Before creating a customized installation package (CIP), set up the Installation Factory on your system.

 

Setting up the Installation Factory

To set up the Installation Factory on your system, perform the followings tasks:

  1. Download the code from the download page for the IBM Installation Factory for WebSphere Application Server.

    Download the code to the same type of operating system for which you intend to build a CIP. For example, download the code to a Windows system if you intend to create a CIP for a Windows system. Download to a Linux system to create a CIP for a Linux system.

  2. Unpack the code.

 

Creating a build definition

Before creating a CIP, first create a build definition for the CIP. The build definition is an XML document that defines how the Installation Factory is to customize the WAS product. The Installation Factory graphical user interface (GUI) is the easiest way to create a build definition. Launch the GUI with the ifgui command from the bin directory. You can save a build definition and use it to generate the CIP directly from the GUI. Alternately, we can pass the build definition to the command-line interface through an option on the ifcli command. The alternate approach is useful when you want to create the build definition interactively on one machine using the GUI, but then generate the CIP in batch mode, perhaps on a different machine, and perhaps as part of some larger automated process.

 

Creating and using a CIP

The overall procedure for creating and using a CIP is:

  1. Gather all of the components that you intend to include in the CIP.

    Optional assets can include any of the following components:

    • Maintenance packages

    • Scripts or Java classes

    • Enterprise archive (EAR) files for applications that you intend to deploy with default deployment options on stand-alone application server profiles

    • A configuration archive (CAR) file for cloning a stand-alone application server profile in the CIP from a previously installed and customized stand-alone application server

    • Additional files (that might include EAR files that you intend to deploy with customized options included in a script, for example)

    The only required asset is the installation image, which is either the product disc or a downloaded image from the Passport Advantage site.

    Make all of the assets available on the machine where you intend to create your CIP (which might be a different machine from the one where you create the build definition.

  2. Use the Installation Factory console (bin/ifgui) to create the build definition file. See the ifgui command for more information.

    Clicking the New build definition icon

    starts the Build Definition wizard. See the Build Definition wizard panels for more information.

  3. Use the option in the GUI to create the CIP if all of the components for the CIP are available for the GUI operating system platform.

  4. Or, copy the build definition file to a machine running the target operating system and use the command-line invocation tool (bin/ifcli) to launch the processing engine that creates the CIP on the target operating system.

    The ifcli command creates CIPs for all supported operating systems. The ifcli command runs on a subset of the operating system platforms that the ifcli tool supports. Therefore, you might have to copy the build definition to the processing engine machine.

    See the ifcli command for more information.

  5. Install the CIP using the InstallShield for Multiplatforms (ISMP) Installation wizard. Panels in the CIP Installation wizard vary according to the product that you are installing. For example, the Installation wizard for a CIP for a WAS product is based on the Installation wizard for WAS V6.x.



Related information


Developing and installing customized installation packages Installation Factory overview ifgui command Build Definition wizard