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authorDaniel Baumann <daniel.baumann@progress-linux.org>2024-04-19 00:47:55 +0000
committerDaniel Baumann <daniel.baumann@progress-linux.org>2024-04-19 00:47:55 +0000
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treef435a8308119effd964b339f76abb83a57c29483 /browser/installer/windows/docs/MSIX.rst
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Adding upstream version 124.0.1.upstream/124.0.1
Signed-off-by: Daniel Baumann <daniel.baumann@progress-linux.org>
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+MSIX Package
+============
+
+Firefox MSIX packages are full participants in the "modern" Windows
+app packaging system. They are distributed, installed, updated,
+repaired, and uninstalled entirely using that system. This gives
+administrators lots of deployment options, and also grants complete
+control over when and how application updates are rolled out
+(Firefox's built-in updater is always fully disabled in MSIX
+packages). This stands in contrast to Firefox MSI packages, which
+mostly work against the Windows Installer framework rather than with
+it, and therefore are missing a lot of important functionality; for
+example, tools that install MSI packages generally cannot uninstall
+Firefox [#]_. This means the MSIX package may well be the better
+option for deploying to Windows 10 and up.
+
+In automation
+-------------
+
+The ``repackage-msix`` and ``repackage-shippable-l10n-msix`` tasks
+repackage the ZIP packages produced by signed build tasks into MSIX
+packages. The ``shippable-l10n`` variants depend on Linux64 builds and
+localization tasks to produce signed langpacks, which are incorporated
+into the MSIX package as distribution extensions. (This is the same
+approach taken by ``snap`` and ``flatpak`` Linux packages.)
+
+The ``repackage-signing-msix`` and
+``repackage-signing-shippable-l10n-msix`` tasks sign the MSIX packages
+produced by the repackage tasks.
+
+Signing in automation
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+MSIX packages are signed by the same certificates that sign binaries for
+other jobs. In practice, this means that try builds are signed with the
+```Mozilla Fake CA``
+certificate `MozFakeCA_2017-10-13.cer <https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mozilla-releng/OpenCloudConfig/3493a608bf700b68a54ff2fd506f33373bb87a04/userdata/Configuration/Mozilla%20Maintenance%20Service/MozFakeCA_2017-10-13.cer>`__.
+In order to install try builds locally, you must trust this certificate.
+**For your own security, it's best to do this in Windows Sandbox or a
+Virtual Machine**. To do so run the following in an elevated
+(administrator) Powershell:
+
+::
+
+ $ Import-Certificate -FilePath "MozFakeCA_2017-10-13.cer" -Cert Cert:\LocalMachine\Root\
+ ...
+ Thumbprint Subject
+ ---------- -------
+ FA056CEBEFF3B1D0500A1FB37C2BD2F9CE4FB5D8 CN=Mozilla Fake CA
+
+The ``shippable-l10n`` MSIX variants incorporate signed langpacks. These
+in turn are signed with the same certificate. Firefox knows about this
+certificate but does not trust it by default. To trust it, set the
+hidden Gecko boolean preference
+
+::
+
+ xpinstall.signatures.dev-root=true
+
+Sadly, it's not possible to set preferences via a ``distribution.ini``
+early enough to impact loading the signed langpacks (see `Bug
+1721764 <https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1721764>`__), and
+once the signed langpacks fail to load once, they will not be reloaded
+(see `Bug
+1721763 <https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1721763>`__). This
+make testing the first-run experience challenging. What can be done is
+to install the MSIX package (perhaps using
+``Add-AppxPackage -Path ...``) and determine the profile directory
+(using ``about:support``). Uninstall the MSIX package (perhaps using
+``Get-AppxPackage | Where -Property Name -like "Mozilla.*" | Remove-AppxPackage``).
+Delete the contents of the profile directory entirely, but add a file
+``user.js`` containing:
+
+::
+
+ user_pref("xpinstall.signatures.dev-root", true);
+ user_pref("extensions.logging.enabled", true);
+
+Reinstall the MSIX package and the signed langpacks should now be loaded
+(slowly!) and available after first startup.
+
+Local developer builds
+----------------------
+
+``mach repackage msix`` lets you repackage a Firefox package (or
+directory) into an MSIX/App Package. The main complication is that an
+App Package contains channel-specific paths and assets, and therefore
+needs to be branding-aware, much as an Android package needs to be
+branding-aware.
+
+Usage
+~~~~~
+
+The tool is designed to repackage ZIP archives produced in automation.
+Start looking for official builds at locations like:
+
+========== ==========================================================================================================================
+Channel URL
+========== ==========================================================================================================================
+Release https://archive.mozilla.org/pub/firefox/candidates/88.0.1-candidates/build1/win64/en-US/firefox-88.0.1.zip
+Beta https://archive.mozilla.org/pub/firefox/candidates/89.0b15-candidates/build1/win64/en-US/firefox-89.0b15.zip
+Devedition https://archive.mozilla.org/pub/devedition/candidates/89.0b15-candidates/build1/win64/en-US/firefox-89.0b15.zip
+Nightly https://archive.mozilla.org/pub/firefox/nightly/2021/05/2021-05-21-09-57-54-mozilla-central/firefox-90.0a1.en-US.win64.zip
+========== ==========================================================================================================================
+
+Repackage using commands like:
+
+::
+
+ $ ./mach repackage msix \
+ --input firefox-88.0.1.zip \
+ --channel=official \
+ --arch=x86_64 \
+ --verbose
+
+Or package a local developer build directly with ``mach repackage msix``:
+
+::
+
+ $ ./mach repackage msix
+
+This command will do its best to guess your channel and other necessary
+information. You can override these with options like ``--channel``
+(see the ``--help`` text for all supported options).
+
+Paths to tools can be set via environment variables. In order, searched
+first to searched last:
+
+1. the tool name, like ``MAKEAPPX`` or ``SIGNTOOL``
+2. searching on ``PATH``
+3. searching under ``WINDOWSSDKDIR``
+4. searching under ``C:/Program Files (x86)/Windows Kits/10``
+
+If you are cross compiling from Linux or macOS you will need a
+compiled version of `Mozilla's fork of Microsoft's msix-packaging
+<https://github.com/mozilla/msix-packaging/tree/johnmcpms/signing>`__
+tools.
+
+Linux users can obtain a prebuilt version with:
+
+::
+
+ $ ./mach artifact toolchain --from-build linux64-msix-packaging
+
+After `bug 1743036 <https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1743036>`__
+is fixed, macOS and Windows users will have a similar option.
+
+Signing locally
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+The repackaged MSIX files produced are not signed by default. In
+automation, Mozilla's signing service signs the repackaged MSIX files.
+For local testing, you can sign them with a self-signed certificate by
+adding ``--sign`` to ``mach repackage msix``, or with commands like:
+
+::
+
+ $ ./mach repackage sign-msix --input test.msix --verbose
+
+Or sign them yourself following `Microsoft's self-signed certificate
+instructions <https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/msix/package/create-certificate-package-signing#create-a-self-signed-certificate>`__.
+
+Signing Certificates
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+Mach will create the necessary signing keys and certificates for you
+and reuse them for subsequent signings. Before your locally signed
+builds can be installed you will need to install the correct
+certificate to the Windows Root Store. This can be done with a command
+like:
+
+::
+
+ $ powershell -c 'Import-Certificate -FilePath mycert.cer -Cert Cert:\LocalMachine\Root\'
+
+The exact command to run will be shown if you run ``./mach repackage``
+with ``--verbose``.
+
+You _may_ choose to sign in a different manner, with a key and certificate
+you create yourself, but Windows requires that the Subject of the certificate
+match the Publisher found in the MSIX's AppxManifest.xml. If you choose
+to go this route, ensure that you pass ``--publisher`` to
+``./mach repackage msix`` to set that correctly.
+
+For developers
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+Updating the MSIX template
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+MSIX is an "open format" in one sense: the MSIX container format is
+specified at https://github.com/Microsoft/msix-packaging. It is
+categorically *not* an open format in another sense: many of the
+contained files are proprietary binary formats (``.reg`` -- registry
+hive files) or undocumented (``.pri`` files -- resource index files).
+
+Generally the MSIX packaging code tries to avoid requiring such files
+that can't be built from sources. Where they are truly required, it
+tries to use a single such file independent of branding and other
+configuration, checked into the source tree.
+
+resources.pri
+'''''''''''''
+
+Generate a new ``resources.pri`` file on a Windows machine using
+``makepri.exe`` from the Windows SDK, like:
+
+::
+
+ $ makepri.exe new \
+ -IndexName firefox \
+ -ConfigXml browser/installer/windows/msix/priconfig.xml \
+ -ProjectRoot browser/branding/official/msix \
+ -OutputFile browser/installer/windows/msix/resources.pri \
+ -Overwrite
+
+The choice of channel (i.e.,
+``browser/branding/{official,aurora,beta,nightly,unofficial}``) should
+not matter.
+
+.. [#] The MSI has to be limited in this way because of the difficulty
+ of migrating existing installations into MSI and adding support
+ for it to Firefox's update pipeline. MSIX does not have these
+ constraints, because the partially virtualized file system that
+ these kinds of apps run in makes install migration impossible
+ and unnecessary.