Applying fixes to virtual system instances

After a virtual system pattern is deployed, you can apply an emergency fix from the catalog or a fix from an Installation Manager repository.

Before you begin

The fixes that you want to apply must be correctly packaged and must exist in the emergency fix catalog or the Installation Manager repository before you can apply them.

For information about packaging a fix or adding the fix to the catalog, see the Related tasks section.

You must be assigned one of the following roles to perform these steps:
  • Workload resources administration role with permission to Manage workload resources (Full permission)
  • Workload resources administration role with permission to View all workload resources (Read-only)
  • Create new patterns
  • Create new catalog content
  • Create new environment profiles
  • IBM® License Metric Tool (ILMT) user

About this task

When you apply an emergency fix to a virtual system instance, a snapshot is taken if snapshots are enabled, and the middleware is shut down. Then, the emergency fix is installed. If an error occurs during the installation of the fix, the virtual system instance reverts to the snapshot if one was taken. If the installation completes successfully, the middleware is started.

Procedure

  1. Click Patterns > Virtual System Instances.
  2. Select the virtual system instance that you want to update.
  3. Click Manage in the toolbar. The Instance Console opens.
  4. Click the Operations tab.
  5. Optional: Configure a connection to an external Installation Manager repository. See Configuring a connection to an external Installation Manager repository.
  6. On the Operations page, select MAINTENANCE in the list.

    The maintenance settings are displayed. They are divided into separate sections for emergency fixes and fix packs.

    The Maintenance fixes and Maintenance fix packs fields list the maintenance fixes that are already installed, if any. Click the Uninstall icon next to any fixes that you want to uninstall.

  7. Click Select in either section and choose the fixes that you want to apply. The fixes that are displayed here meet the following requirements:
    • The fixes were uploaded to the emergency fix catalog through Catalog > Emergency Fixes or to the Installation Manager repository through System > IBM Installation Manager Repository. If you configured an Installation Manager repository in Step 5, applicable fixes from that repository are also displayed.
    • If the fixes are in the emergency fix catalog, they must have service.xml in their fix archives or an error message displays and the installation fails.
    • They are applicable to the images, components, and middleware in the virtual system pattern that this virtual system instance was deployed from.
    Important:
    • If there are dependencies between fixes that you want to install, deploy each fix separately instead of submitting them at the same time to avoid conflicts.
    • Only fixes that can be installed through the maintenance operation are displayed here. If the fix is in the emergency fix catalog, it must contain service.xml.
    • If you are applying more than one fix or fix pack, wait for the upload to the instance to complete (which you can verify by the update history section), and then refresh the page before you select the next fix or fix pack.
  8. Click Submit.

Results

If snapshots are enabled, a snapshot of the pattern is created. The details for the creation of this snapshot are display in the history information on the virtual system instance page. The status of the installation of the fixes is displayed in the Operation Execution Result section. Check this section for any errors that might have occurred during the installation or uninstallation of fixes. For more detailed information, check the logs for the MAINTENANCE role.

After the maintenance operation completes, you can revert the instance back to the snapshot if needed and if they are enabled by clicking the Restore link in the Actions column of the Snapshot section of the virtual system instance page.