RE: Installation Programs (was: CD Burning Software?)

Simon,

Well said...  Only question I have is whether or not LODRUN is an effective
way to do a RSTLICPGM.  Other than that, I consider the matter to be
settled, in my mind anyway.

BTW, I meant to correct a prior goof on a post.  I *actually* looked at
SV/SM (SystemView SystemManager) and NOT MGTC (Management Central).  I, too,
have *heard* MGTC includes these capabilities, but haven't ever looked at
it.

jt

| -----Original Message-----
| From: midrange-l-admin@midrange.com
| [mailto:midrange-l-admin@midrange.com]On Behalf Of Simon Coulter
| Sent: Sunday, December 09, 2001 7:02 PM
| To: MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com
| Subject: Installation Programs (was: CD Burning Software?)
|
|
|
| Hello All,
|
| One thing to remember when reading IBM documentation that comes from the
| developers is that often they write it from their perspective (i.e.,
| building an IBM product).  For instance, the comment in the "CD-ROM
| Premastering on iSeries" white paper regarding QINSTAPP being
| owned by QSYS
| is a requirement for IBM software but not a requirement of
| QINSTAPP per se.
| (Although that in itself is peculiar since most IBM software uses
| RSTLICPGM
| rather than LODRUN.)
|
| IIRC QINSTAPP must be owned by a profile that exists on the target system
| at the time of the installation and since it is the first user program to
| run during a LODRUN installation it is a bit difficult to have it owned by
| any profile other than an IBM one.
|
| Being owned by QSYS confers no advantage with authority unless the program
| also adopts the owner's authority and that is certainly not a requirement
| for QINSTAPP.  Besides, most products request QSECOFR do the installation
| to avoid authority issues so adopting authority is moot.
|
| Besides, LODRUN was IMNSHO a kludge (provided in VRM220) to make it easy
| for vendors to create installation programs.  Its purpose was to provide a
| standard way of installing a product without requiring a vendor to build a
| real LPP which already has a standard installation process in RSTLICPGM --
| even though you can use LODRUN to invoke RSTLICPGM under the covers.
|
| However, the right way to install a product is to build it as a Licenced
| Program Product using the Software Product APIs.  Then you can use
| RSTLICPGM to install it.  That is a far more standard way of installing
| software than LODRUN.  It also supports renaming libraries, multiple
| languages, pre- and post-installation exit programs, provides support for
| PTFs, and is far more flexible than LODRUN.  Another advantage is that you
| can use IBM's licence management (presuming that it fits your
| pricing/marketing model) and your products appear in the list of installed
| programs using DSPSFWRSC and WRKLICINF.
|
| IBM provide SystemView SystemManager which builds LPPs.  I believe part of
| Management Central does this too.  A number of vendors also offer tools to
| build LPPs using the Software Product APIs but I looked at them
| and most of
| them are seriously lacking so I wrote my own.  It might become another
| product in its own right but at the moment it is 'internal use only'  (You
| can take the programmer out of IBM but you can't take IBM out of the
| programmer :)
|
| Regards,
| Simon Coulter.
|
| --------------------------------------------------------------------
|    FlyByNight Software         AS/400 Technical Specialists
|    http://www.flybynight.com.au/
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