Install maintenance packages overview

Before you install maintenance to the WebSphere product, you should be familiar with the following important considerations and precautions.

 

Overview of the installation procedure

The Update Installer wizard is an InstallShield for Multiplatforms wizard that runs with either a GUI or in silent mode with a response file.

1. Download, unpack, and install the Update Installer for WebSphere Software; or install the Update Installer that is on the WAS supplements disc.

2. Download the most current version of the interim fix, fix pack, or refresh pack file from the Support site into the maintenance directory.

   If we have not installed features, such as language packs and samples, consider installing the features if there is a chance we might use them in the future. If we choose not to install the features and then later install maintenance, you will have to uninstall all maintenance, install the features, and then reapply all maintenance or the features might be corrupted.

3. Use the Update Installer to install the interim fix, fix pack, or refresh pack. The Update Installer creates a backup file in the APP_ROOT/properties/version/nif/backup directory. IBM does not support restoring a backup file that we have modified.

 

Permissions

Permissions can only be given to one user account. To install and launch the Update Installer, use the same user account that installed WAS, or give permission to another user. If permission is given to a non-root user, then the non-root user should give permission to the root user when finished installing maintenance. If the non-root user does not return permission to the root user, then the root user cannot read or write to the file system.

• To use the updi_root location, user accounts other than the account used to install WAS must have reading and running access. These accounts must also have writing access to the updi_root/logs directory and its subdirectory.

• To update the target WAS product location, user accounts other than the account used to install WAS must have full access (reading, writing, and running) to the target location where a maintenance package is to be applied. For example, if the user account does not have write access to updi_root/logs, then we might see the following exceptions from the standard output:

  W       -1      mkdirs failed for: file:/home/nonroot/IBM/WebSphere/UpdateInstaller1/logs/tmp1 java.io.IOException: mkdirs failed for: file:/home/nonroot/IBM/WebSphere/UpdateInstaller1/logs/tmp1
          at com.ibm.ws.install.ni.framework.io.DiskFileSystem.mkdirs(DiskFileSystem.java:369)
          at com.ibm.ws.install.ni.framework.io.FileSystemEntry.mkdirs(FileSystemEntry.java:399)
          at com.ibm.ws.install.ni.framework.logging.TextLoggingBridge.createLogger(TextLoggingBridge.java:159)
          at com.ibm.ws.install.ni.framework.logging.TextLoggingBridge.init(TextLoggingBridge.java:45)
          at com.ibm.ws.install.ni.framework.plugin.NIFPlugin.createPlugin(NIFPlugin.java:782)
  

• [AIX] If a non-root user launches the Update Installer program, that user account must be able to run the slibclean command; otherwise, a root user must run the slibclean command whenever the Update Installer program is used.

• Ensure that processes from users are not locking files in the target location of a maintenance package.

 

Updating existing profiles in WAS products

The Update Installer updates the core product files in a WAS product. Service in a maintenance package might update the following files in the installation root directory:

• The SDK, Java™ technology edition, in the java/jre directory

• JAR files in the lib directory

• Scripts in the bin directory

• Profile templates

Some maintenance packages provide required service for existing profiles in addition to service for the core product files. Each maintenance package that has profile maintenance provides a script that changes the profile. The Update Installer prompts you to back up the configuration when installing a maintenance package that has required maintenance for profiles.

Some maintenance packages provide optional service for existing profiles. The readme file for the maintenance package describes whether the maintenance package contains optional service for existing profiles. If so, the readme file describes how to use the script provided with the maintenance package.

Use the backupConfig command to back up the configuration of each profile that the maintenance package can update. Or archive the APP_ROOT/profiles directory to back up all of the profiles at once.

If we uninstall a maintenance package, the Update Installer does not uninstall the maintenance package from profiles. The reason for not removing the maintenance is that we might have configured the profile after installing the maintenance. To restore an original profile, use the restoreConfig command or copy the profile from the archived $WP_PROFILE directory to replace the changed profile.

 

Updating cluster members

Apply the same maintenance packages to all of the WAS installations in a cluster. When all of the cluster members are not at the same service level, the following exception can occur:

DRSCacheApp   E DRSW0008E: 
   Exception is: com.ibm.disthub.impl.jms.JMSWrappedException: 
   {-1361012295|unknown|java.io.OptionalDataException|} 

This error can cause memory replication to function improperly.

 

Required information

The graphical interface requires you to supply the following information:

Table 1. Information required when installing a maintenance package

Field	Valid values	Description
File path of the installation root directory of the WebSphere product or component. Installation root directory of the Update Installer. See updi_root for more information.	Identify the installation root directory for one of the following products: IBM WAS IBM WAS - Express Embedded version of the IBM WAS - Express IBM WAS ND IBM WebSphere Extended Deployment IBM Application Client for WAS IBM WebSphere Business Integration Server Foundation Web server plug-ins for WAS	Download, unpack, and install the Update Installer for WebSphere Software. Or install the Update Installer that is on the WAS supplements disc. Install the Update Installer into each component that you intend to update. The Update Installer application updates WAS in its parent directory by default.
File name of the maintenance package to install.	Select a maintenance package to install from the maintenance directory.	The default maintenance package is the package with the latest date stamp and time stamp.

See Update command - known problems and workarounds and the release notes for the product for the latest information about the Update Installer.

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Related

Use root or non-root when installing with the Update Installer
Verifying and setting file permissions

 

Related information

Install maintenance packages, interim fixes, fix packs, and refresh packs