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Windows release automation

ARSAS publishes two Windows x64 deliverables from the same reviewed source revision:

  • ARSAS-Windows-x64-Portable.exe — a real self-contained single EXE for approved no-install use.
  • ARSAS-Windows-x64-Setup.exe — the Inno Setup installer with Start Menu integration, uninstall support, and the same pinned ARIEC61850 and ArdIrec native-analysis revisions used by the release build.

The current application version on main is 1.6.37. Public download metadata remains authoritative only after the corresponding tagged GitHub Release has been published and its checksums/provenance are visible.

Official stable release path

The canonical release request is .release/windows.json. A reviewed change to that file on main triggers .github/workflows/release-windows.yml.

The release workflow:

  1. resolves the semantic version from the release request or tag and verifies it against VERSION, Directory.Build.props, and ArIED61850Tester.csproj;
  2. resolves and checks out the immutable ARIEC61850 engine revision from engines/ARIEC61850.lock.json;
  3. resolves and checks out the immutable ArdIrec revision from engines/ARDIREC.lock.json;
  4. verifies source and licensing boundaries;
  5. restores, builds, and runs the ARSAS regression suite against the exact release source;
  6. exercises the managed native COMTRADE bridge, including cursor, phasor, harmonics, and distance-locus integration;
  7. publishes the multi-file self-contained source used by the installer;
  8. publishes and smoke-tests the self-contained portable single EXE;
  9. compiles the Windows installer and performs silent install/uninstall smoke validation;
  10. creates SHA-256 checksums, SPDX 2.3 SBOM, and provenance evidence;
  11. creates GitHub artifact attestations for the public Windows binaries;
  12. creates or updates the stable GitHub Release and uploads the public assets.

The workflow explicitly rejects legacy ardirec.exe and Qt runtime files from official packaging. ARSAS uses the pinned in-process ardirec_bridge.dll contract instead.

Public assets

A successful stable release publishes these stable asset names:

  • ARSAS-Windows-x64-Setup.exe
  • ARSAS-Windows-x64-Portable.exe
  • ARSAS-Windows-x64-SHA256SUMS.txt
  • ARSAS-Windows-x64-SBOM.spdx.json
  • ARSAS-Windows-x64-PROVENANCE.json

Versioned build artifacts may also exist inside the workflow run, but public documentation and download buttons use the stable asset names above.

Manual release build

For a controlled manual run, use Actions → Release ARSAS Windows packages → Run workflow. Supply a semantic version matching the checked-out ARSAS metadata and choose whether the workflow should publish a GitHub Release.

A manual run with publication disabled is useful for packaging verification, but it is not a public stable release and must not be used to invent landing/latest.json evidence.

Installer behavior

The installer:

  • installs the self-contained ARSAS application to the selected Windows scope;
  • creates a Start Menu shortcut;
  • registers a standard Windows uninstaller;
  • preserves upgrade compatibility through a stable Inno Setup AppId;
  • carries the pinned ARIEC61850 runtime dependencies required by the application;
  • carries Tools/ArdIrec/ardirec_bridge.dll and rejects the retired ArdIrec desktop/Qt runtime;
  • is smoke-tested by CI using a silent current-user installation and uninstall path.

Npcap is not bundled. Install it separately according to its license and the engineering-workstation policy. MMS, SCL, monitoring, file transfer, and in-process COMTRADE analysis do not require ARSAS to install Npcap; raw-Ethernet GOOSE and Sampled Values capture do require an approved Npcap installation and suitable capture permission.

Portable single EXE

The portable public package is one self-contained executable:

ARSAS-Windows-x64-Portable.exe

The pinned ArdIrec bridge is embedded into the single-file bundle and materialized into the user's ARSAS native cache when needed. The portable package does not bypass AppLocker, WDAC, SmartScreen, antivirus, download-zone, or enterprise execution policy.

Local packaging

Prerequisites:

  • Windows 10 or Windows 11 x64;
  • .NET 8 SDK;
  • a compatible ARIEC61850 source checkout;
  • the exact ArdIrec source revision required by engines/ARDIREC.lock.json;
  • Inno Setup 6 for installer compilation.

Use the repository packaging scripts rather than hand-assembling a release folder. For example:

.\scripts\publish-windows-portable.ps1 -Version 1.6.37
.\scripts\build-windows-installer.ps1 -Version 1.6.37 -Runtime win-x64

Official CI additionally supplies the pinned engine projects and ArdIrec source explicitly so the build cannot silently resolve an unreviewed revision.

Release evidence and signing

A stable release is authoritative only when the tagged GitHub Release and its published evidence agree on version, assets, source commit, sizes, and SHA-256 values. The landing site's latest.json is synchronized from that verified publication evidence; it must not be advanced merely because main has a newer source version.

The current public Windows binaries are not assumed to be Authenticode-signed unless the release evidence says so. An unsigned release can trigger Windows SmartScreen. Verify the published SHA-256 value before use.