Single-user and enterprise software installation strategies

Rational® ClearCase® can be installed by using a single-user strategy or an enterprise strategy.

Before installing Rational ClearCase, you must determine which installation strategy you want to use. Consideration of the following factors might help you to determine your installation strategy:

The format and method by which you want users to access the installation files -- for example, from DVDs or files downloaded from IBM Passport Advantage®.
The location for your installation -- for example, you can install the product onto your own workstation, or copy the installation files to a shared location where other enterprise users can access them.
The type of installation -- for example, you can use the IBM Installation Manager GUI, or install silently.

Note: Before installing Rational products, make sure you are familiar with installation, administration, and operating procedures for IBM® Installation Manager and IBM Packaging Utility, see Use IBM installation and packaging utilities for details. Complete documentation for both products is available in the IBM Installation Manager Information Center.

Single-user installation strategy

With the single-user installation strategy, you use DVDs that contain the product package files so you can install the product on your own workstation. For more information, see Installing from DVDs: task overview .

Enterprise installation strategies

An enterprise installation strategy involves making product packages available on a shared drive. Users in your enterprise can access the installation files for the product from a single location. If you choose an enterprise strategy, you must complete the tasks relevant to that strategy before users begin any installation tasks. See Preparing shared locations for an enterprise deployment.

Note: Silent installation is supported for both shared location options. For details, see Installing silently.

Shared location options include:

Setting up repositories and making Installation Manager available to users
In this scenario, you place product package files in a repository on an HTTP or HTTPS web server or a shared drive where users can download them to install Installation Manager and other product packages. If you create a customized response file , users can install Installation Manager and use Installation Manager to run a silent install of Rational ClearCase. A customized response file contains repository, license information, product settings and other values that are specific to your organization deployment. Sample, commented response files are included with the product DVD. You can create a response file manually or you can use Installation Manager to record the response file for you. If you do not create a response file, you must inform users of the repository location and other information or values that they must enter into the pages of the Installation Manager Install wizard to install Rational ClearCase.

Use this strategy to set up a single location from which users can install a single product or multiple products at the same time. You can also add future updates to the repository that users can access the same way they accessed the files for the initial product installation. For more information about installation repositories, see Installation repositories.

Steps for preparing the HTTP or HTTPS web server or shared drive are provided in Placing the product package on an HTTP Web server.
Note: To place product package files for the product on an HTTP or HTTPS web server, you must use IBM Packaging Utility to copy the installation files to the server in a package format. The directory on the server that contains the product package is called a repository. IBM Packaging Utility is provided with the product. The Packaging Utility is on the Enterprise Deployment DVD.
Placing an electronic image with the product installation file on a shared directory or drive
In this scenario, you place the electronic image on a shared drive so that users in your enterprise can access the installation files for the product from a single location. For more information, see Placing the electronic image on a shared directory.
Users can start the installation from the Launchpad. To access Launchpad, use one of the following methods:
- Access the disk1 directory on the shared directory or drive (Installing from an electronic image on a shared drive)
- Download the installation files from the shared directory or drive and install the product on your own workstation. For more information, see Installing from an electronic image on your workstation.
  Note: You can only use IBM Passport Advantage to download the files if you have an IBM Passport Advantage user ID with entitlement to download the product files.

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