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<concept id="GUID-1293DE8C-E803-4ADF-9FA8-862519337331" xml:lang="en"><title>Software

installer</title><prolog><metadata><keywords/></metadata></prolog><conbody>

<p>End users can install new software from a variety of sources: through

e-mail, Internet downloads, multimedia messaging service (MMS) and WAP push

messages, infrared and Bluetooth connections, PC Suite, and removable memory

cards. The diversity of software vendors and delivery channels requires a

sophisticated system for managing installed software.</p>

<p>The Symbian <i>Software Installer</i> uses <i>digital signatures</i> and <i>certificates</i> to

authenticate that the application being installed on a mobile device is from

a known vendor. The signature can be obtained through the <xref href="https://www.symbiansigned.com/app/page" scope="external">Symbian

Signed</xref> process, and the default certificates installed in the mobile

device act as root certificates. During installation the signature is validated

against the certificates. If they match, the application is installed and

the requested <xref href="GUID-6971B0A2-F79B-4E05-8AF3-BB1FC1932A22.dita">capabilities</xref> are

stored in the executable, assuming that the root certificate can grant the

capabilities. Only <i>user capabilities</i> can be granted to unsigned or

self-signed applications, and these are always confirmed by the user. </p>

<note>

<p>The end users have an option to cancel the installation if they detect

that the vendor of the software package and certificate authority are not

trustworthy. This is especially important when installing security-related

components (for example, VPN clients, firewalls and virus scanners) or other

business-related software.</p>

</note>

<p>The Software Installer ensures that no two applications have the same <xref href="GUID-3B6E25F7-C1A8-461F-97F7-421DB559BC98.dita#GUID-3B6E25F7-C1A8-461F-97F7-421DB559BC98/GUID-EEC50FC0-46D5-4ED7-AD95-67430D5EC652">SID</xref> value

on a particular target device. The Software Installer has the <codeph>TCB</codeph> capability

to read and modify content in the <xref href="GUID-B9414AE8-820E-4CA5-A9C4-29560CD6F2EF.dita"><codeph>\sys</codeph> </xref> folder

and all its subfolders, which means that you can write to third-party application

executables in the <codeph>\sys\bin</codeph> folder when they are installed

through the Software Installer.</p>

<p>For more information on the Software Installer, see <xref href="GUID-8E160B29-18C4-574B-9259-9A8E958CDA91.dita">Secure

Software Install Tools</xref>.</p>

<p>The following figure illustrates the steps of software installation:</p>

<fig id="GUID-98820420-7C7A-46EC-9DE4-EA3F5FFD39A8"><title>Installation process for signed packages</title><image href="GUID-85291DF3-C134-4231-938A-C20DD122AB7D_d0e12740_href.png"/></fig>

<p>The Software Installer can install the following types of packages:</p>

<ul>

<li><p>signed <codeph>sis</codeph> packages</p></li>

<li><p>Java archives (JAR) run by a Java virtual machine</p>

</li>

<li><p>Web Runtime widgets</p></li>

</ul>

<p>The Software Installer recognizes different devices, which allows you

to define the platforms and devices to which the software can be installed.</p>

<p>If you receive an error message when using the Software Installer, see <xref href="http://developer.symbian.org/wiki/index.php/Troubleshooting_Installation_Errors.dita">Troubleshooting

Installation Errors</xref> at the Symbian Foundation.</p>