vpd.properties file
The installer program for WAS ND uses the Install Shield for Multiplatforms (ISMP) program to install code. The vpd.properties file lists program components that are currently installed. The file helps ISMP and the installer programs of WAS products to recognize previous installations of WAS products and to control options for new installations.
![[HP-UX]](../../hpux.gif)
![[Solaris]](../../solaris.gif)
Operating system exceptions for using the vpd.properties file
- ISMP uses the vpd.properties file to track WebSphere products that it installs on all platforms but Solaris and HP-UX.
- ISMP uses native operating system registration on these platforms when installing as root, and does not create a vpd.properties file.
When installing as a non-root installer, the installer programs create a vpd.properties file on all platforms, including Solaris and HP-UX.
Situations that require you to edit the vpd.properties file
Certain situations require you to edit the vpd.properties file before reinstalling a WAS product. The uninstaller programs for WAS products edit the vpd.properties while uninstalling a product, to remove entries for the product and any of its features that might have entries in the file. It is necessary to remove product entries in the vpd.properties file before you can reinstall the product. Some situations that occur require manually removing entries from the vpd.properties file before you can reinstall a product. These situations include:
- Bypassing the uninstaller program to uninstall a product manually
- Uninstall a product manually when the uninstaller program is not present or is not working
If the vpd.properties file has entries for a product that you uninstalled, edit the file and remove the entries. If you do not edit the vpd.properties file to remove entries for a product or features of a product, you cannot reinstall the product into the same directory structure. If product entries in the vpd.properties file are present, the installer program reads the vpd.properties file, determines that the product is already installed, and displays the panel that prompts you to install additional features into the existing product or to install the binaries a second time. Unfortunately, the existing binaries might not be valid at that point. The installer program does not verify the products that it finds listed in the vpd.properties file.
Location of the vpd.properties file
The location of the vpd.properties file varies per operating platform:- AIX platforms: The root directory or the usr/lib/objrepos directory
- Linux platforms: The root directory
- Windows platforms: installation directory of the operating system, such as the C:\WINNT directory or the C:\windows directory.
Example of the vpd.properties file
The following example shows all of the entries for the vpd.properties file for V6.1.0.0 of the ND product on a Windows platform. The example shows entire lines but breaks each line for formatting purposes. The identifier for the first component is highlighted. The installation location of the first component is also highlighted.
WSBAA61|6|1|0|0|6.1.0.0|1=IBM WAS|
IBM WAS|IBM WAS V6.1|IBM|http://www.ibm.com|6.1.0.0|
/opt/IBM/WAS/AppServer|0|0|1|
WSBAA61|6|1|0|0|6.1.0.0|1|0|false|
"_uninst" "uninstall.jar" "uninstall.dat" ""|true|3|
WSBAA61|6|1|0|0|6.1.0.0|1 WSBAA61LicensingComponent|6|1|0|0|6.1.0.0|1=LAP Component|
LAP Component|LAP| | | |
/opt/IBM/WAS/AppServer|0|0|1|
WSBAA61|6|1|0|0|6.1.0.0|1|0|false| |true|3|
WSBAA61LicensingComponent|6|1|0|0|6.1.0.0|1
Identifying entries in the vpd.properties file
Use the following table to help identify product entries.
| Identifier | Product |
|---|---|
| WSB...61 | All V6.1 products use this identifier to identify the core product files:
|
| WSP...61 | Web server plug-ins for WAS, V6.1 |
| WSC... | WAS Clients, V6.1 |
| WSIHS61 | IBM HTTP Server for WAS, Version 6.1 |
Web server plug-ins for WAS installs the following packages:
| Operating system | Registry keys |
|---|---|
| AIX, Linux, and Windows |
|
Related tasks
Uninstall the product