Recording a response file with Installation Manager

You can create a response file by recording your actions in Installation Manager. When you record a response file, the selections that you make in Installation Manager are stored in an XML file. When you run Installation Manager in silent mode, Installation Manager uses the data in the XML response file to install packages.

The following steps describe how to record a response file:

1. On a command line, change to the eclipse subdirectory. See Installing as an administrator, nonadministrator, or group for default installation directory locations.
2. Run the command to record a response file for the IBM product installation. This command uses the -skipInstall agentDataLocation argument. This argument records the installation commands without installing the IBM product. Substitute your own file name and location for the response file.
   Verify that the file paths that you enter exist. Installation Manager does not create directories for the response file.

   • Windows: IBMIM.exe -record responseFile -skipInstall agentDataLocation
   • Linux, UNIX, and the OS X operating system: ./IBMIM -record responseFile -skipInstall agentDataLocation
   Important:

   • Use the same agentDataLocation in the next recording session to record updates or modifications to the IBM product. These changes are recorded in the agentDataLocation directory.
   • Do not specify an existing agentDataLocation directory for the location for a new installation process. For more information about the agent data location, see Agent data location.

   The -skipInstall argument requires that the agentDataLocation is a directory that you can write to. To record a response file and install the IBM product at the same time, remove the argument -skipInstall agentDataLocation. For more information about the -skipInstall argument, see Installation Manager command-line arguments for silent mode

   Using the -log option is not supported when you record a response file.

   Enclose file paths that include spaces with double quotation marks.

   Examples:

   Table 1. -record commands by operating system

   Operating System	Command
   Windows	IBMIM.exe -record c:\response_files\install_product.xml -skipInstall c:\skipInstall\IBM_product
   Linux, UNIX, and the OS X operating system	./IBMIM -record /response_files/install_product.xml -skipInstall skipInstall/IBM_product

3. Follow the on-screen instructions in the appropriate wizard. If you copied the repository to a new location, you can set the location of the repository in the repository table. To access the repository table, click File > Preferences > Repositories. On the OS X operating system, the Preferences option is under the IBM Installation Manager menu.
   The text (Recording...) shows in the Installation Manager title when you record a response file.
4. Click Finish, then close Installation Manager to finish the recording of the response file.
5. Installation Manager sets file permissions on the response file. The file permissions are changed to allow read and write permissions only for the user ID or group ID that recorded the response file.
   Note: If Installation Manager cannot change the file permissions for the response file, you can restrict the access by using the chmod command. After you use the chmod command, move the response file to a secure directory, or delete the response file after you use the file.
   Examples:

   Table 2. chmod commands by mode

   Operating System	Mode	Command
   Linux, UNIX, and the OS X operating system	Administrator	chmod 600
   	Nonadministrator
   	Group	chmod 660

6. If you run Installation Manager as a nonadministrator to install on another user's computer, you must change the filepaths in your response file from absolute paths to relative paths.