Feature AddOns

This section identifies the feature AddOns to a Content Engine object store within a FileNet P8 domain that are persisted in the Global Configuration Data (GCD). A feature AddOn consists of custom implementations of classes, objects, and properties that support specific product functionality, such as publishing, searching, or email.

The functionality provided by a feature AddOn can be platform FileNet P8 product features, such as that provided by Content Engine, or additional behavior purchased as an extension to platform FileNet P8 server components, such as Publishing. These extensions can either be non-FileNet products that are compatible with FileNet P8, or the AddOns supplied with FileNet P8.

Installation of Feature AddOns

An AddOn can be installed automatically when creating a new object store or at some point after object store creation. For more information about installing AddOns, see the following sections in this document: Installation Type and Install Sequence for Prerequisites.

NOTE  If you encounter timeout errors when you create an object store or when you install AddOns, the transaction timeout value setting may be too low. To modify the transaction timeout value, please refer to Plan and Prepare Your Environment for IBM FileNet P8.

Characteristics of Feature AddOns

The description for each feature AddOn identified in this document includes the following characteristics:

Display Name
The display name is the release number followed by user-readable name for the feature AddOn. Enterprise Manager always shows the display name for the AddOn.
XML Script Name
The XML script name is the file name for the XML import script for the feature AddOn, which is contained in the local machine's ContentEngine directory. For more information, see the description of XML Imports in the topic FileNet P8 domain root properties (Import AddOns tab).
Installation Type
The installation type identifies whether installation of the feature AddOn is optional or recommended when creating a new object store. A recommended feature AddOn is one that should not be excluded from an installation, as the absence of the feature would cause certain core functionality to become inoperable. An optional feature AddOn is one that is typically installed as part of most systems, but which could be eliminated if a user does not need that functionality on a particular system.

As an example, you can specify the publishing add-on type as recommended so that a user who has no need of publishing functions can exclude publishing-related add-ons when creating a new object store. Note, however, that some feature add-ons may be required by other components of the FileNet P8 system and should not be excluded. For example, the Workplace application's publishing and search functionality depend on the feature add-ons for publishing and stored search, so those feature add-ons should not be excluded for a Workplace environment and should be specified as "recommended."

Note that in order to install or delete a feature AddOn, you must have domain-level write permission.

Prerequisites
Prerequisites are AddOns that must be installed prior to the installation of a feature AddOn. If the prerequisites are not installed prior to the installation of the feature AddOn, then the install operation will generate an error and fail.
Install Sequence for Prerequisites
When installing a single feature AddOn that requires multiple prerequisites, the order in which the prerequisites are specified during installation does not matter. However, all of the prerequisites must be present (registered in the GCD) before installation of that feature is permitted to proceed. Conversely, the order in which the prerequisites are specified is important when installing multiple feature AddOns. The prerequisites must be specified in the proper sequence to guarantee that each prerequisite will already be installed, before a feature AddOn makes a request of that prerequisite during installation.

Location of Feature AddOn in Enterprise Manager

The custom classes, objects, and properties implemented by a feature AddOn are visible in several locations throughout Enterprise Manager, including the Tree, content pane, Property Grid, and Metadata Explorer. The complete set of AddOns installed in the object stores are displayed in the P8 Domain > AddOns folder.