Distributing product updates

The Developer for z/OS push-to-client feature provides tools for system administrators to create product installation updates and prompt client workstations to install the updates when they connect to a remote system.

Before you begin

This type of update supports only modification-level updates. You can use push-to-client to update clients from version 9.5 to version 9.5.1, for example, but not from version 9.5 to version 14.0 and not from version 14.0 to version 14.1.

You can distribute product updates after the Developer for z/OS servers are installed and configured on a remote system. To complete the push-to-client tasks, the Developer for z/OS pushtoclient.properties file must be configured to distribute product updates.

While you complete these tasks, you might need to create or update the following files. These procedures explain how to update the files.
  • An IBM® Installation Manager response file. For instructions for creating a response file, see Creating a response file.
  • An IBM Installation Manager product activation kit file. If the product update requires a product activation kit, you can place the kit in a network location and refer to the location from the response file.
  • A key mapping file. This file defines the location of other files, such as installation response files and configuration files, that are distributed automatically to client workstations. The key mapping file is called keymapping.xml. Its default location on the z/OS system is /var/zexpl/pushtoclient.
  • An installation configuration file. This file defines the product offering IDs, a range of Developer for z/OS versions, and the name of the response file that installs the product update. The push-to-client feature scans the installation configuration file for an applicable product offering ID and installed version. If found, it starts Installation Manager with the specified response file. The installation configuration file is called installconfig.xml and is in the path indicated by the <fileId>com.ibm.ftt.resources.zos.install.configuration</fileId> tag of the key mapping file.
  • A push-to-client properties file, called pushtoclient.properties. This file defines the location of the key mapping file. The default location of the pushtoclient.properties file on the z/OS system is /etc/zexpl/.
  • To update the client version, you need to set both product.enabled and config.enabled to true or SAF in the pushtoclient.properties file, even if you only plan to distribute product updates.

About this task

When a client workstation connects to a remote system that is configured to distribute product updates, the push-to-client feature compares the client product version with a range of versions that are defined in the installation configuration file. If the installed version is in this range, the Developer for z/OS workbench shuts down and starts the IBM Installation Manager product by using a response file that is downloaded from the remote system.

Procedure

To create and distribute product updates:

  1. Create an IBM Installation Manager response file for the product installation that you want to distribute.
    For instructions for creating a response file, see Creating a response file.
    Important: If user authentication is required to access the code repository for the update, then users must save their user IDs and passwords in IBM Installation Manager.
  2. Create or update the installation configuration file to indicate the range of product versions that triggers an update and the response file for installing the update.
    For instructions for creating or updating the installation configuration file, see Updating the installation configuration file.
  3. Update the key mapping file to point to the installation configuration file and the response file.
    For instructions for updating the key mapping file, see Updating the key mapping file.