Install a CIP silently

Install a CIP silently

We can silently install a customized installation package (CIP) that contains the appserver product by using the command line and a response file. To configure the installation, change the options in the response file before you issue the installation command. This page describes installing silently on any supported operating system.
We can install a customized installation package (CIP) that includes a WAS product and one or more maintenance packages and other customization. You must create a CIP with the IBM Installation Factory before we can install the CIP. See for more information about creating a customized installation package (CIP).
Consider the following before starting this installation.

Review the "Planning to install" topics which show typical topologies for the appserver product.
Review the "Preparing the operating system" topics to ensure that the operating system for the machine has prerequisite software installed, has enough disk space, and had met all other prerequisites.

Customize the response file to add the selections before attempting to install silently.
Use the response file to supply values to the installation wizard as the wizard runs in silent mode. The wizard does not display interactive panels when it runs in silent mode, but reads values from the response file instead.

Be precise when supplying values in the file: Customize the options response file precisely to let the installation program read the option values that the file contains. Incorrect specifications affect the silent interface of the installation wizard. For example, always enclose values in double quotation marks.
A silent installation uses the installation wizard to install WAS in silent mode, without the GUI. Instead of displaying a wizard interface, the silent installation causes the installation program to read all of the responses from a file that you provide. To specify non-default options during a silent installation, use the response file. To install silently, accept the license agreement in the agreement option.

Spanned images
If installing a spanned CIP, then keep all of the CIP images in the same parent directory and name them by disc number, or DISC<disc_number>. For example, name the first disc image DISC1, the second disc DISC2, and so on. Each directory must contain a valid image or the CIP installation will fail. During the installation of a spanned CIP, some core files are copied to the temporary directory before the installer is launched. There can be a case where we might not have enough space in the temporary directory for this operation. Use the tempSpace parameter to provide another temporary directory location. For example:
./install -is:tempdir /temp1

install -is:tempdir c:\temp

Log on to the operating system. If installing as a non-root or non-administrative user, then there are certain limitations.

In addition, select a umask that allows the owner to read/write to the files, and allows others to access them according to the prevailing system policy. For root, a umask of 022 is recommended. For non-root users, a umask of 002 or 022 could be used, depending on whether or not the users share the group. To verify the umask setting, issue the following command:
umask
To set the umask setting to 022, issue the following command:
umask 022

When installing as an administrative user on a Windows operating system, a Windows service is automatically created to autostart the appserver. The installer user account must have the following advanced user rights:

Act as part of the operating system
Log on as a service

For example, on some Windows operating systems, click Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Local Security Policy > Local Policies > User Rights Assignments to set the advanced options. See the Windows operating system documentation for more information.

If you plan to run the appserver as a Windows service, do not install from a user ID that contains spaces. A user ID with spaces cannot be validated. Such a user ID is not allowed to continue the installation. To work around this restriction, install with a user ID that does not contain spaces.
Locate the sample options response file. The file is named in the WAS directory on WAS image, CD-ROM, or DVD.
Copy the file to preserve it in its original form. For example, copy and save it as myresponsefile.txt to a location on the hard drive.
Edit the copy in the flat file editor of choice, on the target operating system. Read the directions within the response file to choose appropriate values that reflect parameters for the system. The response file contains a description of each option. For more information, see the article "Customizing response files for an application server CIP" in the information center.
Save the file.
Change to the directory of the CIP that contains the install command and run the command using the custom response file.

./install -options myoptionsfile.txt -silent
install -options myoptionsfile.txt -silent
install.exe -options myoptionsfile.txt -silent

Although the installation process verifies that the minimum required version of the operating system is available, the installation process might not correctly flag a maintenance upgrade of that operating system version as being a supported configuration. If we have upgraded your supported operating system version to a higher maintenance level and you receive an error message indicating that the prerequisites have not been met, then we can uncomment the -OPT disableOSPrereqChecking="true" option in the response file to bypass operating system prerequisite checking. See the response file for more information.
Although maintenance upgrades of the same major release are supported, subsequent major releases of the operating system might not be supported. Review the prerequisites on the WAS detailed system requirements web site if we have not already done so.
After the installation, examine the logs for success.

Results

This procedure results in creating a customized response file and using the file to start a silent installation. The silent installation takes some time to complete.

Troubleshooting
If you customize the response file incorrectly, the installation wizard cannot install WAS with the -options or -silent parameters.
Compare the options response file to the file that is shipped with WAS and make any necessary corrections. After correcting the file, reinstall.
Verify the success of the installer program by examining the /logs/install/log.txt file to verify that there were no file system or other unusual errors while installing. See the "Troubleshooting installation" topic for more information on other installation logs and log locations.
Verify or troubleshoot the installation if the APP_ROOT /logs/install/log.txt file or the APP_ROOT /logs/manageprofiles/pmt.log file does not contain a record of a problem, but problems exist. If the error happens early in the installation, look for the logs in the system temporary area. The installation program copies the logs from the system temporary area to the logs directory at the end of the installation.
If the directory does not exist, the pmt.log file is in the user_home directory. Issue the env command to display the user_home directory on operating systems such as AIX or Linux. See the environment variable settings on Windows system to display the value of the variable.

Next steps

After installing WAS from the installation image, the next step is to check for available updates before you alter the configuration of WAS ND. Read the "Installing maintenance packages" topic for more information.
After updating WAS ND, create a profile if we have not yet done so. Use the Profile Management Tool or the manageprofiles command to create a profile.

On Windows systems, use the Start menu to locate IBM WebSphere and select appropriate menu options to display the First steps option for the profile that you intend to verify.

The First steps console, firststeps.sh, is available in the $PROFILE_ROOT /firststeps directory. A separate First steps console exists for each profile, except custom profiles. Use the First Steps console of each profile to verify the profile.
After verifying WAS installation and starting the standalone appserver, use the administrative console to deploy an existing application. See Fast paths for WAS for more information.

Related tasks

Related information

Last updated Nov 11, 2010 1:01:09 PM CST