Uninstalling feature pack maintenance from Windows, Linux, i5/OS and UNIX

You can use the Update Installer for WebSphere® Software to uninstall interim fixes and fix packs. The Update Installer for WebSphere® Software is also known as the update installer program, the updateInstaller program, and the Update Installation Wizard.

Before you begin

Use the correct authorizations to successfully uninstall product updates.

The Update Installer is an InstallShield MultiPlatform wizard that runs with either a graphical user interface or in silent mode with a response file: uninstall.txt.

Note: For i5/OS® operating system: The Update Installer on i5/OS runs only with the response file.
Important: For information about known problems, refer to the topic Update command - known problems and workarounds in the WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment, version 7.0, documentation.
Important: Throughout this topic, certain directory paths are shown only in Linux® and UNIX® format for simplicity. The equivalent path for i5/OS is identical to Linux and UNIX. The equivalent Windows® paths are identical except for the direction of the slashes.

To illustrate the process the following descriptions contain reference information about uninstalling interim fixes and fix packs on WebSphere Process Server:

Overview of the uninstallation procedure. To uninstall a maintenance package:
  1. Make sure that you have the backup file that was created when you used the update installer to install the maintenance package: it should be located in the install_root/properties/version/nif/backup directory. IBM® does not support user modifications to backup files.
  2. Use the update installer program to remove the maintenance package as described in this topic.

Viewing the fix level of the node. You can use the versionInfo command in the install_root/bin directory to display the exact fix and version level of the product. However, do not use the versionInfo command while installing or uninstalling a maintenance package.

Do not launch multiple copies of the Update Installer at one time. Concurrent launches of the update installer program are not supported. Performing more than one update at the same time can produce unpredictable results, which might include a failed or faulty installation.

Required information. The graphical interface requires the following information:

Table 1. Information required when uninstalling a maintenance package
Field Valid values Description
File path of the installation root directory of the WebSphere product and the Update Installer. Identify the installation root directory for IBM WebSphere Process Server. The Update Installer application defaults to the last-visited product location.
File name of the maintenance package to uninstall. Select a maintenance package to uninstall from the install_root/properties/version/ update/backup directory. The default maintenance package is the package with the latest date stamp and time stamp in the install_root/properties/version/ update/backup directory.

Required security role for this task: Use the correct authorizations to successfully uninstall product updates. Use the update installer program as the root user on a Linux or UNIX platform, or as the Administrator on a Windows platform.

About this task

To remove an interim fix or a fix pack, perform the following steps.

  1. Log on to the operating system.
    On Linux and UNIX platforms: In addition, verify that the umask setting is 0022. To verify the setting type the following command:
    umask
    If necessary, change the umask value by typing:
    umask 0022
  2. Navigate to the update installer directory.
    • On AIX® platforms: /usr/IBM/WebSphere/UpdateInstaller
    • On i5/OS platforms: /QIBM/ProdData/WebSphere/UpdateInstaller/V7/UPDI
    • On HP-UX, Linux and Solaris platforms: /opt/IBM/WebSphere/UpdateInstaller
    • On Windows platforms: C:\Program Files\IBM\WebSphere\UpdateInstaller
  3. On Windows platforms: Use the Windows Services panel to stop all services for WebSphere Process Server and WebSphere Application Server processes.
  4. Stop all Java™ processes that use the IBM Software Developer Kit (SDK) or IBM Developer Kit for Java (JDK and used on i5/OS platforms).

    Before uninstalling interim fixes and fix packs on a machine, stop all Java processes on the machine that use the IBM SDK, Java Technology Edition.

    WebSphere Process Server processes include:
    • Server processes.
    • The node agent process on a node when the node is federated into a deployment manager cell.
    • The dmgr process for the deployment manager server.
    Note: On i5/OS: use the ENDSBS (End Subsystem) command for either the QWAS61 or QWBI61 subsystems to stop application server processes. See Shutting down the WebSphere Application Server subsystem.

    Stop all Java processes, if necessary. If you uninstall a maintenance package while a WebSphere Process Server-related Java process runs, IBM does not guarantee that the product can continue to run successfully, or without error.

  5. Use the update installer to uninstall the maintenance package.
    • To uninstall the maintenance package using the graphical user interface, type one of the following commands:
      • On Windows platforms:
        update.bat -W update.type="uninstall"
        to uninstall the maintenance package with the most recent date stamp and time stamp using the graphical user interface.
      • On Vista and Windows 2008 platforms:
        update.exe -W update.type="uninstall"
        to uninstall the maintenance package with the most recent date stamp and time stamp using the graphical user interface.
      • On Linux and UNIX platforms:
        ./update.sh -W update.type="uninstall"
        to uninstall the maintenance package with the most recent date stamp and time stamp using the graphical user interface.
    • To uninstall the maintenance package as a background process, using the silent mode, type one of the following commands:
      • On Windows platforms:
        update.bat -silent -options "responsefiles/file_name"
        to uninstall without a graphical user interface, using the values that you specified in the options response file. For more information, see the uninstall.txt topic in the WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment, version 7.0 documentation.
      • On Vista and Windows 2008 platforms:
        update.exe -silent -options "responsefiles/file_name"
        to uninstall without a graphical user interface, using the values that you specified in the options response file. For more information, see the uninstall.txt topic in the WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment, version 7.0 documentation.
      • On Linux and UNIX platforms:
        ./update.sh -silent -options "responsefiles/file_name"
        to uninstall without a graphical user interface, using the values that you specified in the options response file. For more information, see the uninstall.txt topic in the WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment, version 7.0 documentation.
      • On i5/OS platforms:
        ./update.sh -options "responsefiles/file_name" 
        to uninstall without a graphical user interface, using the values that you specified in the options response file. For more information, see the uninstall.txt topic in the WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment, version 7.0 documentation.
    Note: Uninstall the interim fix on each server node in a cell before uninstalling the maintenance package from the deployment manager node.

    To view tables that show all the options available when using the update command to uninstall maintenance packages, see the update command topic in the WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment, version 7.0 documentation.

  6. If you uninstall a fix pack, the Update Installer does not uninstall fix pack updates from profiles. The reason for not removing this maintenance is that you might have configured the profile after installing the maintenance. To restore an original profile, use the restoreConfig command to restore your backup. See Backing up and restoring administrative configurations for more information about running this command. For detailed installing or uninstalling instructions, please refer to the instructions provided with your fix pack.
Results
The interim fix or fix pack is removed, and the previous version of WebSphere Process Server software remains on your system.
What to do next
After uninstalling maintenance packages, you can continue to use the WebSphere software.