Deploying Informix and client products with RPM-based installation (Linux)

You can create RedHat Package Manager (RPM) images of a customized HCL Informix® product installation to deploy the products with a silent installation. You can use RPM images to deploy the database server and client products in embedded applications. After you install the database server with an RPM image, you must manually initialize the database server.

See the machine notes for the specific Linux operating systems that are supported.

Creating RPM images

Before you install Informix products, complete the following tasks:

Check that RPM is installed on your computer.
Log in as the appropriate user to be the owner of the database server. For more information, see Installation owner.

To create RPM images:

Run an interactive installation of Informix and associated client products and choose the RPM installation method. For instructions, see Running an interactive installation.. The following RPM images are created in subdirectories under the target installation directory:

RPMS/gskcryptgskit_version.linux.processor.rpm
RPMS/gsksslgskit_version.linux.processor.rpm
processor/informix-informix_version.processor.rmp

The gskit_version is the version of IBM® Global Security Kit (GSKit), for example: 64-8.0.50.20. The processor is the processor architecture of the computer, for example, x86_64. The informix_version is the database server version, for example: 12.10.FC5-011.70.FC8-0.

For example, if you install Informix version 12.10.FC5 on a Linux x86_64 computer, you generate the following RPM images:

RPMS/gskcrypt64-8.0.50.20.linux.x86_64.rpm
RPMS/gskssl64-8.0.50.20.linux.x86_64.rpm
x86_64/informix-12.10.FC5-0.x86_64.rpm

Installing RPM images

To install RPM images on a target computer:

Log in with root privileges. Root-level privileges are required to deploy the RPM image, even if you are deploying a non-root installation.
Copy the three RPM images to a local directory.
Run the following command for each RPM image:
```
rpm -i image_file_name --prefix absolute_installation_path
```
If you do not specify an installation path with the --prefix option, then the default installation location is /opt/IBM/Informix.

Tip: Record the image file name after you complete a deployment. If you uninstall the product, you need to use the image file name.
If you are deploying a non-root installation of the database server, change the ownership of the installation directory to the non-root owner.
Initialize the database server. For instructions, see Creating a database server after installation.

Removing an installation

To remove an installation with RPM:

Log in as the root user.
Run the following command for each of the three RPM images:
```
rpm -e image_file_name 
```