Procedure for installing GPFS on Windows nodes

IBM® provides GPFS as Windows Installer packages (MSI), which allow both interactive and unattended installations. Perform the GPFS installation steps as the Administrator or some other member of the Administrators group.

Before installing GPFS on Windows nodes, verify that all the installation prerequisites have been met. For more information, see Installing GPFS prerequisites.

To install GPFS on a Windows node, follow these steps:
  1. Run the following license installation package from the product media and accept the license:

    gpfs.base-5.2.x.x-Windows-license.msi (IBM Storage Scale Standard Edition or IBM Storage Scale Data Access Edition)

    Rebooting is normally not required.

  2. Download and install the latest service level of GPFS from the IBM Support Portal: Downloads for General Parallel File System (www.ibm.com/support/entry/portal/Downloads/Software/Cluster_software/General_Parallel_File_System). The GPFS package name includes the GPFS version (for example, gpfs.base-5.2.x.x-Windows.msi). For the latest information on the supported Windows operating system versions, see the IBM Storage Scale FAQ in IBM Documentation.

    Under some circumstances, the installation process will prompt you to reboot the systems when it is required. You do not need to install the GPFS 5.2.x.x package included on the media before installing the latest update.

  3. Download and install the latest level of IBM GSKit for GPFS. GSKit (gpfs.gskit-x.x.x.x.msi) comes as a single package that works with the IBM Storage Scale Standard Edition or IBM Storage Scale Data Access Edition.
    Note: For this release, the IBM GSKit version must be at least 8.0.55.x or higher.
To upgrade GPFS, do the following:
  1. Uninstall your current GPFS packages (for example, gpfs.base-5.x.x.0-Windows.msi, gpfs.ext-5.x.x.0-Windows.msi, and gpfs.gskit-8.0.x.x.msi).
  2. Reboot.
  3. Install the latest PTF packages (for example, gpfs.base-5.2.x.x-Windows.msi).
When upgrading, you do not need to uninstall and reinstall the license package unless you are explicitly instructed to do so by IBM. In addition, gpfs.gskit only needs to be upgraded if the update (zip file) contains a newer version.

For more information, refer to Steps for establishing and starting your IBM Storage Scale cluster.

The GPFS installation package provides some options that you can select by installing GPFS from a Command Prompt. Property values control the options. The command line syntax is: 
msiexec.exe /package <Package> [Optional Parameters] [Property=Value]
The following property values are available:
AgreeToLicense=yes
This property applies to the license package gpfs.base-5.2.x.x-Windows-license.msi. It allows GPFS to support an installation procedure that does not require user input. IBM recommends that you perform at least one interactive installation on a typical system before attempting an unattended installation. This will help identify any system configuration issues that could cause the installation to fail.
The following command installs GPFS without prompting you for input or generating any error dialog boxes: 
msiexec /package gpfs.base-5.2.x.x-Windows-license.msi /passive AgreeToLicense=yes
The msiexec.exe executable file supports display options other than /passive. See msiexec documentation for details.
RemoteShell=no
This property applies to the product package (for example, gpfs.base-5.2.x.x-Windows-license.msi). It is equivalent to running mmwinservctl set –remote-shell no, but performs this configuration change before mmwinserv initially starts. This option is available to satisfy security policies that restrict network communication protocols.

You can verify that GPFS is installed correctly by opening the Programs and Features control panel. IBM Storage Scale should be included in the list of installed programs. The program's version should match the version of the update package.

The GPFS software license agreement is shipped and is viewable electronically. The license agreement will remain available in the %SystemDrive%\Program Files\IBM\GPFS\5.2.0.x\license directory for future access.