Installing process application snapshots
You install snapshots to install or update a process application onto a process server.
Before you begin
- Administrative access to install on process servers in production environments.
- Write access to install on any non-production process server.
- Read access to install on process servers in development environments.
- Ensure that the Process Center version is equal to or lower than the Process Server version.
- Ensure that the snapshot can be activated successfully in Process Center.
The target process server must support the business process management capability that the snapshot uses. For example, if the snapshot contains Advanced Integration services (for example, Service Component Architecture modules and dependent libraries), you can install it only on a process server that is configured for IBM® Business Process Manager Advanced. In this example situation, if you try to install the snapshot on a IBM BPM Standard server or a IBM BPM Express server, you get a message or exception indicating that the server does not contain sufficient capabilities to run the process application.
If you are installing (deploying) a monitor model or IBM Business Process Manager Advanced content with a process application snapshot, the user or group to which you belong must be assigned the Deployer administrative security role. For information, see Authorizing access to administrative roles and "Deployer role" in the Administrative roles topic. Both of these topics are in the WebSphere® Application Server documentation.
Do not try to install process application snapshots from multiple Process Center servers to the same process server environment. Snapshots have names and acronyms that must be unique, but that uniqueness is determined in the Process Center at the time that the snapshot is created. If you are developing process applications in multiple Process Center instances, ensure that you import the snapshots into a common Process Center before you start installing the snapshot on a process server. Installing from one Process Center ensures that duplicate snapshot names and acronyms are detected when you import the snapshot instead of generating an error during the installation of the snapshot.
- Snapshot installation
When you install a process application snapshot to a process server, the library items for that snapshot (including toolkit snapshots) are copied from the repository to the selected process server if they do not already exist on the process server. The process server can be connected or offline. Depending on your needs and whether the process server is connected or offline, you can use the Process Center console or wsadmin commands to install the snapshot. - Installing snapshots to a connected process server
You can install snapshots to a connected process server by using the Process Center console or by using wsadmin commands. - Installing snapshots to an offline server
You can install process applications on an offline process server by using Process Center or by using wsadmin commands and generic or custom installation packages. - Building custom installation services
An installation service is created by default when you create a new process application and is used when you install a snapshot. You can customize the service to handle advanced requirements in your target environment. - (Deprecated) Creating a custom installation script for offline process servers
If you want to run commands immediately before a process application is installed on an offline server, customize the customProcessAppPreInstall file. This file is invoked automatically by the installProcessAppPackage command before it begins installing the snapshot. - (Deprecated) Performing offline installation steps separately
To perform each step of process application installation separately, you can run the following commands individually or add them to a batch file or script. Doing so enables you to perform customization tasks between the installation steps. - Tuning the performance of instance migration
You can improve the performance of migrating process instances by adjusting configuration options for migrating instances. - Managing orphaned tokens
An orphaned token is a pointer that is associated with an activity that was removed from a business process definition (BPD). You can use a policy file, a REST API, or Process Inspector to manage orphaned tokens. - Migrating inflight data
Use Migrate inflight data if you have installed a new snapshot with running instances and you want to manipulate the data that is used by the running instances. This method enables you to manage potential orphaned tokens. It allows you to revert to a previous snapshot while you make changes to the new one. 
Migrating BPEL processes
When you deploy a new version of a BPEL process, you might want the latest process version to apply to both new process instances and to process instances that have already started. To migrate running BPEL process instances to a new version of the process, you can use either an administrative script to migrate process instances in bulk or Business Process Choreographer Explorer to migrate specific instances.- Troubleshooting snapshot installations
Exceptions, timeouts, and other failures in the installation process can result in the snapshot not being installed on the server, or in an incomplete snapshot installation.