Re: is it possible (re-)configure the portable version of miktex so that write access to the distribution is not needed?

Am Wed, 24 Apr 2013 11:48:35 -0700 schrieb Rick Pember:

> Since there was some confusion, this is hopefully a clearer version of 
> my previous post.
> 
> We include the portable version of MikTeX in our software distribution 
> because we have a report generation tool that uses MikTeX as a back end. 
> Our users don't actually use MikTeX directly. The report generation tool 
> is command line only. The MikTeX executables that we use are accessed by 
> our report generation tool and are used in "batchmode". (BTW, we include 
> copyright notices, etc., for MikTeX in the distribution.)
> 
> What we did is this.
> 
> 1) we downloaded the 2.9 portable version of MikTeX and installed it.
> 
> 2) we ran the portable version on a tex file that downloads all the 
> packages to which our users need access for the report generation tool.
> 
> 3) we then include the MikTeX distribution folder in our distribution. 
> Our report generation tool (python) executes the MikTeX executables it 
> needs to. Because we're using the portable version, no MikTeX 
> initialization or Windows registry access is needed.
> 
> This actually works except for one small feature: MikTeX's pdflatex and 
> latex need the files texmf.fndb and mpm.fndb (in miktex/data/le)  to be 
> writeable by users, specifically, users with non-admin accounts. If we 
> make these two files writeable, this approach works without any problems.
> 
> (If they aren't writeable, errors like "pdflatex: Windows API error 5: 
> Access is denied" occur.)

I couldn't reproduce this problem. I downloaded miktex portable on a
stick, made the two fndb non writable and then compiled without
problem a small test file with pdflatex. I check that the files are
really non-writable by triggering the on-the-fly installation: then
I get an error that the database is non-writable. 

But things could be different if the installation is not on a stick
but in program files.


I also tried to change the location of the miktex-maintained roots:

I created a folder localtexmf beside miktex-portable.

I started miktex-portable.cmd and in the menu miktex options and
added localtexmf as new root.

Then I opened miktexstartup.ini in miktex\config and changed the
path section to

[Paths]

;; user TEXMF root directories
UserRoots=..\..\..\localtexmf
UserInstall=..\..\..\localtexmf
UserData=..\..\..\localtexmf

pdflatex then installed new packages installed on the fly in
localtexmf. Perhaps such a configuration works for you too (you can
also try to change the location of other miktex maintained roots
like UserConfig or CommonConfig).

This approach is a bit unstable: If I change miktexstartup before
starting miktex-portable.cmd I don't get the icon in the task bar.
But as your user don't need a menu this perhaps doesn't matter.




-- 
Ulrike Fischer 
http://www.troubleshooting-tex.de/


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