Specifying command line parameters with msiexec
About this task
The msiexec command can accept two types of parameters on the command line, as follows:- Standard command line parameters, preceded by a / character.
For a table of the msiexec command line parameters, see the MSDN Command-Line Options web page.
- Property=value pair parameters on the command line. All the parameters available for use in a
response file can be used on the command line, for a list of these, see Table 2. In addition there are
some extra property=value pair parameters that are only for use on the command line, for details see
Table 1.
When using the property=value pair parameters note that:
- Property strings must be in uppercase.
- Value strings are not case-sensitive, except for feature names. We can enclose value strings in double quotation marks. If a value string includes a blank, enclose the blank value string in double quotation marks.
- For a property that can take more than one value, use the format:
ADDLOCAL="Server,Client"
- For properties taking paths and filenames, for example PGMFOLDER, you must supply the paths as absolute paths and not relative; that is, C:\folder\file and not ".\folder\file".
When using property=value pair and command line parameters with the msiexec command, enter command line parameters first.
If a parameter is specified both on the command line and in a response file, the setting on the command line takes precedence.
Example
Here is an example of a typical msiexec command. All parameters, separated by one or more spaces, must be typed on the same line as the msiexec call.msiexec /i "path\MSI\IBM MQ.msi" /l*v c:\install.log /q TRANSFORMS="1033.mst" AGREETOLICENSE="yes" ADDLOCAL="Server"Here is an example of a typical msiexec command when you are installing a second copy of IBM WebSphere MQ Version 7.5, or later. All parameters, separated by one or more spaces, must be typed on the same line as the msiexec call.
msiexec /i "path\MSI\IBM MQ.msi" /l*v c:\install.log /q TRANSFORMS=":InstanceId2.mst;1033.mst" AGREETOLICENSE="yes" ADDLOCAL="Server" MSINEWINSTANCE=1
Where /l*v c:\install.log writes installation log to file c:\install.log.
The following table shows the parameters which can only be provided on the command line and not in a response file.
| Property | Values | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| USEINI | path \ file_name | Use the specified response file. See Use a response file with msiexec |
| SAVEINI | path \ file_name | Generate a response file during installation. The file contains those parameters selected for this installation that a user might make during an interactive installation. |
| ONLYINI | 1|yes| "" | 1, yes or any value other than null. End the installation before updating
the target system, but after generating a response file, if this is specified. "". Continue the installation and update the target system (the default). |
| TRANSFORMS | :InstanceId x.mst| path \ file_name | :InstanceId x.mst; path \ file_name | The :InstanceId x.mst value is only required for a
subsequent installation of IBM MQ. The path \
file_name specifies what transform (.mst) files must be applied to the product. For example,
1033.mstspecifies the supplied U.S. English transform file. |
| MSINEWINSTANCE | 1 | This property is only required for subsequent installations of IBM MQ |