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Extension Driver MSI Packaging Requirements

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Switch extensions must be packaged in a silently installable MSI file. This file can then be deployed to the computer where the extensions are used by management applications automatically.

The MSI file must meet the following requirements:

  • Drivers must be packaged and distributed in the standard MSI package format.
  • The MSI package must be silently uninstallable.
  • The MSI package can contain only one extension.
  • The MSI package must contain the required table fields described in the MSI table fields listed below. In addition, the MSI file must be able to silently install the driver .sys, .inf and any supplemental files required for the driver to operate using the parameters described in the DriverInstallParams field of the MSI Properties table fields list below.
Field Required Type Details
Description Required String Description for the extension that is displayed.
Manufacturer Required String Name of the company publishing the extension driver. Localized strings can be stored.
ProductVersion Required String The version of the this MSI package. Example: 1.0.0.0
ProductName Required String Name of the driver.
DriverID Required String Must match the Msvm_InstalledEthernetSwitchExtension.Name field that is available after the driver is installed and the driver ID in the driver’s INF file.
DriverVersion Required String The version of the driver contained in this package. Example: 1.0.0.0
ExtensionType Required String Type of the extension. Values: Forwarding, Capture, Monitoring, Filter
DriverInstallParams Required String Parameters used to install this driver silently. Example: /q
IsManagedByExtensionManager Optional String Present and non-zero = Yes, 0 or not present = No
MinApplicableOSVersion Required String The minimum version of the Windows operating system that this extension will run on. See Operating System Version for operating system version numbers. Note that the Hyper-V Extensible Switch feature was added in Windows Server 2012, so the lowest valid value for this field is "6.2".
MaxApplicableOSVersion Optional String The maximum version of the Windows operating system that this extension will run on. See Operating System Version for operating system version numbers. Note that the Hyper-V Extensible Switch feature was added in Windows Server 2012, so the lowest valid value for this field is "6.2" or the value of MinApplicableOSVersion, whichever is higher. This field is optional. If no value is specified, the extension will run on MinApplicableOSVersion and later.