Hi Wayne,
I just wanted to kick this along as we had a bit of a discussion around your query. I understand that you are trying to consume packages directly from your Fileshare and that your current process is relativily manual.
I wanted to quickly address these two quotes from your threads:
I assumed it wasn’t recommended, but I’m certain I recall seeing Octopus supported them (zip files as the packages) as that’s rather what prompted our interest.
We have many people who use and consume Zip packages/files within the Octopus Built-in feed or through other package repositories. I wouldn’t say that Zip files are not recommended at all.
“Zip .zip Standard zip file as created through most common zip programs. Compatible with the built-In repository only.”
What this is referencing is that any zip files can be uploaded to the Octopus Built-in repository and utilised (i.e. pushed to deployment targets) without a need for scripting or using another integration tool (like NuGet or ProGet). It would be hosted in the packages directory of the Octopus Server.
Based on these two points in your thread, I believe there might be a bit of confusion around the process of using Zip files as packages within Octopus. I apologize if you realise this already, but I just wanted to highlight how to go from an application installation folder to deploying a zip package via the built-in package repository. This is a very simple example and only one way to achieve this sort of deployment but the aim is to clear up any misunderstandings about how a zip file/package may be consumed from our package feed. I hope it gets you started on exploring the automated side of package deployment.
- With the application that you wish to deploy, you would want to create a zip file. The name of this file will need to adhere to Semantic Versioning 2.0 (Versioning schemes - Octopus Deploy). A file like “Compression Program” could be renamed to “compression.program.0.0.1”
Apart from the installation files you need in your zip file, you would also want to create some instructions on how the package is installed or what to do with the files once they land on the target machine. Octopus automatically looks for and executes a small list of files that could exist in the package. Scripts in packages - Octopus Deploy
We’re going to use a file called “Deploy” and it’s going to run some Powershell. This file will sit in the root of the package.
Deploy.ps1 contents:
- The next step is to upload the package into the feed. You can upload packages via Command line or, for this example were just going to upload it via the Upload Package button on the Packages page:
- Finally, Create a project using the “Deploy a Package” step.
Choose your Target Roles and then select the Package from the “Octopus Server (built-in)” feed.
- Create a release and deploy as usual.
I hope this helps with any confusion around Zip files/packages. There is a lot more to learn, and one of the best places to start is here: Packaging applications - Octopus Deploy
Again, I’m sorry if this was obvious. Please let me know if I haven’t answered your questions or if you need other information. Also, please have a look at the Maven link that Jeremy has provided.
Regards,
Dane