Using the IBM Rational Site Preparation Tool

The Rational Site Preparation Tool allows you to specify configuration settings for Rational products.

Quick reference

Before using the Site Preparation Tool, use this reference to quickly locate information about the task you want to perform:

Table 1. Site Preparation Tool quick reference
Task Reference
Overview of Site Preparation Tool functionality and terminology About site preparation, release areas and site defaults files
Learning about different methods of constructing site default files using the Site Preparation Tool How to run the Site Preparation Tool
Learning how to run the Site Preparation Tool from the Rational Setup wizard Using the Setup wizard to create a release area and site defaults file
Learning how to run the Site Preparation Tool in stand-alone mode (not during product installation) Running the Site Preparation Tool in stand-alone mode
Navigating through the Site Preparation Tool Navigation
Understanding what the various Site Preparation Tool icons represent Menu bar and Icons
Obtaining procedures to test your site defaults files Testing your site defaults file
Creating multiple site default files Using the Site Preparation Tool to create multiple site defaults files

About site preparation, release areas and site defaults files

The Site Preparation Tool allows an administrator to easily preconfigure a product for large numbers of end users by defining sets of configuration parameters known as site defaults. Doing so prevents end users from entering long lists of configuration parameters. Administrators can customize sets of site defaults for specific end-user groups, saving time and future redundant data entry for themselves as well.

A release area is a central location on your network, accessible by all hosts, from which software is installed. Release areas contain sets of site default files defined by the administrator with the Site Preparation Tool. Most administrators typically create their first release area while running the Site Preparation Tool.

After defining a set of site defaults with the tool, the administrator saves the site defaults file with a meaningful name and description, to use later. This is very important, as this information will be displayed in the Site Preparation Tool and in the release area as a shortcut that you can double-click to initiate installations.

You run the Site Preparation Tool either during installation, or in stand-alone mode by running the Site Preparation Tool (siteprep.exe) from the release area.

How to run the Site Preparation Tool

There are two methods for running the Site Preparation Tool:
  1. Automatically: The tool starts when you run the Rational Setup wizard (setup.exe).
  2. Manually: You can start the tool by navigating to your release area and running siteprep.exe.

When the tool is started by running setup.exe, you are presented with a list of site preparation screens for the product that you are installing. For more information, see Using the Setup wizard to create a release area and site defaults file.

When you manually start the tool, you must choose whether to modify an existing site definition file, or create a new one. For more information, see Running the Site Preparation Tool in stand-alone mode.

Using the Setup wizard to create a release area and site defaults file

This section explains how you can use the Setup wizard to create a release area and populate it with site defaults files. You can use this release area to install Rational products on servers or client desktops.

The default site defaults file is sitedefs.dat. If users can run the setup.exe command with no arguments, the Setup wizard uses the settings in sitedefs.dat. You can create multiple site defaults files that are specific to different products or teams and assign them meaningful names, such as developers.dat or qualityengr.dat. Users can install the product with the configurations you create by specifying the site defaults file with the setup.exe command; for example,
setup.exe developers.dat
. Or you can prepare shortcuts for these files, such as developers or developers.lnk, which users can run from their desktops.

When creating a site defaults file, do not add a file name extension such as sitedefs.developers.dat. The maximum length of the path for the release area of an Enterprise Deployment installation is approximately 30-35 characters. This limit changes, depending on the product being installed and the length of the paths of the files that each product installs. You might also see different error messages when the root path exceeds the maximum

To create a release area:

  1. Make the release area directory shareable. Even if the drive that contains the directory is already shareable, making the directory itself shareable makes it easier to find the product release area.
    • In Windows Explorer, right-click the network release area and click Sharing.
    • On the Sharing page of the properties window, click SHARE this folder and provide a meaningful name, such as 7.0 Release Area. The Site Preparation Tool creates a shortcut to the site defaults file only if the release area is created under a network share. The shortcut opens in the release area, for example, as sitedefs or developers without the file extension .dat.
  2. Log in as a user with Administrator rights on the local computer.
  3. Insert Disc 1 of your software into the computer’s CD drive. If you have downloaded the software, click Setup.exe after you extract the files. The product launchpad starts. If autorun is disabled on your computer, click Start > Run and enter
    cd_drive: \Setup.exe
    where cd_drive is the letter of the CD drive. The Setup wizard guides you through the software installation and then click Next .
  4. On the Deployment Method page, select the Enterprise Deployment option and then click Next.
  5. Depending on the product you have selected, you will see one or more custom configuration pages in the wizard. Use the Help for your product to obtain instructions for this section of the wizard. For information on navigation and meanings of specific icons, see Navigation and Icons.
  6. On the Completion pages you must fill in the Description page and the Create a Release Area page. The Launch Installation page is optional.
    • On the Description page, enter a description for users. When you are finished, click Next.
    • On the Create a Release Area page, enter the release area location and file name for the site defaults file (*.dat) that you are creating.
    Note: Do not use double-byte characters.

    If you want to use the site defaults file to install software on your computer, click Next to go to the Launch Installation page. Select Launch installation by using these settings. Save the site defaults information to a file and proceed with the installation on your computer. Click Done and then click Next.

  7. If you want only to create a release area, click Done and then click Next to create the site defaults file. Otherwise, skip to Testing your site defaults file.

Running the Site Preparation Tool in stand-alone mode

This section explains how you can run the Site Preparation Tool in stand-alone mode (not from the Rational Setup wizard) to create a new release area and populate it with site defaults files, or to edit the site default attributes of an existing release area.

To run the Site Preparation Tool in stand-alone mode:
  1. Make the release area directory shareable. Even if the drive that contains the directory is already shareable, making the directory itself shareable makes it easier to find the product release area.
    • In Windows Explorer, right-click the network release area and click Sharing.
    • On the Sharing page of the properties window, click SHARE this folder and provide a meaningful name, such as 7.0 Release Area. The Setup wizard creates a shortcut to the site defaults file only if the release area is created under a network share. The shortcut opens in the release area, for example, as sitedefs or developers without the file extension .dat.
  2. Log in as a user with Administrator rights on the local computer.
  3. Run siteprep.exe from an existing release area, or from the product CD.
  4. Select the product you want to define site defaults for and click Select.
  5. Perform one of the following actions:
    • Click New to create a new site definition file.
    • Click Open to modify an existing site definition file. Use the Open window to navigate to your site definition file, select it, and click Open.
  6. Depending on the product you have selected, you will see one or more custom configuration pages in the wizard. Use the Help for your product to obtain instructions for this section of the wizard. Enter the required information in each page of the wizard. For information on navigation and meanings of specific icons, see Navigation and Icons
  7. On the Completion pages, enter a description of the site defaults file, and enter a file name and release area location.
    Note: Do not use double-byte characters in file names or directory paths.

    If you want to use the site defaults file to install software on your computer, click Next to go to the Launch Installation page. Select Launch installation by using these settings. Save the site defaults information to a file and proceed with the installation on your computer. Click Done and then click Next

  8. If you want only to create a release area, click Done and then click Next to create the site defaults file. Otherwise, skip to Testing your site defaults file.
Note: It is also possible to run siteprep.exe directly from the product CD, if needed in certain circumstances. However, creating a release area is the preferred method for running site preparation.

Navigation

After the Site Preparation Tool has started, the left pane lists site preparation screens for the product you are configuring. You can navigate through these screens using your keyboard arrow keys or by clicking on specific topics, or you can directly select a screen by clicking on the screen titles in the left pane. The menu listing is dynamic, changing according to the values you select for various options. You can also use the Next and Back buttons on each screen for navigation. You may cancel and close the Site Preparation Tool at any time by clicking Cancel.

The right pane lists Help topics for the site preparation screen you have currently selected in the left pane.

Menu bar

The menu bar is located across the top of the two panes that make up the Site Preparation Tool. The menu bar consists of the following commands, represented by icons:

Table 2. Menu bar icons
Icon Meaning
NewPiece of white paper with plus sign in upper right-hand corner Displays the product selector window, allowing you to create a new configuration for the product you select.
OpenOpen file folder Opens an existing .dat file that contains site defaults for the product you want to configure. The Site Preparation Tool uses its settings as the basis for the current configuration you are creating.
SaveFloppy disk Saves the current set of defaults in a site defaults file without prompting you to enter a unique file name. All required values must be specified before you can save a site defaults file.
Save AsFloppy disk over three dots Saves the current set of defaults in a site defaults file in the location with a unique name that you specify. All required values must be specified before you can save a site defaults file.
HelpQuestion mark in circle with downward-pointing arrow on the right Click this icon for Help on the current site preparation page and information about this version of the Site Preparation Tool.

Icons

As you navigate through the Site Preparation Tool, you will see the following icons in the left pane:

Table 3. Navigational Icons
Icon Meaning
Page with
right corner folded Indicates a page with product configuration settings that may be entered.
Page
with plus sign on upper left hand corner Indicates one or more items on this page are required to complete the configuration.
CD Indicates an introductory product description page.
Tools
- screwdriver and wrench Indicates the Completion page.

Testing your site defaults file

When you create a release area, you have the option to install the product on your desktop.

To test the site defaults file:
  1. Begin the installation and navigate through the pages until you reach the Site Default Configuration page. This page includes the release area description that you entered previously. Specify whether to use the site defaults that you set for your own computer. Either click Use the standard configuration (the site defaults that you set) or I will create my own custom client configuration.
    • If you select I will create my own custom client configuration, the Custom Setup page displays product features to select. When you click Next, you can change any of the existing site default values. (Any changes to the site default values apply only to this single installation.) After modifying the values, click Done and then click Install to begin the installation.
    • If you select Use the standard configuration, the features for the existing site default values are used for the installation. To begin the installation, click Next and then click Install.
  2. If files required for the installation are in use while the Setup wizard is running and shared components must be installed, the Setup wizard may need to restart your computer. If so, a Restart Windows page opens. Select Restart or Don’t Restart. If you select Don’t Restart, the wizard reminds you that the installation cannot complete until Windows restarts. The second part of the installation process starts after you log on.
  3. When the Setup Complete page opens, review the current information related to new features and known issues in the release notes; you can make these available by selecting the readme check box. In addition, you can view the IBM developerWorks Web pages. If you have run the Site Preparation Tool as part of the Setup wizard, click Done to complete the installation. If you have run the Site Preparation Tool in stand-alone mode, click Finish to complete the installation.

Using the Site Preparation Tool to create multiple site defaults files

In some cases, your site might require multiple site defaults files. For example, if a database administrator’s group and a client user group both use the same product but need to work with different default settings in the product, you can create one site defaults file for each group.

To create multiple site defaults for a release area:
  1. Create the initial release area as described in Using the Setup wizard to create a release area and site defaults file. Set up this area with the site-specific parameters needed by the first group of users.
  2. Open the site defaults file created in Step 1 (sitedefs.dat, for example) by running siteprep.exe (in your release area) and clicking Open. The Site Preparation Tool displays the values set in sitedefs.dat. Keep the values that apply to both groups and change the values to meet the needs of the second group.
  3. Click the Save As icon to save a new site defaults file. You are prompted to enter a file name and folder for the new site defaults file.
Note: The Site Preparation Tool creates a shortcut for each site default file. Double-click the shortcut corresponding to the set of site defaults you want to use in your installation. Keep in mind that when running the Site Preparation Tool from the Rational Setup wizard, the installer only searches for the default sitedefs.dat file. If you want to install from a set of site defaults with a different name other than sitedefs.dat, run site preparation in stand-alone mode, or run siteprep.exe from the command line.