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IBM Installation Manager overview

Installation Manager installs and maintains Installation Manager-based software packages. It is an Eclipse-based tool that enables you to install and modify packages, search for updates, uninstall, and roll back. Installation Manager makes it easier for you to download and install code for a number of IBM software packages.

Starting from WAS V8, Installation Manager replaced the InstallShield MultiPlatform (ISMP) and Update Installer tools, which were used to install, update, and uninstall previous versions of WAS. It also replaced the functionality previously provided by the Installation Factory tool. The new WAS V8.5 is shipped with Installation Manager V1.5.2, but use newer versions of Installation Manager if they are available.

Installation Manager was originally introduced to support installation of IBM Rational� products and is currently available for all platforms and supports installation of WebSphere, Rational, and other products. It provides the following benefits:

• Consistency across all platforms using the same methodology
• Lifecycle management of any Installation Manager-installed products
• Several methods for performing lifecycle management activities
• Common packaging
• Validation and system checking performed before downloading binaries
• More efficiency when delivering new fixes and files for rollback

Terminology

The following installation-related concepts and terminology are used in this chapter:

• A package is a software product that can be installed by Installation Manager. It is a separately installable unit that can operate independently from other packages of that software. A package can include a product, a group of components, or a single component. Each package has a name, version, and an identifier, for example:

  Package name	com.ibm.websphere.ND.v85
  Package version	8.5.0.20120501_1108
  Package identifier	com.ibm.websphere.ND.v85_8.5.0.20120501_1108

  Packages are installed to a defined directory location in the file system. Installation Manager allows you to control where products are installed.

• Package groups are packages that are installed to the same location that share UI elements. They are used when more than one product is installed at the same location. Some packages can be installed to the same package group and other packages must be installed to a new package group. Package group names are set automatically by Installation Manager.

• A repository is a place where the packages to be installed can be found. It has a list of files organized in a tree structure and includes metadata that describes the software version and how to install it. A repository can reside on a local directory or on a remote, reachable server.

• Shared resources are software files and plug-ins that are shared by packages and stored in a central location or shared resources directory. We can only specify the shared resources directory the first time you install a package, and we cannot change the location of the directory while packages are being installed.

Capabilities

Installing	Installing software is the primary task of Installation Manager. Its features allow you to install any product designed for use with Installation Manager, including WAS v8 or later.
Updating	Using the update feature, we can locate and install product updates and new features for packages that were installed using Installation Manager. We can find and install updates using automated searches that Installation Manager does for you, or we can download and apply updates manually. Types of updates are: Fix packs Formal updates to software. Installation Manager indicates when a new version of the software is available. Interim fixes Updates that apply to a specific version of software. Interim fixes are typically issued to resolve critical issues. See... Check for fix packs or interim fixes Download fix packs and interim fixes
Modifying	Make changes to software packages that were installed using Installation Manager. These changes include adding or removing features for an installed package, such as when to add an additional language pack to your current installation of WAS.
Rolling back	Remove an update and revert to a previous version of the software. For example, if you applied a fix to your existing environment but now want to remove it, the rollback feature of Installation Manager allows you to return to the previously installed package as it existed before the fix was applied. Installation Manager saves earlier versions of packages in its local file store and uses these files to roll back. If we remove these files, Installation Manager must have access to your installation repository or disk media to roll back.
Uninstalling	Remove packages that were previously installed by Installation Manager. For example, we can uninstall unnecessary language packs from WAS.