[AIX HP-UX Linux Solaris Windows]This topic applies only on the IBM i operating system.

IIP overview

An integrated installation package (IIP) is an installation package created with the IBM® WebSphere® Installation Factory that can install an entire WebSphere software stack, such as an application server, a supported feature pack, and user files. An IIP can also contain several customized installation packages (CIPs).

Integrated installation packages

To install multiple installation packages in an automated and highly repeatable way, you can create an IIP that aggregates those packages into a single installable package. For example, you can have multiple servers on which you need to deploy WebSphere Application Server and some number of supported feature packs. Instead of having to install each of these products as an independent step on each server, you can create an IIP that will install all of them in a defined sequence.

The Installation Factory user specifies which installation packages to include in the IIP, the order in which they must be installed, and various other details about the desired behavior of the IIP and each of its contained installation packages.

Each product you include in the IIP can be customized separately for greater flexibility. For example, you might run the WebSphere Application Server product installation interactively and then run one or more feature pack installations silently to obtain a seamless installation of the entire set of packages. There is also flexibility as to which contained installation packages actually get installed on any given invocation of the IIP; in other words, you can choose not to install certain packages in the IIP.

Consider the following IIP installation scenario:

  1. Install a CIP containing an application server product.
  2. Install a feature pack, or a CIP that contains a feature pack and feature pack fixes.
  3. Install another instance of the application server CIP in another directory on the machine.

Contributions

An IIP consists of contributions, which are WebSphere products or feature packs. A given contribution can be invoked multiple times if desired. Each of these is referred to as an invocation. For example, you might add an invocation of the contribution for installing WebSphere Application Server multiple times in different directories on the same machine.

Some examples of contributions are the following:

Avoid trouble Avoid trouble: Regardless of contribution type, you are responsible for obtaining the software to create installation packages with the Installation Factory (for example, you must first have the WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment product image before including it in an Installation Factory package). The Installation Factory itself is not bundled with any of these packages and it is unable to automatically retrieve them.gotcha

Defined Installation Packages

A DIP is a supported installation package such as WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment or Feature Pack for Web Services. IBM has provided several pre-configured contribution types which can be added to an IIP and controlled by the IIP installer during installation, which reduces user effort, the possibility of mistakes, and so on.

Information about DIPs is not actually built into the Installation Factory, but rather “plugged-in” using XML metadata and the Eclipse plug-in mechanism. The Installation Factory already has extensive metadata for install packages in order to support CIP creation, and this metadata is enhanced to support IIP creation. Without the use of DIPs, you would have to invoke the installation of each package with custom scripts in order for the IIP to be successful. The following contributions are supported:
  • IBM WebSphere Application Server Version 6.1 and 7.0
  • IBM WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment Version 6.1 and 7.0
  • IBM WebSphere Application Server - Express Version 6.1 and 7.0
  • IBM WebSphere Application Server Trial Version 6.1 and 7.0
  • IBM WebSphere Application Server - Express Trial Version 6.1 and 7.0
  • IBM WebSphere Application Server Version 6.1 Feature Pack for Web Services
  • IBM WebSphere Application Server Version 6.1 Feature Pack for EJB 3.0
Avoid trouble Avoid trouble: The IBM Installation Factory for WebSphere Application Server does not support the following feature packs. These feature packs must be installed as a separate installation outside of the IIP.
  • IBM WebSphere Application Server Version 6.1 Feature Pack for Web 2.0.
  • IBM WebSphere Application Server Version 7.0 Feature Pack for Web 2.0.
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Installation Integration Bus

Installation packages and related tools can be easily included in the IIP by the user, and Installation Factory will automatically integrate this installation package with others that might already exist in the IIP, saving time and effort. This integration between the contained installation packages is accomplished by passing information from one package to the next. The underlying infrastructure that enables this integration is referred to as the Installation Integration Bus (IIB, or just Bus). The design allows installation packages and other install-related commands to be plugged in, wired together, and executed through the Bus in a uniform way, allowing otherwise separate installation packages to work together.

Macros

You can use macro substitution to take advantage of the Installation Integration Bus. For example, when installing WebSphere Application Server and one or more feature packs using an IIP, the -installLocation option used for the application server can be automatically reused as the default installation location for each of the feature packs with a macro (for example, $RESV ) so you do not have to specify that location more than once. In many cases you must only add the feature pack package into the IIP, and Installation Factory integrates it with the other packages. The Bus enables this end-to-end flow of all included packages. See IIP macro replacement for more information on macros and their use.

IIP installation status and progress

An integrated installation package contains an application programming interface (API) which allows an application to launch the IIP installer and retrieve information pertaining to the running installation. The API provides a standardized way to retrieve installation status and progress. The installation status in WebSphere Application Server has been historically captured inside the installation log file. Products and applications which extended the application server and required its installation status have had to use various means to examine the application server installation log file. The new API allows you to retrieve the installation status of the application server in a standard way. See IIP installation status and progress for more information.




Related concepts
Installation Factory overview
IIP macro replacement
IIP installation status and progress
Related tasks
Getting started with IBM WebSphere Installation Factory
Installing an IIP
Developing and installing integrated installation packages
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Last updatedLast updated: Feb 6, 2014 11:41:45 AM CST
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