Installation Guide

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Running the Installation Program in Silent Mode

The following sections describe how to run the installation program in silent mode:

 

What Is Silent-Mode Installation?

Silent-mode installation is a way of setting installation configurations only once and then using those configurations to duplicate the installation on many machines. During installation in silent mode, the installation program reads the settings for your configuration from an XML file that you create prior to beginning the installation. The installation program does not display any configuration options during the installation process. Silent-mode installation works on both Windows and UNIX systems.

The instructions in this section are based on the assumption that you have already acquired the installation program either on DVD or from the BEA Web site.

 

Using Silent-Mode Installation: Main Steps

The silent-mode installation process has two primary steps:

  1. Create a silent.xml file that defines the configuration settings normally entered by a user during an interactive installation process, such as graphical-mode or console-mode installation. For example, values for the BEA Home directory, the product directory, and the components to be installed are supplied in a silent.xml file.

    2. For a detailed procedure, see Creating a silent.xml File for Silent-Mode Installation. For a sample silent.xml file, see Sample silent.xml file for Silent-Mode Installation.

  2. Start the silent-mode installation process using the values specified in the silent.xml file.

    3. For details on starting the installation in silent mode, see Starting the Installation Program.

Important Considerations for Silent-Mode Installation

When you are performing an installation in silent mode, keep in mind the following considerations:

 

Creating a silent.xml File for Silent-Mode Installation

When you install your BEA software in silent mode, the installation program uses an XML file (silent.xml) to determine which installation options should be implemented. Therefore, before you can run the installation program in silent mode, you must first create a silent.xml file in which you specify the installation options that you want to have invoked.

Note: Incorrect entries in the silent.xml file can cause installation failures. To help you determine the cause of a failure, we recommend that you create a log file when you start the installation.

To create a silent.xml file for use in the silent-mode installation process, follow these steps:

  1. In a supported browser, display the sample silent.xml file for silent-mode installation. Click to see the sample file.
  2. This sample silent.xml file is also presented later in this chapter. See Sample silent.xml file for Silent-Mode Installation.
  3. Save the sample XML file, with the name silent.xml, in the same directory that contains the installation program.
    4. Note: The XML definition (<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>) must be at the very beginning of the silent.xml file. There cannot be any spaces or line breaks before the XML definition.
  4. In the silent.xml file that you saved on your system, edit the values for the keywords shown in Table 5-1 to reflect your configuration.
    5. Note: You must follow XML guidelines for characters when modifying values. That is, you cannot use characters reserved for use in XML, such as <, >, [, and ].

    Table 5-1 Values for the silent.xml File 
    For this data-value name . . .
    Enter the following value . . .
    BEAHOME
    The full pathname for the BEA Home directory of your choice. For more information about the BEA Home directory, see Choosing a BEA Home Directory .
    USER_INSTALL_DIR
    The full pathname for the directory where you want to install your BEA software.
    WLW_INSTALL_DIR
    The full path name for the directory where you want to install BEA Workshop for WebLogic: c:\bea\workshop_<version>. For details, see Choosing a Product Installation Directory.
    INSTALL_NODE_MANAGER_SERVICE
    (Windows platforms only)
    • yes to install the WebLogic Server Node Manager as a Windows service.
    • no to skip the installation of the WebLogic Server Node Manager as a Windows service. The default is no.

    Note: You must have Administrator privileges to install Node Manager as a Windows service.
    NODEMGR_PORT
    The Node Manager listen port.
    If you do not specify a port number, the installer uses the default port 5556.
    If the port number is in use, the installer scans for the next available port and assigns it to the Node Manager.

    Note: The INSTALL_NODE_MANAGER_SERVICE option must be set to yes.

    At the completion of the installation process, the Node Manager is started using the port specified.
    INSTALL_SHORTCUT_IN_ALL_USERS_FOLDER
    • true, or yes, to create the shortcuts in the All Users folder. The default is true.
    • false, or no, to create the shortcuts in the local users folder.
    The user performing the installation must have Administrator privileges to install the Start menu shortcuts in the All Users folder. For more information, see Administrator Privileges.
    COMPONENT_PATHS
    Specify the components and subcomponents you want to install on your system:
    • To install WebLogic Server, use the following values:

      • WebLogic Server/Server

      |WebLogic Server/Server Examples

      |Server Add-ons

    • To install Workshop for WebLogic use the following values:

      • Workshop

      or

      Workshop for WebLogic

      |Workshop for JSP

      |Workshop for Studio

      |Workshop Runtime Framework

      To Install WebLogic Portal use the following values:

      WebLogic portal

    For additional information about entering these values, see Guidelines for Component Selection.

    Note: If you are using the BEA Products installation program for WebLogic Server, you can specify the WebLogic Server components only.
    ECLIPSE32_HOME
    Specifies the optional Eclipse installation. If this key/value is not specified, the installer continues as in the normal GUI installation.
    <data-value name="ECLIPSE32_HOME" value="c:\my_eclipse_home" />
    install.patch
    Specify whether to apply necessary patches automatically when installing.

Guidelines for Component Selection

Use the following guidelines when you specify values for the COMPONENT_PATHS data-value name:

Note: The installation program performs dependency checking to ensure that all components that provide functionality on which other components depend for proper operation are installed. These dependencies are visible during graphical and console mode installations. The same dependencies are enforced during silent installation: components on which other components depend are installed even if they are not explicitly referenced in a silent script.

 

Sample silent.xml file for Silent-Mode Installation

When you install your BEA software in silent mode, the installation program uses an XML file (silent.xml) to determine which installation options should be implemented. For details about creating the silent.xml file, see Creating a silent.xml File for Silent-Mode Installation on page 5-3. See silent.xml for the sample file .

Returning Exit Codes to the Console

When run in silent mode, the installation program generates exit codes that indicate the success or failure of the installation. These exit codes are shown in the following table.

Code
Description
0
Installation completed successfully
-1
Installation failed due to a fatal error
-2
Installation failed due to an internal XML parsing error

If you are launching the silent-mode installation process from a script, you can choose to have these exit codes displayed on the console. Listing 5-1 provides a sample command file that invokes the installation program in silent mode and echoes the exit codes to the console from which the script is executed.

Listing 5-1 Sample Command File Displaying Silent-Mode Exit Codes 
rem Execute the installer in silent mode
@echo off
platform<version>_win32.exe -mode=silent -silent_xml=C:\downloads\silent.xml -log=C:\logs\products_silent.log

@rem Return an exit code to indicate success or failure of installation
set exit_code=%ERRORLEVEL%

@echo.
@echo Exitcode=%exit_code%
@echo.
@echo Exit Code Key
@echo ---------------
@echo  0=Installation completed successfully
@echo -1=Installation failed due to a fatal error
@echo -2=Installation failed due to an internal XML parsing error
@echo.

 

Using the Upgrade Installer in Silent Mode

When you upgrade your installation in silent mode, you define the settings in an XML file that you create prior to beginning the upgrade installation. During the silent upgrade installation process, the installation program reads the settings for your configuration from the XML file. The installation program does not display any configuration options during the installation process. Silent-mode upgrade installation works on both Windows and UNIX systems.

The process for upgrading your installation in silent mode is similar to that used for silent-mode installation. For information about silent-mode installation, see Using Silent-Mode Installation: Main Steps on page 5-2.

To complete an upgrade installation in silent mode on UNIX and Windows systems, perform the following steps:

  1. Create a silent-mode XML file as described in Creating a Silent-Mode Upgrade Installation XML File on page 5-11.
  2. Make backup copies of any files or applications that you have created in WL_HOME. (As part of the upgrade procedure, the installation program automatically overwrites any files, including applications, that you have created in this directory.) For a description of the WL_HOME directory, see Choosing a Product Installation Directory.
    3. Note: In some cases, changes are made in the config.xml file between service packs. You may want to make backup copies of the config.xml file in any user-created domains also, in case you later want to roll back or uninstall an upgrade installation.
  3. Download the upgrade installer specific to your platform from the BEA Customer Support Web site at http://support.bea.com.
    4. Note: To download updates, you will need to log in using your eSupport username and password. If you do not have an eSupport account, you can register for one on the BEA Customer Support Web site.
  4. Shut down any servers that are running.
  5. Invoke the silent-mode upgrade installation process as described in the following table.
    6. Note: Incorrect entries in the silent.xml file can cause installation failures. To help you determine the cause of a failure, we recommend that you create a log file when you start the installation.

    To start the upgrade installer on this platform . . .
    Perform the following steps...
    Windows
    1. Open an MS-DOS command prompt window.
    2. Go to the directory in which you downloaded the installation program, and invoke the installation procedure by entering the following command:

      3. filename.exe -mode=silent -silent_xml=path_to_silent_xml

      Here filename.exe is the name of the upgrade installer you downloaded from the BEA Customer Support Web site, and path_to_silent.xml is the full pathname of the silent.xml template file.

    Note: You can also include the -log=full_path_to_log_file option in the command line to create a verbose installation log. For example:

    platformXXX_upgrade_win32.exe -mode=silent -silent_xml=C:\silent.xml -log=C:\logs\platform_install.log

    In this example, XXX represents the version number of the software you are installing. For more information, see Generating a Verbose Installation Log.

    1. Proceed to step 5.
    UNIX
    For installers with filenames ending in .bin:
    1. Go to the directory that contains the installation file.
    2. Launch the upgrade installation by entering the following command: chmod a+x filename.bin
      3. ./filename.bin -mode=silent -silent_xml=/path_to_silent.xml
    Here <filename.bin> is the name of the upgrade installation program you downloaded from the BEA Customer Support Web site, and path_to_silent.xml is the full pathname of the silent.xml template file.

    Note: You can also include the -log=full_path_to_log_file option in the command line to create a verbose installation log. For example: platformXXX_upgrade_solaris.bin -mode=silent -silent_xml=/home/silent.xml -log=/home/logs/platform_install.log.

    In this filename, XXX represents the version number of the software you are installing. For more information on creating a log file, see Generating a Verbose Installation Log

    The installation program begins to install the upgrade.
    For installers with filenames ending in .jar:
    1. Include the bin directory of the appropriate Java 2 SDK at the beginning of the PATH variable definition on the target system. For example:
    PATH=JAVA_HOME/bin:$PATH
    export PATH
    Here JAVA_HOME is the full path of the Java 2 SDK directory.
    1. Go to the directory in which you downloaded the installation file and invoke the installation procedure by entering the following command:
     
    java -jar filename.jar -mode=silent
    -silent_xml=/path_to_silent.xml
    where filename.jar is the name of the upgrade installation program you downloaded from the BEA Customer Support Web site, (for example filename, pj_platformXXX_upgrade_generic.jar, in this, XXX represents the version number of the software you are installing), and path_to_silent.xml is the full path to the silent.xml template file.

    Note: You can also include the -log=full_path_to_log_file option in the command line to create a verbose installation log. For example: pj_platformXXX_upgrade_generic.jar -mode=silent -silent_xml=/home/silent.xml -log=/home/logs/platform_install.log For more information, see Generating a Verbose Installation Log.

Creating a Silent-Mode Upgrade Installation XML File

When you upgrade WebLogic Platform in silent mode, the installation program uses an XML file (silent.xml) to determine which BEA Home directory contains the installation to be upgraded. Therefore, before you can run the upgrade installation program in silent mode, you must first create a silent.xml file.

Note: If you created a silent.xml file when you initially installed WebLogic Platform, you should store it in a safe location or make a backup copy of it so that you do not accidentally overwrite it with the silent.xml file you are creating for your upgrade installation. Alternatively, you can name your upgrade file using a different file name, for example silent_upgrade.xml.
Note: Incorrect entries in the silent.xml file can cause installation failures. To help you determine the cause of a failure, we recommend that you create a log file when you start the installation.
Note: Do the following to create a silent.xml file for use in the silent-mode upgrade installation process:
  1. In a supported browser, display the XML template file for silent-mode upgrade installation. The sample template file, silent_upgrade.xml, is available at Sample Template File for Silent-Mode Upgrade Installation.
  2. In the popup window that is displayed, choose File>Save As...
  3. Specify the file name silent_upgrade.xml and save it in the directory containing the upgrade installation program that you downloaded from the BEA Customer Support Web site.
    4. Note: The XML definition (<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>) must be at the very beginning of the template file. There cannot be any spaces or line breaks before the XML definition.
  4. In the silent_upgrade.xml file, replace the value for the BEAHOME keyword with the full pathname of the BEA Home directory associated with the particular installation of WebLogic Platform that you want to update and save the file.
    5. Note: You must follow XML guidelines for characters when modifying values. That is, you cannot use characters reserved for use in XML, such as <, >, [, and ].

Sample Template File for Silent-Mode Upgrade Installation 

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1" ?>
 <domain-template-descriptor>
 <input-fields>
  <data-value name="BEAHOME" value="c:\bea" /> 
  </input-fields>
  </domain-template-descriptor>

 

What’s Next?

We recommend that you run the QuickStart application to familiarize yourself with the software and execute the samples provided. For additional information, see Post-Installation Information.

Note: QuickStart is not invoked automatically for console-mode or silent-mode installations. You can launch QuickStart from the Start Menu (Windows), or from the command line (Windows and UNIX). For instructions, see Using QuickStart.

For specific information about your software release, see the appropriate release notes:


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