The deployment utility
The IBM® Informix® deployment utility can deploy snapshots of pre-configured IBM Informix instances (with or without data) on one or more computers.
A snapshot is an image of the Informix database server that includes the installation directory, configuration settings, and any data spaces associated with the instance. The installation can be a working instance, or an installation that you set up as a template from which to deploy the instance on other computers. You can use the deployment assistant to customization of the snapshot.
Deploying a snapshot is quicker than installing Informix with the silent installation option. When you deploye a snapshot on a computer, you can replace the snapshot or remove it by using the deployment utility.
- You want to deploy a particular database server configuration on multiple computers. You can tune only one instance as the template instance, and then use the utility to deploy it on to other computers in silent mode.
- You want to clone an instance on the same computer or set up multiple instances quickly.
- You want to upgrade multiple instances to a different fix pack or version level to take advantage of newer product enhancements but this requires tuning certain configuration parameters or environment variables. You can tune the template instance, and then use the utility to upgrade other instances rapidly.
- You are embedding the Informix application on multiple computers and want to reduce application installation and setup time. You can specify the installation location and a single path for all application files including the database server files during deployment to avoid waiting for data loading and database server initialization.