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

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

Use the Update Installer for WebSphere Software to uninstall interim fixes, fix packs, and refresh packs or we can uninstall maintenance in silent mode.
The Update Installer wizard is an InstallShield for Multiplatforms wizard that runs with either a GUI or in silent mode with a response file.
Use the proper authorizations to successfully uninstall product updates. Use the update installer program as the root user on a Linux or UNIX platform, or as the administrator on a Windows platform.
See Update command - known problems and workarounds for information about known problems and workarounds.
The following descriptions contain reference information about uninstalling interim fixes, fix packs, and refresh packs on WAS products:

View the fix level of the node

Use the versionInfo command in the APP_ROOT/bin directory to display the exact fix and version level of WAS ND. However, do not use the versionInfo command while installing or uninstalling a maintenance package.

Do not launch multiple copies of the Update Installer wizard at one time: Concurrent launches of the update installer program are not supported. Performing more than one update at the same time can produce unpredictable results, which might include a failed or faulty installation.
Required information The graphical interface requires the following information that supply:

Table 1. Information required when uninstalling a maintenance package

Field Valid values Description
File path of the installation root directory of the WebSphere product and the Update Installer 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 Application Client for WAS
Web server plug-ins for WAS

The Update Installer application defaults to the last-visited product location.
File name of the maintenance package to uninstall. Select a maintenance package to uninstall from the APP_ROOT/properties/version/ update/backup directory. The default maintenance package is the package with the latest date stamp and time stamp in the APP_ROOT /properties/version/ update/backup directory.

The following procedure describes how to uninstall a maintenance package using the GUI and silent mode.

Log on to the operating system. [Linux]
(UNIX) In addition, verify that the umask setting is 022. To verify the umask setting, issue the following command:
umask
To set the umask setting to 022, issue the following command:
umask 022

Change directories to the updi_root directory.
(Windows) Use the Windows Services panel to stop all services for WAS processes.
Stop all Java™ processes that use the IBM Software Developer Kit (SDK) that WAS v7 provides.
Before uninstalling interim fixes, fix packs, and refresh packs on a machine, stop all Java processes on the machine that use the IBM SDK, Java Technology Edition that WAS provides. WAS processes include:

Application Server processes
The nodeagent process on an appserver node when the node is federated into a dmgr cell
The dmgr process for the dmgr server

Stop all Java processes if necessary. If we uninstall a maintenance package while a WAS-related Java process runs, IBM does not guarantee that WAS can continue to run successfully, or without error.
Use the update installer to uninstall the maintenance package.
Uninstall the interim fix on each appserver node in a cell before uninstalling the maintenance package from the dmgr node. Issue one of the following commands to uninstall with the graphical interface:

Table 2. Update installer commands for uninstalling with the graphical interface

Command example Type of installation Description
update.bat -W update.type="uninstall" Graphical interface mode Initializes the maintenance package field with the name of the maintenance package that was most recently installed.
Accept all of the default values to uninstall the maintenance package with the most recent date stamp and time stamp.
update.bat -W product.location="e: \IBM\WebSphere\AppServer" -W update.type="uninstall" Graphical interface mode Overrides the graphical interface with the location of the WebSphere software to update. The default maintenance package to uninstall is the most recently installed maintenance package for that software.
update.bat -W backup.package="PQ20029.pak" -W update.type="uninstall" Graphical interface mode Overrides the maintenance package field with the name of the maintenance package to uninstall.
update.bat -W product.location="e: \IBM\WebSphere\AppServer" -W backup.package="PQ20029.pak" -W update.type="uninstall" Graphical interface mode Overrides the location of the WebSphere software to update and the name of the maintenance package to uninstall.
update.bat -options "responsefiles/file_name" Graphical interface mode with an options file Overrides all default values with values that you specified in the options response file.
If we omit either value from the response file, the default maintenance package is the installed package with the most recent date stamp and time stamp. The default software is the software installed in the parent directory.

Issue the following command to use the silent interface:

Table 3. Update installer command for uninstalling in silent mode

Command example Type of installation Description
update.bat -W backup.package="PQ20029.pak" -W update.type="uninstall" Silent mode with an options file Overrides all default values with values that you specified in the options response file.
Always use a response file that is based on the response file under updi_root/responsefiles.

The commands for installing and uninstalling maintenance silently are different. Installation requires specifying the maintenance package using maintenance.package and uninstallation requires backup.package
For example:

Install maintenance silently: update.bat -W maintenance.package="e: \IBM\WebSphere\AppServer \updateinstaller\maintenance\ PQ20029.pak"
Uninstall maintenance silently: update.bat -W backup.package="PQ20029.pak" -W update.type="uninstall"

Results

This procedure results in uninstalling maintenance packages to update WebSphere software.
The Update Installer should not check OS prerequisites when uninstalling Custom Installation Package created by the Install Factory. When you launch the Update Installer to uninstall a Custom Installation Package, additional command line options need to be passed into Update Installer to disable OS prerequisite checking. These command line options are:

-W maintenancewarningprereqcheckactionInstallWizardBean.active=false -W prereqswarningpanelInstallWizardBean.active=false -W maintenanceprereqcheckactionInstallWizardBean.active=false -W prereqsfailedpanelInstallWizardBean.active=false

On Windows issue the command:

update.bat -W maintenancewarningprereqcheckactionInstallWizardBean.active=false -W prereqswarningpanelInstallWizardBean.active=false -W maintenanceprereqcheckactionInstallWizardBean.active=false -W prereqsfailedpanelInstallWizardBean.active=false

On operating systems such as AIX or Linux, issue the command:

./update.sh -W maintenancewarningprereqcheckactionInstallWizardBean.active=false -W prereqswarningpanelInstallWizardBean.active=false -W maintenanceprereqcheckactionInstallWizardBean.active=false -W prereqsfailedpanelInstallWizardBean.active=false

Next steps

After uninstalling maintenance packages, we can continue to use the WebSphere software.
Rolling back changes to existing profiles: Some maintenance packages for WAS products update existing profiles. If we roll back a maintenance package that contains a profile update, also use any undo scripts provided with the profile update script to roll back changes to the existing profiles.
The readme file for a maintenance package describes scripts that update and scripts that roll back profile fix levels.
Deleting profiles created by a service level that is now rolled back: Profiles should be at a service level that is less than or equal to the service level of WAS v7. For example, if we install a fix pack, create a profile, and then uninstall the fix pack, then also delete the profile.

Subtopics

uninstall.txt

Related tasks

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

Command example	Type of installation	Description
update.bat -W update.type="uninstall"	Graphical interface mode	Initializes the maintenance package field with the name of the maintenance package that was most recently installed. Accept all of the default values to uninstall the maintenance package with the most recent date stamp and time stamp.
update.bat -W product.location="e: \IBM\WebSphere\AppServer" -W update.type="uninstall"	Graphical interface mode	Overrides the graphical interface with the location of the WebSphere software to update. The default maintenance package to uninstall is the most recently installed maintenance package for that software.
update.bat -W backup.package="PQ20029.pak" -W update.type="uninstall"	Graphical interface mode	Overrides the maintenance package field with the name of the maintenance package to uninstall.
update.bat -W product.location="e: \IBM\WebSphere\AppServer" -W backup.package="PQ20029.pak" -W update.type="uninstall"	Graphical interface mode	Overrides the location of the WebSphere software to update and the name of the maintenance package to uninstall.
update.bat -options "responsefiles/file_name"	Graphical interface mode with an options file	Overrides all default values with values that you specified in the options response file. If we omit either value from the response file, the default maintenance package is the installed package with the most recent date stamp and time stamp. The default software is the software installed in the parent directory.