Use a response file with Msiexec

 

We can use the Msiexec command with a parameter call that calls a response file. The response file contains the parameters that you normally specify during an interactive installation. We can combine the Msiexec command line parameters described in Using command line parameters with Msiexec with a response file to invoke a complex installation or uninstallation. This could be silent or interactive. For a silent installation, this must include the /q or /qn parameter.

A response file is an ASCII text file, with a format similar to a Windows .ini file, that contains the stanza [Response]. The [Response] stanza contains some or all of the parameters that would normally be specified as part of an interactive installation using the WebSphere MQ Installation Launchpad. The parameters are given in a property=value pair format. Any other stanzas in the response file are ignored by Msiexec. An example response file, Response.ini, is supplied with WebSphere MQ. It contains the default installation parameters.

 

Use the Msiexec command

To invoke the Msiexec command using a response file, enter the following command at a command line:

Msiexec [parameters] USEINI="reponse_file"

Where:

parameters

are any of the command line parameters listed in table Table 1, or property=value pairs listed in tables Table 2 and Table 1 on the command line. Command line parameters should always be entered before property=value pairs.

response_file

is the full path and file name of the file that contains the [Response] stanza and the required property=value pairs, for example Response.ini.

If a parameter is specified both on the command line and in a response file, the setting on the command line takes precedence.

In the response file, all text is in English, and comments begin with a ; character.

For information on creating a response file see Creating a response file.

 

Parameters

Table 1 shows the parameters that we can enter in the response file (defaults are shown in bold). Some properties or values are related to uninstallation, rather than installation. Note that:

• Property strings must be in upper case.

• Value strings are not case sensitive, except for feature names. They can be enclosed in double quotation marks. If a value string includes a blank or a comma, it must be enclosed in double quotation marks.

• For a property that can take more than one value, use the format:

  ADDLOCAL="Server,Client"

Response file parameters

Property	Values	Meaning
PGMFOLDER	path	Folder for the WebSphere MQ program files. For example, c:\mqm.
DATFOLDER	path	Folder for the WebSphere MQ data files. For example, c:\mqm\data.
LOGFOLDER	path	Folder for the WebSphere MQ queue manager log files. For example, c:\mqm\log.
GSKFOLDER	path	Folder for the Global Security Kit files. WebSphere MQ will append IBM\gsk7 to the path given for this parameter. For example, if you set GSKFOLDER="c:\", the Global Security Kit files will be stored in c:\\IBM\gsk7.
USERCHOICE	0|no	If the command line or response file specifies parameters to install features, a dialog can be displayed to prompt the user to accept the preselected options, or review and possibly change them. 0 or no. Suppresses display of the dialog. Anything else. Dialog is displayed. Not used for a silent installation.
AGREETOLICENSE	yes	Accept the terms of the license. For a silent installation, this must be set to yes. If the installation is not silent, this parameter is ignored.
KEEPQMDATA	keep |delete	If the Server feature is to be uninstalled, whether to delete any existing queue managers. delete removes any existing queue managers. keep, or any other value, keeps them.
KEEPWEBDATA	keep|delete	If the WebAdmin feature is already installed from a previous version of WebSphere MQ, it will be uninstalled. This property gives you the option to delete the existing Web Administration scripts. delete removes any existing Web Administration scripts. keep, or any other value, keeps them.
LAUNCHWIZ	0|1|yes|no|""	0 or no. Do not launch the Prepare WebSphere MQ wizard after WebSphere MQ is installed. 1 or yes. Launch the Prepare WebSphere MQ wizard if the Server feature is installed. "". Launch the Prepare WebSphere MQ wizard if this installation will install the Server (the default). If this option will launch the Prepare WebSphere MQ wizard, we can specify the WIZPARMFILE, either in this file, or on the command line.
WIZPARMFILE	path\file_name	When specified, the file that contains the parameters to pass to the Prepare WebSphere MQ wizard when it is launched. These are in the [Services], [DefaultConfiguration] and [SSLMigration] stanzas. See Table 1.
ADDLOCAL	feature, feature, |All|""	A comma-separated list of features to install locally. For a list of valid feature names, see Table 2. All installs all features "" installs the typical features. If you do not want a feature use REMOVE="feature" If this is a new installation the typical features (Server, Explorer, Java™ Messaging and SOAP Transport, and Development Toolkit) are installed by default irrespective of the feature list provided in the ADDLOCAL property. If you do not want a feature use REMOVE="feature"
REMOVE	feature, feature, |All|""	A comma-separated list of features to remove. For a list of valid feature names, see Table 2. All uninstalls all features "" uninstalls no features (the default).
REMOVEFEATURES	1|yes	Must be set to 1 or yes for a silent installation if Internet Gateway, Web Administration Server, or SupportPac™ MA88 are installed, or the installation fails.
HIGHCONTRAST	0|no|""	0 or no. Do not set high-contrast mode for the installation. "" (The default). Set high-contrast mode for the installation if Windows 2000, Windows 2003, or Windows XP high-contrast mode is set or if WebSphere MQ high-contrast mode is set. Anything else. Set high-contrast mode for the installation.

Table 2 shows the features that can be values for the ADDLOCAL and REMOVE properties.

Valid feature names

Feature Name	Description
Server	The WebSphere MQ for Windows server. This will install the files needed to create and run queue managers.
FTA_Server	The file transfer application for the server. This is a graphical application used to send and receive files.
Explorer	The WebSphere MQ Explorer. This feature is installed automatically if the server feature is installed. You can select to remove it.
Client	The WebSphere MQ for Windows client.
XA_Client	Extended transaction support for the Windows client.
FTA_Client	The file transfer application for the client. This is a graphical application used to send and receive files.
JavaMsg	The files needed for messaging using Java (includes Java Message Service and SOAP transport support).
XA_Java	Extended transaction support for Java Message Service.
Toolkit	Sample WebSphere MQ program source, sample executable code, headers, and bindings.

An example of a typical response file:

[Response]
PGMFOLDER="c:\mqm"
DATFOLDER="c:\mqm\data"
LOGFOLDER="c:\mqm\log"
GSKFOLDER="c:\mqm"
AGREETOLICENSE="yes"
LAUNCHWIZ=""
WIZPARMFILE="d:\MQParms.ini"
ADDLOCAL="Server,Client"
REMOVE="Toolkit"

• Creating a response file
  

 

Parent topic:

Unattended (silent) installation