Silent Installation - BBj

Overview

A silent installation facilitates an automated installation process requiring no interactive user input.

In BBj 13.0 and higher

BBj 13.0 introduced the following features as shown in this 13.0 response file:

Finds a response file (InstallResponse.properties) in a installable jar.
Finds a demo license (basisdemo.lic) in a installable jar.
Adds more granular settings of response file values per OS.
Runs a BBj program at installation end via the response file.
Specifies a progress mode for each installation wizard that displays a progress screen while the wizard is running.

In BBj 10.0 and higher

BBj 10.0 introduced the option for installation record and playback, which creates a response file automatically. To view the properties that control this execution, review this 10.0 response file.

In BBj 9.0 and higher

BBj 9.0 introduced response file support the BASIS administrative (admin) wizards that run during the installation process. To view the properties that control the execution and behavior of these wizards, review this 9.0 response file.

In BBj 5.0 and higher

BBj 5.0 introduced the new InstallShield-based installer. Because the underlying installation program changed from InstallAnywhere to InstallShield, BBj 5.0 incorporates a new and more powerful mechanism for silent installs. The basis of the silent install is a response file, a normal ASCII file, that contains answers to the various screens presented during a normal install and variables that can affect how to run the BASIS Installation and Configuration wizards.

Creating a Response File

Response files are created by running the installation with the addition of some command line parameters. These parameters tell the install to record the responses to a specified file. To generate a response file, run the install with the following command line

<bbjinstaller> -options-record <ResponseFile>

where <bbjinstaller> is the installation program name for BBj and <ResponseFile> is the fully qualified path of the response file to be recorded. This runs the installation normally and, upon completion, creates the designated response file that contains all of the information for the install. Create as many option files needed by changing the last parameter on the command line above. The resultant options file will reflect all of the choices made during the install, such as the target directory, which products to install, etc.

Since the response file is plain ASCII, a developer can also customize an existing file to modify the installer's behavior. For example, select or deselect a component to install by simply modifying that section of the file. All of the available components are listed in a normal response file, so there will be a line for the documentation that looks like:

-P documentationFeatureBean.active=true

Changing the 'true' to 'false' in the response file instructs the installer not to install the documentation feature.

Running the install silently with a response file

After a response file is created, use it along with the -silent command line parameter for a silent installation. Run the install with the following command line

<BBjInstall> -options <ResponseFile> -silent

where <BBjInstall> is the installation program name for BBj and <ResponseFile> is the fully qualified path of the response file to be used. This command line runs the installation silently, utilizing the information in the response file to determine which components to install, which wizards to run, etc.

Additional 5.0 Notes

A response file can only be generated when running the installation in a GUI environment. Once the response file is created, it can be used for installations in both a GUI and a CUI environment.

In BBj 4.x

To setup the silent installation, follow the instructions below:

1. Ensure that an <installer>.properties file exists in the same directory as the <installer>.exe. For example, an <installer> named 2166000.exe has a properties file named .properties extension (2166000.properties).

2. The properties file supports the following settings indicated with an 'X' if supported by the operating system. If you do not have a value for a setting, do not include that setting in the file.

UNIX

WIN

SETTTING

INSTALLER_UI=silent

SILENT_LIC_FILE=<value1>

SILENT_USERNAME=<value2>

SILENT_PASSWORD=<value3>

SILENT_LIC_SERVER=<value4>

SILENT_INSTALL_DIR=<value5>

JAVA_HOME=<value6>

SILENT_TEMP_DIR=<value7>

SILENT_LOG=<value8>

Where:

<value1>	The full path and filename of an existing license file. If this is not set, the silent installation looks for a basisdemo.lic in the installer's executable directory. If the installer cannot find the basisdemo.lic, then the product installs without a license. The value "SkipLicenseInstall" prevents the installation wizard from displaying.
<value2>	The username BBjServices runs as on an NT box *
<value3>	The password for above username *
<value4>	Name or IP address of the BLM server serving licenses
<value5>	The full path to the BBj installation directory
<value6>	The full path to the Java installation directory, i.e.,C://j2sdk1.4.2_04
<value7>	The full path to a temporary directory used during the installation
<value8>	A log filename that shows the silent installation results

* BASIS does not recommend having a username and password in a clear (ASCII) text file. Only use this functionality with a scripted installation that removes the .properties file after the installation.

Additional 4.x Notes