Now, admins can quickly generate an XML file, download a 2.5MB installer file, and then install Office on a remote computer utilising Microsoft’s Content Distribution Network (CDN): No local download or customisation required. Along with the C2R versions of Office, Microsoft also did away with the complexity of the Office Customization Tool (OCT), and replaced it with a client-side OfficeC2RClientexecutable, as well as a new, streamlined, and very cut-down, Office Deployment Tool (ODT). This is only one of the many benefits of the Office C2R solution however, and while being able to “start fast” is incredible, being able to “single patch” or “version control” is probably even more impressive. Similarly, you can start using Office 2010 before the whole suite or product is downloaded When you watch a video on the web, you can watch the first part of the video before the whole file is downloaded.

Office Click-to-Run products use streaming technology that is similar to watching a video on the web.

What makes C2R so special? Microsoft describes it as follows: The first C2R solution was used for Office 2010 Home and Student, Office 2010 Home and Business, and the short-lived Office 2010 Starter editions. As of Office 2010, Microsoft has been supporting two different versions of Office, that leveraged two completely different installer technologies: MSI and C2R.

While most people remember installing Office via the included ‘setup.exe’ on a disc, this actually executed MSIs in the background in order to install the software. Traditionally, up to Office 2010, Microsoft shipped Office as a solution based on the Microsoft Installer technology. Click-to-Run is actually an installer stub, streamer, and command line technology, based on Microsoft’s App-V technology, and is currently used for the delivery of Microsoft Office ProPlus products. In my previous two posts, I described the Microsoft Installer (MSI), as well as Application Virtualization (App-V), and now it’s time to talk about Click-to-Run (C2R).

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