While I was installing BizTalk Server 2006 the other day, I decided to compile a list of links to the redistributable BizTalk prerequisite CAB file so that I do not have to search for it the next time I install BizTalk Server.
The BizTalk prerequisites CAB file is a compilation of all the prerequisites that are needed to install and run BizTalk Server.
The redistributable CAB file is different for different Windows versions (Windows XP, Vista, Server 2003, 64-bit or 32-bit) and languages (English, French, …). So, when chosing the prerequesite CAB file, make sure that it is the one matching your Windows Operating System version and language.
When installing BizTalk Server, the setup procedure gives you the choice to either automatically install the prerequisites from the web or to automatically install the prerequisites from a redistributable CAB file.
Choosing the redistributable CAB file options helps in speeding up the installation process and is necessary if the BizTalk server has a limited access or no access at all to the internet.
BizTalk Server 2006
For BizTalk Server 2006, the links to the redistributable prerequisites CAB files are listed in the BizTalk Server 2006 Installation and Upgrade Guides. The guides are MS Word documents containing links to all the prerequisites CAB files for all supported versions of the Windows Operating System.
BizTalk Server 2006 R2
For BizTalk Server 2006 R2, the links to the redistributable prerequisites CAB files can be found in the BizTalk Server 2006 R2 Installation and Upgrade Guides. Here again the guides are a bunch of different MS Word documents containing links to all the prerequisites CAB files for all supported versions of the Windows Operating System.
As BizTalk Server 2006 R2 is the current release of BizTalk Server 2006, the links to the prerequisites CAB files can also directly be found on the MSDN documentation site:
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa578652.aspx
For information purpose, here is a list of all requirements for BizTalk 2006 R2: http://download.microsoft.com/documents/australia/biztalk/post_event/BizTalkServer2006R2_SystemRequirements.pdf