Solving problems with push-to-client configuration and implementation

Learning more about push-to-client can help you to avoid problems when you use this feature.

Overview of push-to-client

The Developer for z/OS® push-to-client feature enables your site to store product updates, preferences, and configurations in a central location on a remote system and automatically distribute them to client workstations when users connect to that remote system.

To learn more about push-to-client, see the following topics:

Known limitations with push-to-client

You might avoid some typical problems with push-to-client by being aware of and planning for the following limitations:
  • When you create a response file for distributing product updates, include in the response file only the features that are supported on all platforms to which users must install the updates.

    For more information about feature installation problems, see Feature cannot be installed by using push-to-client.

  • When you create a response file for updating the Developer for z/OS version by using push-to-client, specifying the minimum information that is required by Installation Manager to allow the most flexibility across different user configurations.

    For more information about creating response files in Installation Manager, see Response files.

  • When you update the Developer for z/OS product by using push-to-client, a package name is required in the response file. All users whose product installations are to be updated by using push-to-client must install the Developer for z/OS product under the same package name that is used in the response file.

    For more information about package names, see Package names in response files.

  • Before you distribute product updates by using push-to-client, ensure that all users store their credentials for the server from which the product updates are installed in Installation Manager.

    For more information about storing credentials, see Authentication with the Installation Manager repository.

  • Users who are installing a product update by using push-to-client must be logged in to the client workstation with the same user authority level that was used to create the response file. If the Developer for z/OS product was initially installed with administrator authority, for example, then the user who runs the Developer for z/OS product when the update is initiated must have administrator authority. If the product was initially installed without administrator authority, then the user who runs the Developer for z/OS product when the update is initiated does not need administrator authority.
  • If an expected product update fails to start, tracing can be helpful in troubleshooting problems in the installconfig.xml file. Trace entries for product updates are included in the workspace/.matadata/.trace file if the following is level is set on the Tracing preferences page.
    • Tracer Name: com.ibm.ftt.resources.core
    • Tracing Level: FINE or higher
    To open the Tracing preferences, select Tracing on the Preferences window.
  • If a user's push-to-client update is unsuccessful, look in the following location for the update log that contains information about the reason for the failure: workspace/.metadata/.plugins/com.ibm.ftt.resources.zos/responseFileName.log.