Steps

Create the SMS package

It is recommended that you create two types of packages to install your IBM software. The first type of package installs the Installation Manager itself, and the second installs the chosen package.

Download and unzip the Installation Manager package from the IBM Installation Manager and Packaging Utility download links page. When you create the package, the source directory should be the root of the directory containing the Installation Manager installer files.

For the second type of package, use the Installation Manager silent install capability.

Create the batch files to perform the installations

Use a batch file as a wrapper to call the Installation Manager when you perform the installation if the Installation Manager is installed in to the same path for all target systems. A response file included in the same directory is required.

The batch file performs the following steps:

• Set a HOME variable to the directory of the batch file. This lets you look up the location of the response file.

Listing 1. Set HOME location for batch file

 @set HOME=%~dp0%

• Set an IMCL variable to point to the location of the Installation Manager command line executable, imcl.exe, on the target system. Use the code shown in Listing 2 to see if Installation manager is installed in the 32 or 64-bit location.

Listing 2. Determining imcl.exe location

 @if exist "C:\Program Files\IBM\Installation Manager" (

  echo Found IM on 32 bit system

  set IMCL="C:\Program Files\IBM\Installation Manager\eclipse\tools\imcl.exe"

) else (

  echo Found IM on 64 bit system

  set IMCL="C:\Program Files (x86)\IBM\Installation Manager\eclipse\tools\imcl.exe"

 )

• Use the command line in Listing 3 to call imcl.exe in the IMCL directory.

Listing 3. Call IMCL to perform installations

 call %IMCL% input %HOME%<name of response file> -log <path to log file> -acceptLicense

This simple batch file runs the install using the response file given, and writes any errors to the log file that you provided in the command line.

For more information on using batch files to drive Installation Manager actions, see the article Installing, updating, and scripting installations for IBM Installation Manager

Create the package

1. Launch the SCCM Configuration Manager console.
2. Expand the Site Database > Computer Management > Software Distribution menu items.
3. Right-click on Packages and select New > Package.
4. In the wizard, type the name for the package, i.e. Installation Manager, the version that corresponds to the version of Installation Manager you are installing, and the manufacturer, in this case IBM. When you create a package to install a product, use the appropriate name and version for that product. Click Next.
5. Select the box This package contains source files, then click the Set button to indicate where to find the files for this package. The files can either be local on the SCCM server, or available over a UNC path on your network. The directory should include both the batch file used to perform the install and any response file necessary to drive the installation. Click the Next button.
   Note:  When you install or update Installation Manager, the Source directory should be the unzipped install kit for Installation Manager.
6. Leave the default options for Distribution Settings, and Reporting. Choose which option meets your needs for Data Access.
7. On the Security page, verify that the SCCM Administrator account has the appropriate security rights, then click the Next button.
8. Verify that the information is correct on the Summary page. Click Next. The package creation starts. Once it is complete, click the Finish button.

Create the distribution point

1. Start the SCCM Configuration Manager console.
2. Expand the Site Database > Computer Management > Software Distribution > Packages menu items.
3. Expand the package you created in the previous section, and right-click on the Distribution Points item.
4. Select New Distribution Points.
5. Click the Next button on the wizard, then choose the available distribution point.

Create the program

For a package to start there must be a program to run. The following steps show how to create a program for the package you have defined.

1. Launch the SCCM Configuration Manager console.
2. Expand the Site Database > Computer Management > Software Distribution > Packages menu items.
3. Expand the package you created in the previous section
4. Right-click on the Program item.
5. Select New > Program.
6. Enter the Name for your program, and the command line you want to run in the appropriate text fields. If you want, you can provide a comment to describe what the program does. Use installc.exe -acceptLicense as the command line to install Installation Manager. If you install a product, the command line will reference the batch files you create.
7. Leave the default settings on the Requirements page.
8. For the environment, consider whether you are installing Installation Manager or a package that requires administrative rights. The program can run whether or not a user is logged on, or you can choose for run mode to Run with administrative rights. If you want to install Installation Manager or a package in user mode, choose Run with user's rights.
9. Keep the defaults already selected on the Advanced page.
10. Keep the defaults already selected on the Windows Installer page.
11. The Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM) Maintenance page provides choices for operations manager alerts. You can choose to Disable Operations Manager alerts while this program runs, or to Generate Operations Manager alert if this program fails.
12. Verify that the information on the Summary page is correct. If the information is correct, click the Next button. The program is created.
13. You can now run the package.
    Note:  It is recommended that you use a task sequence to ensure that the packages are installed in the correct order and to make sure any potential required restarts occur in the proper order.

If you are not familiar with creating custom task sequences, search the Microsoft TechNet articles for How to Create a Custom Task Sequence. For information on advertising the task sequence, search the Microsoft TechNet articles for How to Advertise Task Sequences.