Product Customization considerations when installing Interim Fix builds

Content

Cognos BI "Fix Pack" and "Interim Fix" builds (also known as "hotsites" or "hotfixes") typically use an update package type of installation. The update package usually consists of an installer executable and an archive of files. The installer will extract files and settings from the embedded archive and write them to the product installation location. Any product customization which required the alteration of a file or files in the product installation location may be over-written during the installation of a product update ( Interim Fix or Fix Pack ).

To avoid loss of product customizations a backup copy of customized files should be kept external to the installation location directory structure (often called the <root> installation location). For example, the default installation directory structure, or <root> for Cognos 10 is :
C:\Program Files\IBM\cognos\

Using the default installation location example, any backup copies of customized files should not be stored in the <root>\cognos subfolder structure. Care should be taken, prior to installing any updater, to ensure that backup copies of any customized files are current.

The installer program contains an option to create a backup copy of all files that will be replaced during the installation of an update. A prompt to backup all changed files will appear during an interactive installation. An option to create a backup is also available in the response file for a silent installation.

It is strongly recommended that this option be active whenever installing an updater.

If a product customization appears to no longer be in affect after the installation of a product update then check the backup location created by the update installer for any of the customized files. The default backup location is the .\uninstall\backup folder within the <root> installation location.

It is important not to alter the content of the .\uninstall folder.

In the .\uninstall\backup folder will be an "update_<datetimestamp> folder where the <datetimestamp> corresponds to the date and time of the end of the update process. Within each folder are the files that were replaced during the update.

If a customized file is found in the backup location following the installation of an update the recommended action is to:

1) backup the new file installed by the updater
2) reapply any needed customization to the new file in the install location.

It is strongly recommended that new files are not replaced by old customized files.

If product customizations do not take affect after re-applying any modifications to the new files, and re-starting the product, then log a ticket with IBM Cognos Customer Support. Be sure to include the product version, update and modification information when logging the ticket.