Using the Fortra Product Loader

 

This article contains general information on the Fortra Product Loader. If you want instructions specific to the product you’re loading, on the support portal, select the product you want to install, and read the install/update and conversion instructions carefully.

Introduction

The Fortra Product Loader contains product files and an installer all in one bundle. It allows you to install PC components and move product files from your PC to the IBM i. When using the Fortra Product Loader, you can choose to do an immediate load (installation, update, or conversion) of a product to your system or stage the product files on your IBM i for later use.

We’ve introduced two new terms with the Fortra Product Loader:

• Load: An install, update, or conversion of a product on your IBM i or PC.

• Stage: A transfer of the product files from the PC to the IBM i. This allows the product to be loaded at a later time.

General Considerations

• You only need to download the Fortra Product Loader for each product once. After it's on your PC, you can use it multiple times.

• A new save file library, HSLOADMGR, is added to your library list during the product load. All staged loads are stored in this library.

• The Fortra Product Loader displays the progress of the installation, update, or conversion. This process can take several minutes to complete.

• Please take note of the following: It is our goal not to change system values on customer systems because we recognize that security-conscious organizations have rigorous change control processes in place. Therefore, we ask you to make any system value changes that are needed. However, during this process, the following system values may be temporarily changed to the values shown below. After processing is complete, they are returned to current settings:

  • QVFYOBJRST must equal 1, 2, or 3.
  • QFRCCVNRST must equal 0 or 1.
  • QALWOBJRST must equal *ALL or *ALWPGMADP.

   

Information on Staged Loads

• If you choose to stage the objects, the files will be stored in the HSLOADMGR library. You cannot specify a different library name.

• To load staged products onto your system, execute the following command on the IBM i:

  HSLOADMGR/HSWRKLOAD

• On the Work with Loads panel, you have several options:

  • Option 1, Load: Loads the product onto the IBM i. You can toggle F11 to see the status and save file name of the load.

  • Option 2, Run pre-checker: Determines whether or not a product installation or conversion will complete successfully on your IBM i system. Note: The pre-checker is only available for certain products. Refer to the product’s installation/conversion/upgrade instructions for more information.

  • Option 4, Delete: Removes the save file from the HSLOADMGR library.

  • Option 8, Submit: Submits the product for a silent install (batch job). When the Submit Job panel displays, review the information and press Enter.

    Note: We recommend you submit only one batch job at a time.

• If you want to move your staged load save files from one system to another system on the IBM i, follow these steps:

  1. Execute the following command:

     SAVLIB LIB(HSLOADMGR) DEV(*SAVF) SAVF(libraryname/savefile)

     Note: Replace libraryname/savefile with the library name and save file name that you want to use.

  2. FTP the save file that contains HSLOADMGR to another system.

  3. Once on the new system, restore HSLOADMGR by executing the following command:

     RSTLIB SAVLIB(HSLOADMGR) DEV(*SAVF) SAVF(libraryname/savefile)

     Note: Replace libraryname/savefile with the library name and save file name that you want to use.

Information on Silent Installs

Silent installs are used to load staged products during a scheduled time frame, generally after business hours or during maintenance. You can schedule a batch job through Robot Schedule or an IBM i scheduler.

If you would like to schedule the silent install using the HSSTROLOAD command, follow the steps below:

1. Prompt on the HSLOADMGR/HSSTRLOAD command
2.  Enter the name of the product for the Load Name (Load name can be found the on the HSWRKLOAD screen - spaces included)
3. Select *LOAD or *PRECHECK
   • *LOAD - The load does not stop after the validation step.
   • *PRECHECK - The load stops processing after it validates the prerequisites. Not all product loads support this option. To determine if your product can use the prechecker, refer to the product's installation, update, or conversion instructions. If the option is not supported, a message is displayed and the load is not processed.
4. Run silently - *YES or *NO. Specify if progress messages and other displays are shown while the load is running. This parameter is ignored if the load is run in a batch job.
               Example: HSLOADMGR/HSSTRLOAD NAME('Robot Schedule') SILENT(*YES)
5. Your command can now be used in Robot Schedule or job scheduler.

For Robot customers:

Unless RBTSYSLIB needs to be updated, we no longer bring down the subsystem RBTSLEEPER. The Fortra Product Loader was enhanced to make sure existing products on your IBM i system have minimal downtime during a product load. This process only ends the product it’s currently loading and restarts the product when the load completes.

Note: If the product load ends with errors, the product won’t automatically restart.

If you’d like to end the subsystem RBTSLEEPER and then submit a batch job, we recommend you do the following:

1. Execute the following command to end all Robot products running in the RBTSLEEPER subsystem and then end the subsystem itself:

   RSLSHUTDWN

2. Put the RBTSLEEPER job queue on hold using the following command:

   HLDJOBQ JOBQ (RBTSYSLIB/RBTSLEEPER)

3. Execute HSLOADMGR/HSWRKLOAD on a command line to open the Work with Loads panel.

4. Select option 8, Submit, to submit a batch job.

5. Once the batch job completes, release the RBTSLEEPER job queue and restart the subsystem using the following commands:

   RLSJOBQ JOBQ(RBTSYSLIB/RBTSLEEPER)

   STRSBS SBSD(RBTSYSLIB/RBTSLEEPER)