Creating and servicing master images with Installation Manager

Use IBM® Installation Manager without installing it on every system. Package critical Installation Manager data with the product image so that you can service the image after you deploy it.

1. Use Installation Manager without installing it.
   1. Download the Installation Manager installer. Select the platform-specific installer that matches the platform that you use.
   2. Extract the files to a directory. Find the command imcl in the tools subdirectory of the installer. Use this command to drive installation operations or to invoke a response file that contains installation instructions.

      Response files and command line arguments provide equivalent capability.

2. Create the initial master image.
   1. Create an application server product repository for the service level that you want to install.
   2. Use the following command to create the initial master image:

      imcl install com.ibm.websphere.ND.v85
           -repositories https://www.ibm.com/software/repositorymanager/com.ibm.websphere.ND.v85
           -installationDirectory <install_home>/AppServer
           -dataLocation <install_home>/iim_appData
           -sharedResourcesDirectory <install_home>/iim_shared
           -preferences com.ibm.cic.common.core.preferences.preserveDownloadedArtifacts=false
           -acceptLicense
           -showProgress

      -install com.ibm.websphere.ND.v85

      Instruct Installation Manager to install the server. The fix pack level that you install is the latest in the specified repositories.

      -repositories https://www.ibm.com/software/repositorymanager/com.ibm.websphere.ND.v85

      Provide a comma-delimited list of repositories that contain the product payload and the metadata for the products that you want to install. This repository is the IBM-hosted web repository for WebSphere Application Server, Network Deployment V85.

      -installationDirectory <install_home>/AppServer

      This argument specifies where to install the product.

      -dataLocation <install_home>/iim_appData

      The -dataLocation command specifies the Agent Data Location, such as /iim_data, that Installation Manager uses to track the state and history of the product installation. When you service products in this install location, specify the same -dataLocation argument.

      -sharedResourcesDirectory <install_home>/iim_shared

      This argument specifies the location of the Shared Resources Directory, such as /iim_shared. Always specify the same Shared Resources Directory and Agent Data Location pair.

      -preferences com.ibm.cic.common.core.preferences.preserveDownloadedArtifacts=false

      This preference cleans up the Shared Resources Directory cache after the installation and update operations.

      -acceptLicense

      Review the product license and then specify this argument.

      -showProgress

      Use this command to obtain visual feedback as the installation progresses.

   3. Keep the Agent Data Location and Shared Resources Directory folders co-located with the product installation to apply maintenance to the installation image in the future.
      The Agent Data Location and Shared Resources Directory are peer folders.
      After the installation operation completes, the program generates a directory structure:

      <install_home>/AppServer
           /iim_data
           /iim_shared

   4. Package the directories in the master image and copy the image to your production systems. Ensure that the operating system, architecture, and directory structures in your production systems match the ones in the environment that you used to create the master image.
3. Maintain the installation image by applying fix packs or interim fixes directly to the deployed product image.
   1. Use an Installation Manager installer and specify the same -dataLocation and -sharedResourcesDirectory that are associated with your product installation.
   2. Select an installer at the same or higher level than the installer that you used previously to prevent corruption of the Installation Manager metadata.
      For example, if you install with Installation Manager 1.5.3 and update with Installation Manager 1.6.0, you cannot return to an installer older than 1.6.0.