WebSphere Application Server fix pack install fails on "Activity" component
 Technote (troubleshooting)
 
Problem(Abstract)
When applying a fix pack or cumulative fix to WebSphere® Application Server V5.0 the process fails while trying to update the first component, which is typically the "activity" component. The user will be prompted to finish the aborted upgrade (updateWizard), or control will be returned to the console (updateSilent).
 
Cause
When applying a fix pack or cumulative fix to WebSphere Application Server V5.0 the process fails while trying to update the first component, which is typically the "activity" component. The user will be prompted to finish the aborted upgrade (updateWizard), or control will be returned to the administrative console (updateSilent).
The only visible error in the selective-install.log concerns the extraction of entries to a file:

Failed to extract entries to file.
....
Exception: WUPD0218E: Fix pack installation failure: The component activity failed to install.

Installing updates ... failed

This occurs because the update installer was invoked using a non-root user, and was unable to write extracted ".jar" files to a $TMP/ptfs subdirectory. In many cases, the $TMP/ptfs directory was left over from a previous WebSphere Application Server Update Installer session, and was originally owned by a different user and group.
 
Resolving the problem
IBM® does not officially support the application of maintenance to WebSphere Application Server V5.0 as a non-root user. Try the fix pack installation again as the root user.
 
 
Cross Reference information
Segment Product Component Platform Version Edition
Application Servers Runtimes for Java Technology Java SDK
 
 


Document Information


Product categories: Software > Application Servers > Distributed Application & Web Servers > WebSphere Application Server > Install
Operating system(s): Windows
Software version: 5.1
Software edition:
Reference #: 1180964
IBM Group: Software Group
Modified date: Sep 3, 2007