice for no reason.

The difference depending which interface is presented are:

- The Live Update will automatically update ALL FSDT products you have installed, and will exit automatically when it's done. It doesn't have any other function other than just updating everything to the last version.

- The FSDT Installer will let you choose WHICH product you want to update, will give you informations about the version, read the release notes, read the manual, uninstall/reinstall, activate/deactivate, find your keys, etc.

If you want absolute accuracy in the description, running the Live Update, is functionally IDENTICAL than running the Installer and clicking the button "Update ALL" and then the button "Exit" when it has completed.

[ehenkes]

What is now exactly the "offline installer"? I installed the package, but have no idea where and what it implemented.

[virtuali]

What is now exactly the "offline installer"? I installed the package, but have no idea where and what it implemented.

You mean that, after all my explanation about Cloudflare nodes and how to recognize IF you might need the Offline installer:

https://www.fsdreamteam.com/forum/index.php/topic,26826.msg190906.html#msg190906

You still don't understand what it does and when it's needed ? What's not clear about what I wrote, and of course the first post in this thread, which explains exactly that ? I'll try it again, as simple as I can:

- The Offline installer is an alternate updater that contains just the main GSX code ( the program logic and code-related bugfixes ), which should be used only in case you suspect your local Cloudflare node might not been updated yet so, instead of waiting a day or more for your node to eventually catch up with all the latest files, you can get at least the latest code updates immediately.

It's ONLY required in this case, and it's NOT a replacement for the Live Update, because it only contains code updates, not everything that has been added with updates ( GSX is about 8GB download, so it clearly cannot be replaced by a 130MB offline installer! )

[HeicoH]

Umberto, you say that the Live updater and the update functionality of the installer are the same program. This maybe true, bur they do not do the same. E.g.: the Live Updater always changes my GSX configuration, while using the installer to update, the configuration stays the same.

[virtuali]

E.g.: the Live Updater always changes my GSX configuration, while using the installer to update, the configuration stays the same.

I might be able to reply if you could clarify what do you mean exactly with "GSX Configuration": there are multiple configuration files and settings, so it's not clear what you are referring to.

And, I said the Live Update is functionally identical to the "Update ALL" function of the installer, not to everything else the installer does.

[HeicoH]

E.g.:

I do not use GSX jetways, so in the config I moved all airports to the right (disabled) column.

When I use the Installer for an update, after the update all airports are still disabled.

When I use the Live Updater, after the update some airports appear i the left (enabled) column.


I should say: "when I start an update run..." (this appears even if no update is downloaded except for the files that are always downloaded) and "after the update run..."

[virtuali]

When I use the Live Updater, after the update some airports appear i the left (enabled) column.

I tried it just now, did the following:

- Placed all jetways replacements on the Disabled list with the installer, ran the Update check, all jetway files stays Disabled.

- Ran the Live Update, no jetway files are being reinstalled.

- Enter the Installer again, all jetway files are still Disabled.

- Run an Update from the installer, all jetway files are still Disabled.

[HeicoH]

I ran 5 test runs now, it is always the same. And it is always the same airports.

[virtuali]

I ran 5 test runs now, it is always the same. And it is always the same airports.

Here's a video showing it doesn't do that:

https://youtu.be/5y31Dg0lNsI

Are you doing something different ?

[HeicoH]

This is exactly what I did and what happened in my test runs mentioned above, except for:
- the Live Updater does not perform most of the steps 2 onwards, due to I have only installed 2 other FSDT products (the Zurich airport and the Basel airport), and I have purchased the Switzerland Meshes, but not installed them because they cause massive fps drops)
- the results differ (as you can see in my picture above).

But:
I ran another update test. This time, I unticked the "SU10 Navdata" option before the update run. Now all airports remained in the "disabled" column.
I ran one more update test, now with the "SU10 Navdata" option ticked again, and the results were again as described in my last post.

[virtuali]

I ran another update test. This time, I unticked the "SU10 Navdata" option before the update run. Now all airports remained in the "disabled" column. I ran one more update test, now with the "SU10 Navdata" option ticked again, and the results were again as described in my last post.

That option cannot possibly have any effect on the update process, since the only thing it does, is to write a 0 or 1 on the airportcache parameter in the Couatl_MSFS.ini file, nothing else so, it's completely unrelated to the jetway replacement files.

Of course, now you wrote about it, I tried it too, and can't see any difference with the option enabled or disabled.

[HeicoH]

Anyway, I found a solution for me now: untick SU10 Navdata option before running an update. That's ok for me.

[ACSoft]

Umberto, maybe you forget to update this thread, as far as I know, the actual Offline installer version is not March 3rd, 2023, but March 5rd, 2023. This is almost what say the last version I have downloaded and correspond to Version 2.3.1. of the installer.