Record a response file with Installation Manager

We can create a response file by recording your actions in Installation Manager. When recording a response file, the selections that you make in Installation Manager are stored in an XML file. When we run Installation Manager in silent mode, Installation Manager uses the data in the XML response file to install packages.

Review the information in Before recording a response file. To record a response file, we must install Installation Manager. For information about the silent installation commands, see Installation Manager command-line arguments for silent mode.

For operating systems that do not use the graphical user interface, create response files in console mode. In console mode, you follow the steps to install, modify, roll back, update, or uninstall a package. On the Summary screen, we can create a response file, see Install packages using console mode.

When recording a response file for the IBM product installation:

We cannot record a response file to install or update Installation Manager. To install or update both Installation Manager and an IBM product, we must modify a response file to add the commands to install Installation Manager. For more information, see Modify a response file to install a package and Installation Manager. Some packages require entitlement for versions or fixes. If we are not entitled for a version or fix, the version or fix is not installed.

If we roll back or uninstall to an entitled version or fix that you do not have access to, the rollback or the uninstall does not finish. You receive a message that indicates the version or fix cannot be found. Entitlement is based on your IBM ID credentials. For information about entitlement, see IBM Entitlement Help.

Procedure

To record a response file:

  1. On a command line, change to the eclipse subdirectory. See Install as an administrator, nonadministrator, or group for default installation directory locations.

  2. Run the command to record a response file for the IBM product installation. This command uses the -skipInstall agentDataLocation argument. This argument records the installation commands without installing the IBM product. Substitute our own file name and location for the response file. Verify that the file paths that we enter exist. Installation Manager does not create directories for the response file.

    • Windows: IBMIM.exe -record responseFile -skipInstall agentDataLocation
    • Linux, UNIX, and OS X: ./IBMIM -record responseFile -skipInstall agentDataLocation

    Use the same agentDataLocation in the next recording session to record updates or modifications to the IBM product. These changes are recorded in the agentDataLocation directory.

    Do not specify an existing agentDataLocation directory for the location for a new installation process. For information about the agent data location, see Agent data location.

    The -skipInstall argument requires that the agentDataLocation is a directory that we can write to. To record a response file and install the IBM product at the same time, remove the argument -skipInstall agentDataLocation. For more information about the -skipInstall argument, see Installation Manager command-line arguments for silent mode

    Use the -log option is not supported when we record a response file.

    Enclose file paths that include spaces with double quotation marks.

    Examples:

    Operating System Command
    Windows IBMIM.exe -record c:\response_files\install_product.xml -skipInstall c:\skipInstall\IBM_product
    Linux, UNIX, and OS X ./IBMIM -record /response_files/install_product.xml -skipInstall skipInstall/IBM_product

  3. Follow the on-screen instructions in the appropriate wizard.

    If we copied the repository to a new location, we can set the location of the repository in the repository table. To access the repository table, click File > Preferences > Repositories. On the OS X, the Preferences option is under the IBM Installation Manager menu. The text (Recording...) shows in the Installation Manager title when we record a response file.

  4. Click Finish, then close Installation Manager to finish the recording of the response file.

  5. Installation Manager sets file permissions on the response file. The file permissions are changed to allow read and write permissions only for the user ID or group ID that recorded the response file. If Installation Manager cannot change the file permissions for the response file, we can restrict the access using the chmod command, move the response file to a secure directory, or delete the response file after we use the file. Examples:

    Operating System Mode Command
    Linux, UNIX, and OS X Administrator chmod 600
    Nonadministrator
    Group chmod 660

  6. If we run Installation Manager as a nonadministrator and plan to use the response file to install on another users computer, we must change the filepaths in your response file from absolute paths to relative paths.


Results

An XML response file is created and saved in the location that you specified in the command.


What to do next

Optional: Create a storage file to store the credentials that are needed during installation to authenticate the repositories, proxies, and response files on protected servers. Storage files are only necessary when your installation accesses servers that require authentication. If the servers do not require authentication, then we do not need to create a storage file.
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