Any Tricks For Installing Server then Tools

Hi Everyone, As the message header says it all, I run into this problem all the time ... as it happens all the time in my environment. I currently administrate many clients running all sorts of Informix Server versions and such ... and I find myself running into the same problem ... almost everywhere I go. If its not one thing ... its another ;-) But in any case, my question is that ... is there anyone that knows how to resolve the issue of the ordering of installation methods used by Informix that when an Informix Server already exists and clients decide to install some additional tools that I do not have to re-install the server in most cases again on their machine? Has anyone a workaround for this ... or a better solution to what I may be doing wrong? Informix says ... that later versions of Informix 7.3+ that this procedure ... is not needed ... but I find that I am still having to do the same thing ... no matter what version I install. I have installed 2000 and then 4GL on top of that ... but I get the "Unknown error message <number>" when I run certain utilities ... before asking my informix environment is configured properly ;-) This is a re-occuring problem with Informix products ... and francly it's a pain in the ass! I don't seem to have problems with upgrades ... just with installs ... if someone was going to ask that ... ;-) Any help would be appreciated on this matter... as I am getting tired of doing this sort of procedure all the time. Its also a problem on the client end when I need to schedule done time for this ... although its not much ... it's still down-time to the user ... which effects everyone... Thanks for any feedback ... Lloyd AJ Wilson.

Lloyd AJ Wilson wrote: > > Hi Everyone, > > As the message header says it all, I run into this problem all the time ... > as it happens all the time in my environment. > > I currently administrate many clients running all sorts of Informix Server > versions and such ... and I find myself running into the same problem ... > almost everywhere I go. If its not one thing ... its another ;-) > > But in any case, my question is that ... is there anyone that knows how to > resolve the issue of the ordering of installation methods used by Informix > that when an Informix Server already exists and clients decide to install > some additional tools that I do not have to re-install the server in most > cases again on their machine? > > Has anyone a workaround for this ... or a better solution to what I may be > doing wrong? Informix says ... that later versions of Informix 7.3+ that > this procedure ... is not needed ... but I find that I am still having to do > the same thing ... no matter what version I install. I have installed 2000 > and then 4GL on top of that ... but I get the "Unknown error message > <number>" when I run certain utilities ... before asking my informix > environment is configured properly ;-) > > This is a re-occuring problem with Informix products ... and francly it's a > pain in the ass! > > I don't seem to have problems with upgrades ... just with installs ... if > someone was going to ask that ... ;-) > > Any help would be appreciated on this matter... as I am getting tired of > doing this sort of procedure all the time. Its also a problem on the client > end when I need to schedule done time for this ... although its not much ... > it's still down-time to the user ... which effects everyone... OK, here are the rules which come in two flavors depending on product versions (though the first flavor will work file for the latter class of products the reverse is not true): For all installations where ANY product has a version number lower than 7.30 (7.20 for 4GL/ISQL product): The "Rule of TEN" still applies, that is install Tools, then Engines, then Network products (which exist for 4.xx and 5.xx server/network product only). This means that if you are installing 4GL product over an existing engine, of ANY version, you will have to shut the engine down first, install 4GL then reinstall the engine software when the 4GL install is complete. In addition always install newer product of the same category after older product. So if you are installing ISQL 4.10 and R4GL 6.04 which are both Tool category products, install ISQL first because it is an earlier version and R4GL after that. For all installations where ALL product is Version number 7.30 (again 7.20 for ISQL and 4Gl) or later the "Rule of Ten" is no longer needed, HOWEVER, the newer product after rule still applies. So if you are installing I4GL Version 7.30 over an existing IDS.2000 engine, which is Version 9.20, you will need to shutdown the engine first and then reinstall IDS.2000 after the 4GL installation is complete. On the otherhand install that 4GL over an existing IDS v7.30 engine and you no longer have to reinstall the engine or even shut it down first. I hope that this helps. Art S. Kagel

Also sprach "Lloyd AJ Wilson" <lwilson@harriscomputer.com> : :Hi Everyone, : :As the message header says it all, I run into this problem all the time ... :as it happens all the time in my environment. : [snip] : :Any help would be appreciated on this matter... as I am getting tired of :doing this sort of procedure all the time. Its also a problem on the client :end when I need to schedule done time for this ... although its not much ... :it's still down-time to the user ... which effects everyone... Since it is pretty much just the message files that get hosed, I just do the following: prior to installing the tools over an engine, I create a tar file of the current contents of $INFORMIXDIR/msg. After installing the tool, I just tar the contents back out to the msg directory. Hasn't failed me yet! If you forget to make the tar at the beginning, just untar the msg directory from the engine install media. Dave