Install WAS product offerings silently using response files

We can install WAS ND v9 product offerings silently using Installation Manager response files, including

• All WAS editions
• Application Client for WAS
• DMZ Secure Proxy Server for WAS
• IBM HTTP Server
• Web Server Plug-ins
• WebSphere Customization Toolbox

For transitioning users: IBM SDK, v8 is the Java SDK version for WAS v9.0. IBM SDK is no longer embedded with any WAS offerings. The Java SDK is available as a separate offering that must be installed when we install the product.

Install WAS ND v9 product offerings

1. Prepare each of the operating systems onto which we want to install the product.

2. Install Installation Manager

   Installation Manager Version 1.8.5 or later is required to install the WAS ND v9.

   (iSeries) Before installing a product offering, ensure your user profile has *ALLOBJ and *SECADM special authorities.

3. Configure the product repositories.

4. Create a response file to install the product.

   A response file is an XML file containing the data required to install the product, such as the offerings to install, the installation directory, and the installation package architecture.

   If we install the product from an authenticated remote repository, we must create the following files:

   • A master password text file, which is used to secure your authentication credentials.
   • A credential storage file to store authentication credentials

   See Storing credentials in the Installation Manager documentation.

   (Dist) Use the Installation Manager GUI to record the product installation response file.

   Important: Because IBM SDK is a separate offering that must be installed when we install the product, your response file must contain two <offering> elements: one for the product installation, and one for the Java SDK.

   For a sample response file that installs WAS v9.0 and IBM SDK, Java Technology Edition, v8, see the examples.

5. Use the response files to install the product.

   1. Start the command line.

      (iSeries) On a CL command line, run the STRQSH command to start the Qshell command shell.

   2. Change to the eclipse/tools subdirectory in the directory where we installed Installation Manager.

   3. Run the imcl input command and specify the location of the response file. For example...
      • (Windows) Administrator or non-administrator:
        imcl.exe -acceptLicense input C:\temp\install_response_file.xml -secureStorageFile C:\IM\credential.store -masterPasswordFile C:\IM\master_password.txt -log C:\temp\install_log.xml

      • (UNIX) Administrator:
        ./imcl -acceptLicense input /var/temp/install_response_file.xml -secureStorageFile /var/IM/credential.store -masterPasswordFile /var/IM/master_password.txt -log /var/temp/install_log.xml

      • (UNIX) Non-administrator:
        ./imcl -acceptLicense input user_home/var/temp/install_response_file.xml -secureStorageFile user_home/var/IM/credential.store -masterPasswordFile user_home/var/IM/master_password.txt -log user_home/var/temp/install_log.xml

      • (iSeries)
        ./imcl -acceptLicense input $HOME/WASFiles/temp/install_response_file.xml -secureStorageFile $HOME/WASFiles/temp/credential.store -masterPasswordFile $HOME/WASFiles/temp/master_password.txt -log $HOME/WASFiles/temp/install_log.xml

      The relevant terms and conditions, notices, and other information are provided in the license-agreement files in the lafiles or product_name/lafiles subdirectory of the installation image or repository for this product.

      The program might write important post-installation instructions to standard output.

      See Installation Manager documentation for more information.

Response file examples and modification

The following sample response file installs WAS and the IBM SDK, v8 on Windows.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<agent-input clean="true" temporary="true">
    <server>
        <repository location="http://www.ibm.com/software/repositorymanager/com.ibm.websphere.ND.v90" />
    </server>
    <install modify='false'>

        <offering id='com.ibm.websphere.ND.v90' 
                  profile='IBM WAS V9.0' 
                  features='core.feature,ejbdeploy,thinclient,embeddablecontainer' installFixes='none'/>

        <offering id='com.ibm.java.jdk.v8'
                  profile='IBM WAS V9.0'
                  features='com.ibm.sdk.8'/>
    </install>

    <profile id='IBM WAS V9.0' 
             installLocation='C:\IBM\WebSphere\AppServer'>

        <data key='eclipseLocation' value='C:\IBM\WebSphere\AppServer'/>
        <data key='user.import.profile' value='false'/>
        <data key='cic.selector.nl' value='en'/>

    </profile>
</agent-input>

Add optional features

To add the optional features, add each feature in the offering as an entry in a comma-separated list.

The offering IDs, optional features for each offering, and default features are shown in the following table:

Offering ID	Optional feature ID	Default features
WAS ND com.ibm.websphere.ND.v90	core.feature: WAS This feature must be specified to specify the following optional subfeatures: samples: Sample applications thinclient: Standalone thin clients and resource adapters embeddablecontainer: Embeddable EJB container ejbdeploy: EJBDeploy tool for pre-EJB 3.0 modules We cannot use Installation Manager to modify, update, or roll back functions to later add or remove core.feature. Only the subfeatures can be added or removed.	core.feature thinclient embeddablecontainer ejbdeploy
Application Client for WAS com.ibm.websphere.APPCLIENT.v90	samples: Samples standalonethinclient.resourceadapter.runtime: Standalone Thin Clients Runtime standalonethinclient.resourceadapter.samples: Standalone Thin Clients Samples embeddablecontainer: Embeddable EJB Container	embeddablecontainer
DMZ Secure Proxy Server for IBM WAS com.ibm.websphere.NDDMZ.v90	core.feature: DMZ Secure Proxy Server for IBM WAS This feature must be specified to specify the following optional subfeature: thinclient: Standalone thin clients and resource adapters	No default features
Web Server Plug-ins com.ibm.websphere.PLG.v90	No optional features	N/A
WebSphere Customization Toolbox com.ibm.websphere.WCT.v90	zpmt: z/OS Profile Management Tool zmmt: z/OS Migration Management Tool pct: Web Server Plug-ins Configuration Tool	All optional features are installed by default

For example, to install all of the optional features for the WAS ND offering, replace the features in the product offering definition

<offering id='com.ibm.websphere.ND.v90' profile='IBM WAS V9.0' features='core.feature' installFixes='none'/>

with

<offering id='com.ibm.websphere.ND.v90' profile='IBM WAS V9.0' features='core.feature,samples,ejbdeploy,thinclient,embeddablecontainer' installFixes='none'/>

Disable remote searches

To disable remote searches for updates in the response file, set the following preferences to false:

• offering.service.repositories.areUsed:

  Used for searching remote repositories for updates to installed offerings

• com.ibm.cic.common.core.preferences.searchForUpdates:

  Used for searching for updates to Installation Manager

For example:

<preference value='false' name='offering.service.repositories.areUsed'/>
<preference value='false' name='com.ibm.cic.common.core.preferences.searchForUpdates'/>

For more details on silent preference keys, see the Installation Manager documentation.

Install multiple copies of a product

To install multiple copies of a product offering, specify a different installation location and a new package group for each installation. For example, to install a second copy of the WAS product into...

C:\Program Files\IBM\WebSphere\AppServer_2

...and create the IBM WAS V9.0_2 package group:

1. Replace the profile name and installation location
   <profile id='IBM WAS V9.0' installLocation='C:\IBM\WebSphere\AppServer'>

   with

   <profile id='IBM WAS V9.0_2' installLocation='C:\IBM\WebSphere\AppServer_2'>

2. Replace the Eclipse location value
   <data key='eclipseLocation' value='C:\IBM\WebSphere\AppServer'/>

   with

   <data key='eclipseLocation' value='C:\IBM\WebSphere\AppServer_2'/>

3. Replace the product offering profile name
   <offering id='com.ibm.websphere.ND.v90' profile='IBM WAS V9.0' features='core.feature,ejbdeploy,thinclient,embeddablecontainer' installFixes='none'/>

   with

   <offering id='com.ibm.websphere.ND.v90' profile='IBM WAS V9.0_2' features='core.feature,ejbdeploy,thinclient,embeddablecontainer' installFixes='none'/>

4. Replace the Java SDK offering profile name
   <offering id='com.ibm.java.jdk.v8' profile='IBM WAS V9.0' features='com.ibm.sdk.8'/>

   with

   <offering id='com.ibm.java.jdk.v8' profile='IBM WAS V9.0_2' features='com.ibm.sdk.8'/>

Choosing whether to save packages for rolling back

Installation Manager can save earlier versions of a package to roll back to if we experience issues later. When Installation Manager rolls back a package to a previous version, the current versions of the files are uninstalled and the earlier versions are reinstalled.

If we choose not to save the files for rollback, we can prevent the files from being saved by changing the following preference in your response file:

<preference name='com.ibm.cic.common.core.preferences.preserveDownloadedArtifacts'/>' value='true'/>

...to this...

<preference name='com.ibm.cic.common.core.preferences.preserveDownloadedArtifacts' value='false'/>

Tip: If we choose not to preserve files locally for rollback with this option, we can still roll back to any previously installed level by accessing the appropriate product repository.

For more information on setting your Installation Manager preferences, see the Installation Manager documentation.

Subtopics

• Recording response files to install the product
  

Install the product offerings

Install Installation Manager

Install the product offerings on distributed operating systems using the GUI

Install the product offerings using the command line

Install features on distributed operating systems

Update the product on distributed and IBM i operating systems

Uninstall the product offerings from distributed operating systems using the GUI

Uninstall the product offerings using response files

Uninstall the product offerings using the command line

Prepare for application update settings

Use application properties files to install, update, and delete enterprise application files