Merge Module If there are a number of applications that require a specifically configured component, it would be possible to create a Merge Module that installs and configures that component. That merge module could then be added to the installation packages of each product that required that particular component. This saves the effort of individually adding the necessary files, registry entries and other components to every installation. Merge Modules are Windows Installer databases that contain separate, self-contained installation components such as files, registry entries and other resources. A merge module cannot be installed alone and must be merged into an existing Windows Installer package. Multiple applications may use the same merge module for shared components. Only vendor supplied merge modules can be used. Such as merge modules provided by Microsoft etc. Due to the complexity of creating a merge module, custom created merge module are not prefe...
This blog describes some of the packaging standards. Also contains methods to silently install different applications or handling their configuration for mass deployements.