Making OS X web Installer Packages

Question

I have an installer implemented with "Packages" which contains the payload and after running some plugins and a post install script it successfully installs the product.

The same package bundle is used for making updates too, as we run it in background with root privileges and it overwrites the current/old installation files.

We now have the requirement to make a lightweight installer having the components (different Packages inside the product) in a web location to be downloaded and installed.

As I know that this is possible in other systems as Windows/InstallShield with "Releases of Web Type", I would like to know if this is possible in OS X. Otherwise, I will have implement it all from scratch (packages management, download, packages versions compare to make selective updates, privileges escalation, etc).

Answer 1

Well, it was long ago and I almost started doing a web installer from scratch but then I found out that the option is in Packages itself. Hope this helps.

It is the "Package Reference" option.

According to the Packages documentation

A Package Reference lets you use a package that is hosted on a web server or a removable media and to which you may not have a direct access. This package will not be built during the built phase.

I think that any referenced package will have its own pre-post-scripts so there would be no problem because of the limited options in the Package Reference. But I need to test it.