[MS4W-Users] Mapserver and Sql Server 2008 missing DLLs

[Jeff McKenna]

Hello Phil,

Thank you for using MS4W and providing feedback on beta 11.  My comments 
are inline below:

Anzel, Phil - Fort Collins, CO wrote:
> All,
> 
> It appears that the MapServer SQL Server 2008 connection plug-in is implemented via a DLL, "msplugin_mssql2008.dll".

That is correct.  You can view details of this support in your local 
MS4W instance by going to: 
http://localhost/README_INSTALL.html#microsoft-sql-server-2008

>  As of MS4W beta distribution file ms4w_3.0_beta11.zip (and possibly earlier), this DLL requires three DLLs that are not otherwise part of the MS4W distribution's directory tree. One, DWMAPI.DLL, appears to be part of Windows operating systems beyond Windows XP (which I'm stuck at for the near term), the other two, MSVCP90.DLL and MSVCR90.DLL, I presume are part of the VC++ redistributable.

For the release I also tested on an old XP virtual machine.  Here are my 
comments:

- DWMAPI.DLL was not found on my XP machine also, but there were no 
problems with loading msplugin_mssql2008.dll (and producing a map image)

- MSVCP90.DLL and MSVCR90.DLL are part of the 'Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 
Redistributable Package'

> 
> Is there a known O/S dependency in the plug-in? 

Many of the MS4W 3.0 features require specific dlls that are included by 
default in Windows Vista and Windows7

> Was lack of the VC++ DLLs an error of omission?

No.  In fact there are more DLLs included in beta11 than beta10.

(aside: we also had similar problems earlier in MS4W history with 
supporting Windows98 legacy users)

Unfortunately to use many of the MS4W features now you must have the 
latest VC++ redistributables installed on your system - which is fine 
for Vista and Windows7 users, but obviously not for XP users.  I 
apologize for this dependency, or lack of communication of it.  I will 
document this requirement in the README; here is the ticket that will 
track its progress http://bugzilla.maptools.org/show_bug.cgi?id=2184

It would be great if you could login to that tracker and add your 
comments there.  Thanks very much.

I am happy to learn that your organization is using MS4W.  I hope it 
helps your group publish and share spatial information.

-jeff

-- 
Jeff McKenna
MapServer Consulting and Training Services
http://www.gatewaygeomatics.com/