Using the deployment wizard

The deployment wizard provides a simple graphical user interface for deploying a solution.

The deployment wizard helps you deploy a solution (.ser file) to target computers that you specify.

The deployment wizard is displayed as a set of steps. Navigate the steps of the deployment wizard by completing them in order and clicking Back and Next to switch to the previous or subsequent step.

Open a solution to begin the deployment process. To open a solution, perform the following steps:
  1. Open the deployment wizard:
    • From Windows®: Select Start > Programs > Express Runtime 2.1 > Start Deployment Wizard.
    • From Linux™: Select Main Menu > Express Runtime 2.1 > Start Deployment Wizard.
  2. Click File > Open.
  3. Click the solution with the .ser file extension that you want to deploy and click Open. The deployment wizard Welcome dialog is displayed.
  4. Click Next.
Note: If you are deploying from a solution launcher image, the default solution automatically opens in the deployment wizard.

Selecting tasks to deploy

The deployment wizard provides a list of all of the tasks that are part of the solution. A task is a set of actions that are performed together. Select any combination of tasks listed in the wizard for deployment to one or more target computers.

To select tasks for deployment, perform the following steps:

  1. Select at least one task from the list that is displayed in the deployment wizard, by selecting the corresponding check box.
  2. Click Next.
  3. Tasks might contain one or more sets of subtasks. Select at least one subtask for each task.
  4. Click Next.

Define target computers

Define one or more target computers for each task that you select for deployment. You can define up to 100 target computers. To define a target computer, the fully-qualified domain name or the IP address of that computer is required. A fully-qualified domain name includes all higher level domain names up to the top-level domain name.

Use the following guidelines to ensure the correct format of a domain name:
  • An alphanumeric text string up to 24 characters in length, containing any of the letters A-Z, digits between 0-9, and the - and . characters.
  • The first character must be an alphabetical.
  • You can use upper and lowercase letters.
  • The last character cannot be a minus sign or a period.
  • Only use periods to delimit components of a domain name.
  • Do not use blank or space characters.
Use the following guidelines to ensure the correct format for an IP Address:
  • A 32-bit numeric address written containing four numbers.
  • Each of these four numbers can range from 0 to 255.
  • Each of the four numbers is separated by periods.
To define a target computer, perform the following steps:
  1. In the target field, type the fully-qualified domain name, or the IP address of the target computer.
  2. Click Add.
  3. Repeat steps one and two for all additional target computers.
  4. Click Test Connections to verify the deployment wizard can connect to the specified target computers. The Target Computer Data window is displayed and shows the status for each target computer. If the deployment wizard cannot connect to a target computer, verify that the fully-qualified domain name or IP address is correct. If this information is correct, contact the computer owner to determine if the target computer is running and connected to a network.
  5. Click Next.

Configuring deployment parameters

The deployment parameters dialog contains the deployment parameters for an application associated with a selected task. Use deployment parameters to configure an installation during deployment. Examples of deployment parameters include user IDs, passwords, and target directories.

In many cases, the deployment parameters can have default values. You can use or modify the default values. The values are shared with all target computers associated with a task.

Complete all the fields on the deployment parameters dialog denoted with an asterisk. Provide deployment parameters for every task in the solution selected for deployment, and click Next.

Modify parameters listed on the Typical tab only. The parameters on the Advanced tab are for advanced users only. Do not modify advanced parameters unless you understand the potential results of changing the parameter.

Deploying tasks to target computers

The summary dialog of the deployment wizard displays a summary of the tasks that have been selected to deploy and the target computers selected for deployment. An estimate of the time to install each task is provided, along with the summary of the task. This dialog also shows the status of the last attempted deployment for each task.

There are two methods for deploying tasks. Click Deploy Task to deploy each task individually. Click Deploy All to deploy all of the tasks that are displayed on the summary dialog sequentially.

If the files required for deployment span more than one disk or cannot be located, the Deployment Packages Needed dialog prompts you for the correct location of each of the deployment packages JAR files that do not exist in the default directory. You must enter the proper path for each required file before deployment can begin. A dialog prompts you for each file directory needed to complete the deployment.

Viewing deployment status

The status dialog of the deployment wizard provides detailed information on the deployment process. It contains deployment status and messages that explain the reason for any errors that occurred during deployment. To view a list of all the messages that are displayed during deployment, click Detailed Messages. Detailed messages provides the name of the solution, time, and the target computer for the deployment of each solution.

To view a log of the tasks that were performed during deployment, click Master Log. The Master log provides a list of every action that occurred as part of deployment. You might need to refer to this information when debugging unsuccessful deployments.

Deployment logging options

You can use specific logging options in the deployment wizard to generate log files that provide information that is useful to have when resolving problems that you might encounter during deployment. You can enable logging to provide diagnostic information.

Logging diagnostic information is CPU intensive, and therefore slows system performance. Use diagnostic logging only when it is necessary for troubleshooting a deployment.

To use deployment logging, perform the following steps:
  1. From the deployment wizard select Edit > Preferences.
  2. From the Deployment Preference dialog, click Diagnostic Trace.
  3. In the Diagnostic Trace dialog, select the checkbox that corresponds to the type of diagnostic information you want logged.
  4. Provide a name for the file to which diagnostic information is recorded.
  5. Provide a value for the maximum amount of space that each log file can physically occupy.
  6. From the Diagnostic Trace dialog, click OK.
  7. From the Deployment Preference dialog, click OK.
The log files that the deployment wizard generates are saved in the following locations:
  • Installation_Directory/SolutionEnabler/logs/
  • Installation_Directory/IIA/logs/

You can also use deployment diagnostic logging when you start the deployment wizard from the command line.

To use deployment diagnostic logging when you start the deployment wizard from the command line, you can apply the following arguments:
  • -enableSolutionDeployerTrace - Enables the deployment wizard diagnostic logging.
  • -solutionDeployerTraceFile - Sets the name of the deployment wizard log file.
  • -maxSolutionDeployerTraceFileSize - Sets the maximum size of the deployment wizard log file.
  • -enableSupportFrameworkTrace - Enables the support framework diagnostic logging.
  • -supportFrameworkTraceFile - Sets the name of the support framework log file.
  • -maxSupportFrameworkTraceFileSize - Sets the maximum size of the support framework log file.

The following command provides an example of a command line invocation of a solution that uses all of the available arguments to perform diagnostic values:

DJTJRE\bin\java -jar DJT_ibmnsit.jar -enableSolutionDeployerTrace -solutionDeployerTraceFile myTrace.log -maxSolutionDeployerTraceFileSize 10 -enableSupportFrameworkTrace -supportFrameworkTraceFile mySupportTrace.log -maxSupportFrameworkTraceFileSize 2