Secure +Software Install SIS Tools Overview

The Secure Software Install SIS Tools enable you to create, sign, +decompile and preinstall SIS files.

Description

The Secure Software Install SIS Tools +component comprises the following PC-side command-line tools:

The MakeSIS tool +creates unsigned SIS files based on the information provided in an input package +(PKG) file.
The SignSIS tool +signs SIS files using a certificate and private key.
The CreateSIS tool +is a wrapper around the MakeSIS, SignSIS, and MakeKeys tools, which automates +the process of generating and signing SIS files. It supports creating new +SIS files from package (PKG) files, signing existing package files and generating +private-public key pair and certificate requests for signing.
The DumpSIS tool +decompiles input SIS file and extracts the corresponding PKG and source files.

Required background

Before you start, you must +be familiar with the following:

Key concepts and terms

PKG File: A package (PKG) file contains information required by the SIS file +creation tools to create a SIS file.
SIS File: A Symbian Installation Source (SIS) file is a collection of executables +and data files, packaged in a way that the software installer can install +them onto a device. SIS files can be preinstalled on a device.
Signing: A SIS file must be signed with a digital signature, which is used in +verifying the identity of the vendor of an installation file. This ensures +that the file has not been tampered with since it was signed. For details +see, Signing.
Eclipsing: Eclipsing is a mechanism to upgrade files existing on the ROM drive, +by installing a new version of the same on the RAM drive. For details see, Eclipsing.

Typical Uses

The SIS tools can be used to perform +the following:

Create and sign +an installation file

Symbian application developers can create +installation packages using MakeSIS and sign them using SignSIS. +Alternatively, the CreateSIS tool, which is a wrapper around MakeSIS and SignSIS, +can be used to create and sign an installation file. For details see Creating and Signing an Installation +File
Upgrade OS components

The +software installer enables a device manufacturer to replace binaries and data +files in ROM, for example, to fix a software issue, by means of eclipsing. +For details, see Upgrading +an OS Component.