The Internet Update File List Editor utility shown above is what the software distribution administrator uses to update the end-user's computer. It records the size and date of each file, and creates the ZIP files that will be posted to the website. This is an actual NetUpdate project we created to update the 403(b) Software we developed for F&G Life. Here is what will happen when the user runs NetUpdate:
1) Expand.exe will be deleted off the user's computer if it exists. The user will see the message, "Removed Old Data Compression Engine."
2) The next two files, meacalc.hlp and payann.hlp will be updated if they exist on the user's computer and if the times and/or dates differ on the user's computer than from what you see above. If an update is necessary, help.zip will be downloaded to the Windows Temporary directory, the correct file will be extracted, then help.zip will be deleted. Since help.zip is only 54K in size, this all happens in about 20 seconds. This procedure is similar for the next two files, mea.icf and pay.icf.
3) The next six files, graph32.dll, i32com.dll, i32data.dll, i32print.dll, i32uil.dll and i32util.dll will always be copied to the Windows directory if the date or size of these files differs on the user's computer than what is shown above.
4) We make changes to the file strs.dat on a regular basis. These changes, however, only affect the users in a particular state. For example, in April we made a change to the State Teachers Retirement System in Massachusetts. NetUpdate saves F&G the headache and expense of mailing new disks to each of its agents in Massachusetts. Since strs.dat compresses down to only 7K, NetUpdate will download and update this file on the end-user's computer in about 5 seconds!