(Mac) Adobe AIR silent install broken - pretty urgent and time sensitive

Report · Dec 11, 2016

The Adobe AIR silent install method does not seem to work anymore if the Mac is at the Logout Screen (no logged in user).

We push the Adobe AIR Installer.app to /private/tmp/ and invoke with a script that run the Adobe AIR silent install command:

# /private/tmp/Adobe\ AIR\ Installer.app/Contents/MacOS/Adobe\ AIR\ Installer -silent -eulaAccepted

Result on logged off Mac:

SSH'd in to a remote, logged off Mac, we are SSH'd in from a remote computer. Invoking the Adobe AIR silent in stall command, the install hangs.

Note we are unable to exit the process using CONTROL-C so are forced to SSH in again and reboot the computer.

This is very unacceptable condition, which is the case whether we SSH in or deploy the installer and invoke via script.

# /private/tmp/Adobe\ AIR\ Installer.app/Contents/MacOS/Adobe\ AIR\ Installer -silent -eulaAccepted
Password:
Dec 11 11:23:25  Adobe AIR Installer[257] <Warning>: Untrusted apps are not allowed to connect to Window Server before login.
Dec 11 11:23:25  Adobe AIR Installer[257] <Error>: Set a breakpoint at CGSLogError to catch errors as they are logged.
Dec 11 11:23:25  Adobe AIR Installer[257] <Error>: This user is not allowed access to the window system right now.
_RegisterApplication(), FAILED TO establish the default connection to the WindowServer, _CGSDefaultConnection() is NULL.
Dec 11 11:23:25  Adobe AIR Installer[257] <Warning>: CGSConnectionByID: 0 is not a valid connection ID.
Dec 11 11:23:25  Adobe AIR Installer[257] <Warning>: CGSConnectionByID: 0 is not a valid connection ID.
Dec 11 11:23:25  Adobe AIR Installer[257] <Warning>: CGSConnectionByID: 0 is not a valid connection ID.
Dec 11 11:23:25  Adobe AIR Installer[257] <Warning>: CGSConnectionByID: 0 is not a valid connection ID.
Dec 11 11:23:25  Adobe AIR Installer[257] <Warning>: CGSConnectionByID: 0 is not a valid connection ID.
Dec 11 11:23:25  Adobe AIR Installer[257] <Warning>: CGSConnectionByID: 0 is not a valid connection ID.
Dec 11 11:23:25  Adobe AIR Installer[257] <Warning>: Invalid Connection ID 0
Dec 11 11:23:25  Adobe AIR Installer[257] <Warning>: CGSConnectionByID: 0 is not a valid connection ID.
Dec 11 11:23:25  Adobe AIR Installer[257] <Warning>: CGSConnectionByID: 0 is not a valid connection ID.
Dec 11 11:23:25  Adobe AIR Installer[257] <Warning>: CGSConnectionByID: 0 is not a valid connection ID.
2016-12-11 11:23:25.890 Adobe AIR Installer[257:2124] CFPasteboardRef CFPasteboardCreate(CFAllocatorRef, CFStringRef) : failed to create global data
2016-12-11 11:23:25.890 Adobe AIR Installer[257:2124] CFPasteboardRef CFPasteboardCreate(CFAllocatorRef, CFStringRef) : failed to create global data
2016-12-11 11:23:25.891 Adobe AIR Installer[257:2124] CFPasteboardRef CFPasteboardCreate(CFAllocatorRef, CFStringRef) : failed to create global data
2016-12-11 11:23:25.892 Adobe AIR Installer[257:2124] CFPasteboardRef CFPasteboardCreate(CFAllocatorRef, CFStringRef) : failed to create global data
Dec 11 11:23:25  Adobe AIR Installer[257] <Warning>: CGSConnectionByID: 0 is not a valid connection ID.
Dec 11 11:23:25  Adobe AIR Installer[257] <Warning>: CGSConnectionByID: 0 is not a valid connection ID.
^C^C^C^C^C^C^C^C^C^C^C^C^C^C

Result when a user is logged in Mac:

The errors, but completes...deployment tools flag these kinds of errors, so they should not be considered insignificant or spurious.

Again, an unacceptable condition, that needs to be resolved.

# /private/tmp/Adobe\ AIR\ Installer.app/Contents/MacOS/Adobe\ AIR\ Installer -silent -eulaAccepted
2016-12-11 11:55:59.706 Adobe AIR Installer[2943:24586] CFPasteboardRef CFPasteboardCreate(CFAllocatorRef, CFStringRef) : failed to create global data

2016-12-11 11:55:59.707 Adobe AIR Installer[2943:24586] CFPasteboardRef CFPasteboardCreate(CFAllocatorRef, CFStringRef) : failed to create global data

2016-12-11 11:55:59.708 Adobe AIR Installer[2943:24586] CFPasteboardRef CFPasteboardCreate(CFAllocatorRef, CFStringRef) : failed to create global data

Adobe AIR is currently not installed

Installing version 22.0.0.153

Done

#

Did the Adobe AIR silent install workflow break?

Are we forced to deploy only when user is logged in?

Is this issue going to get resolved?

PS, note all commands are run as root (# prompt).

Thanks,Don

Report · Dec 20, 2016

TheSoundOfAPinDropping

Report · Dec 24, 2016

The sound of a tree falling somewhere in space and time, but it didn't really happen because no one heard it (I guess?).

Report · Dec 24, 2016

I'll ask someone to take a look. The US offices are shut down for the holidays but we should be able to get to this in the next week or two to investigate.

Thanks and Merry Christmas,

Chris

Report · Dec 24, 2016

Thanks Chris, this can definitely wait for after the holidays.

Conclusive testing should:

Test silent deploy method on a logged on Mac...works, but spurious errors should be addressed.
Test on a logged off Mac...does not work, really needs to be fixed.
There is no number 3.

Enterprise silent deployment methodologies need to accommodate both logged on, and logged off computers.

The Adobe AIR dev team really need to QA their work, else I'm sure there are folks waiting in line for their job.

And a very Merry Christmas to you too sir!

Don

Report · Dec 28, 2016

air sdk 24 comes on my mac as dmg file. how to install?? flash builder does not accept the dmg file. after zipping and extracting flash builder accepts, but when exporting release build or open the app within flash builder appears a namespace error. what is going on with adobe? when you will give us a sdk is working?

Report · Jan 03, 2017

Hi Don,

This is not a functional break. Could you please log a bug for the same at tracker.adobe.com with all the necessary details.

Thanks!

Report · Jan 06, 2017

ridhijain wrote:
Hi Don,
This is not a functional break. Could you please log a bug for the same at tracker.adobe.com with all the necessary details.
Thanks!

Hi Ridhijain,

Not sure what this means: "This is not a functional break".

We are unable to deploy silently to logged off Macs.

Is installation not considered a function of the software?

Should I escalate this to get prompt resolution?

Don

Report · Jan 09, 2017

Hi Don,

We checked with older versions of Adobe AIR. The behavior was found to be the same.

For the same reason I had asked you to log a bug at tracker.adobe.com with the details so that this issue can be taken care of.

Thanks!

Report · Mar 24, 2017

I'm sorry...so it was broken before...and it continues to be broken...but that means all is good? Really?

Please file the bug internally, in the mean time I'll escalate on the Adobe end to see if we can get some management oversight and traction.

Thanks in advance.

Don