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Adding hotfixes

Using the Add Software panel, you can identify the hotfixes you want to package and provide any additional information needed for the package.

To add hotfixes

  1. Do one of the following:
    • If you initiated the process of adding a hotfix to the Depot while browsing server objects or running a Snapshot or Audit Job, in most situations the system can automatically provide all information required by the Add Depot Software window. If the Add Depot Software window appears, click Next to complete the procedure.
    • If you initiated the process of adding a hotfix to the Depot while browsing server objects or running a Snapshot or Audit Job but the system cannot automatically download information for one or more hotfixes, the Hotfixes Missing Download Information dialog box appears. You must manually provide all of the required information for each of the hotfixes listed on this window. Click OK on this dialog box and proceed to step 2 to continue this procedure for those hotfixes.
    • If you initiated the process of adding a hotfix to the Depot by selecting a depot folder or by using the Select Matching Software window, the Select Installable Sources dialog box appears. Proceed to step 2.
    • If the Add Software window does not show the appropriate source file for a hotfix, select that hotfix in the left pane. Then, in the right pane, for Installable source, click Browse g_V95_BrowseIcon.gifto specify the source file for the selected hotfix. The Select Installable Source dialog box opens. Proceed to step 2.
    • At any time you can add hotfixes to the list of those being added to the Depot by clicking Add depot software g_V95_AddNew.gif. The Select Installable Sources dialog box opens. See the next step for details on using the Select Installable Sources dialog box.
       To delete a hotfix from the list on the left, select the item and click Delete g_V95_DeleteIcon.gif.
  2. Using the Select Installable Sources dialog box, do the following:
    1. Using the hierarchical tree in the dialog box, select one or more source files. Your selections are listed in the Source Location field. If you select multiple items, semicolons separate each item. You can skip this step and manually enter the path to the source files as described in step 2.c.
       If an agent is not installed on the server where the source files exist, you cannot browse those files. You must manually enter the correct path to the source files using the procedure described in step 2.c.
    2. Do one of the following:
      • If you want to copy source files to the file server, select Upload source to File Server. Proceed to step 2.e.
         When you select this option, you cannot edit the contents of the Source Location field.
      • If you do not want to copy the source files to the file server, select Refer to source at its current location. Instead, the source files reside at their network location until deployment. Proceed to step 2.c.
         When you select this option, you cannot use the hierarchical tree to select source files.

    3. Using the Source Location field, enter paths to the installable source files. If paths are already displayed, you can modify them.
      source_settings.jpg
      Source file paths can include parameters. You can enter parameters manually or click Select Property g_V95_SelectPropertyIcon.gif. For more information about this tool, see Inserting-a-parameter.
       In the next step, you specify a method for accessing source files. One method requires you to enter a source location using a URL that complies with the BMC Server Automation standard for network data transmission. For more information about using a network-based URL, see URL-syntax-for-network-data-transmission.

      Note

      If you manually enter a source location, BMC Server Automation does not validate the entry. If the URL is incorrect, a Deploy Job could fail during staging, deployment, or rollback.

      Tip

      Using parameters in a URL lets you specify servers to be mounted or mapped, depending on target locations. You can also use parameters to allow for different types of mounts/maps, depending on the target's operating system. For example, you can create a server property called MOUNT_TYPE and then insert ??TARGET.MOUNT_TYPE?? as a parameter representing the type of mount/map. On some servers, this property resolves to smb; on others it resolves to nfs.

    4. Under Refer to source at its current location, select one of the following:
      • Copy to Agent at staging — The Application Server copies the source files to a staging directory on the agent during the staging phase of a Deploy Job.
         To use this option, the Source Location field (see step 2.c) must provide a URL that complies with BMC Server Automation requirements for network data transmission, including a data transmission protocol of RSCD, NFS, or SMB. For details about the required syntax, see URL-syntax-for-network-data-transmission.
      • Agent mounts source for direct use at deployment (no local copy) — The Deploy Job instructs an agent to mount or map the device specified in the URL and deploy the software package directly to the agent. When you select this option, the agent uses the data transmission protocol specified in the URL to access the specified source files. The software package is not copied to a staging area on the agent, so no local copy of the source file is created.
         To use this option, the Source Location field (see step 2.c) must provide a URL that complies with BMC Server Automation requirements for network data transmission, including a data transmission protocol: either NFS or SMB. For details information about the required syntax, see URL-syntax-for-network-data-transmission.
    5. Click OK to close the Select Installable Sources dialog box.
       The files you have selected display in the left pane of the Add Depot Software window.
  3. To identify a depot folder where the hotfix should be stored, click Browse to the right of the Save in field. The Select Folder dialog box appears. Use the dialog box to select the depot folder where you want to store the patch or service pack. Then click OK.
  4. In the left pane, select a hotfix and enter information about the hotfix and settings for its deployment (as shown in the example in the following figure):
    hotfix.jpg
    1. If you are adding a service pack to the Depot, check Source is service pack. If you are adding a patch, clear Source is service pack.
       Checking the Source is service pack option makes other options on the Add Depot Software window unavailable. These options only apply to patches.
    2. Check Do NOT copy source to undo directory during deployment if you do not want to copy source files to a directory where they can be used for rolling back this deployment.
       This option is always checked if you have chosen to deploy source files using agent mounting because the agent mounting technique never copies source files to targets.
      Checking this option reduces the amount of data that is copied during a deployment. However, Microsoft hotfixes need their original source files to be rolled back, so you typically should not check this option.
      Checking this option reduces the size of the rollback package that is stored on each target server. To benefit from this, however, the job used to deploy this package must be defined to allow rollback.
    3. For Name, enter the name assigned to the patch or service pack being installed if a name is not already entered in this field. To provide a description for the hotfix, enter one in the Description field.
    4. If you are adding a patch to the Depot and you have manually specified the source file for the patch, do the following:
      • For Bulletin, enter the bulletin number of the patch.
      • For Patch Name, enter a patch name.
         When the system automatically completes the Patch Name field, it provides a unique name. If you are adding a patch and you have manually specified the source file for the patch, you must ensure that you enter a value for Patch Name if you are also using an uninstall command that includes the parameter ??HOTFIXNAME??. See step 4.f for more information about install and uninstall commands.
    5. If you have manually specified the source file for the patch or service pack, do the following:
      • For Product, select the product for which you are adding a patch or service pack. For example, you might select Windows 2003 or SQL Server 2005.
      • For Service Pack, select the level of the service pack you are adding. If you are adding a patch, enter the level of the service pack to which the patch applies.
      • For Language, select the language for the patch or service pack.
    6. If you want to specify custom install and uninstall commands, check Use custom command for install/uninstalland do one or both of the following:

      • For Install command, enter the command, including any arguments, that invokes installation of the package type you are creating. This field automatically displays the default installation command for the patch or service pack.
         When executing the Install command, BMC Server Automation replaces a parameter bracketed with two question marks, such as ??SOURCE??, with its appropriate value. For example, the system replaces ??SOURCE??with the directory where software is stored in the package being deployed. The following table describes all parameters included in default install and uninstall commands for patches and service packs. If a command includes a parameter not shown in the following table, that parameter must reference a server property and any target servers must have a value defined for that property. If a hotfix is encapsulated in a BLPackage, parameters can also reference local properties for the BLPackage.

        Option

        Description of Use

        ??HOTFIXNAME??

        The name assigned to the patch or service pack.

        ??SOURCE??

        The directory where the patch or service pack is stored.
        If the source is a zip file, the file name extension is not used when resolving this parameter. For example, install_dir.zip resolves to install_dir.

        ??WINDIR??

        The environment variable representing the Windows directory, such as /c/winnt.

        If you are entering a parameter that references a server property, you can type the parameter name, bracketed with two question marks, or click Select Property to choose a property from a list. If you click Select Property, you can view hierarchical properties by clicking the right arrow that appears next to some properties. This displays a subordinate list of properties. To return to the parent list, click the left arrow next to the property at the top of the list.

      • For Uninstall command, enter the command, including any arguments, that invokes the uninstall. This field automatically displays the default uninstall command for the patch or service pack.
         The uninstall command works like the install command. The system replaces parameters with an appropriate value.
  5. Repeat step 4 for each item listed in the left pane.

 

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