Utilize .NET SDK workloads infrastructure to generate runtime pack msis for Visual Studio

[marcpopMSFT]

Is there an existing issue for this?

• I have searched the existing issues

Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe the problem.

Today customers targeting self-contained applications download the runtime packs at build time. This prevents offline scenarios with Visual Studio. This also impacts internal customers that install pre-release builds.

Describe the solution you'd like

Expand the existing runtime pack infrastructure used in the runtime repo today to the aspnet and windows desktop runtime packs.

• Do similar authoring to what exists in the runtime repo
  • https://github.com/dotnet/runtime/blob/78f5a9839ac7d49a3cfaa6f4015a90b1cc846fa1/src/mono/nuget/Microsoft.NET.Workload.Mono.Toolchain.Manifest/WorkloadManifest.json.in#L131
• provide better descriptions than what is in the runtime repo
• Update the VS setupauthoring (see mail thread for link to existing authoring) to add the runtime pack as an optional component
• Add the baseline manifest into the installer repo
  • https://github.com/dotnet/installer/blob/main/src/redist/targets/BundledManifests.targets

Drawbacks are that this could impact servicing codeflow in the future. The recommendation is to only produce these for windows versions that VS ships on (the idea being we still download for cross-compiling but for the RID that matches the OS, we can provide that to VS).

See email or ask marcpop for more details

Additional context

No response

[marcpopMSFT]

aspnet version is here. I'd recommend coordinating to do both at the same time. There's a monday sync on workloads if someone wants to come learn more.

[MSLukeWest]

+1 to making this happen. It would be useful for internal test pipelines that run using local machine accounts to be able to have these packages downloaded by the VS installer. Bonus points if you maintain two components; one for 6.0 and one for 7.0.

[dreddy-work]

We will have to find an owner here to drive this.

[marcpopMSFT]

@merriemcgaw This comes up most months as feedback from VS and moreso near the end of the release. Might be nice to explore this for 9 if there is capacity.

[merriemcgaw]

That sounds quite interesting. @pchaurasia14 as FYI too.