Installing WebSphere Commerce fix packs

A fix pack is the standard delivery for a group corrective and preventive fixes for the base WebSphere Commerce product. A fix pack is applied on top of a specific version or release. Applying Fix Pack 1 to Version 7.0.0.0 changes the version to 7.0.0.1. Fix packs are cumulative; for example when you install Fix Pack 2 you get all the fixes in both Fix Pack 1 and Fix Pack 2. Applying Fix Pack 2 to Version 7.0.0.0 changes the version to 7.0.0.2.

For IBM i OS operating systemWebSphere Commerce Version 7 for IBM i includes the fixes that are provided by fix pack 1. You do not need to apply fix pack 1.

A fix pack is first installed to the product installation directory and then installed to a WebSphere Commerce instance.
Note: You cannot install fix packs and individual interim fixes at the same time.
If you are installing a fix pack to a clustered environment, the fix pack can be applied to the WebSphere Commerce product installation directory before your maintenance window. Doing this does not affect the WebSphere Commerce application and can free up time for other tasks during your maintenance window. If you have different installations of WebSphere Commerce such as one for your staging environment and another for your production environment, ensure that you apply the fix pack to the product installation directory on both WebSphere Commerce installations. Otherwise you might encounter issues with utilities (for example, the stagingprop utility) because they are not synced with one another.
WebSphere Commerce Version 7.0.0.7 or laterNote: If you are on Fix Pack 7 or later, you can install a fix pack to a clustered environment with no downtime to your store. For more information, see Installing WebSphere Commerce fix packs with zero downtime.

Some fix packs introduce support for newer operating systems, database versions, or browser support. For a list of the additional software that was tested in various fix packs see Additional supported and tested software.

Before you begin

  1. Review Fix packs for WebSphere Commerce. The technote contains links to the download page for each fix pack. Each download page provides information about how to sign up for automatic notification of new fix packs and flashes.
    Note: A fix pack installation is a significant upgrade. It is recommended that you test the fix pack installation on a non-production environment first.
  2. WebSphere Commerce fix packs are tested with the WebSphere Application Server maintenance levels available when the WebSphere Commerce fix pack is released. You can install a WebSphere Commerce fix pack on these maintenance levels, or on later maintenance levels. Ensure that you applied the Required and recommended fixes for WebSphere Commerce.
  3. Ensure that you have sufficient disk space to install the fix pack. If your temporary and installation file systems are on the same partition, then the amount of space that is required is the sum of the space required on the temporary and installation file systems. More temporary disk space is needed with a larger WebSphere Commerce or WebSphere Commerce Payments instance.
  4. SolarisLinuxAIXEnsure that the user that is running the Update Installer has the authority to successfully execute chmod and su - non-root_user without any prompt for a password when applying a fix package to a WebSphere Commerce or WebSphere Commerce Payments instance.
  5. Disable your firewall, or allow access to the WebSphere Application Server administrative server. If a firewall is installed on your machine, the firewall can interfere with the application of the fix pack.

About this task

To minimize downtime, apply the fix pack at a time that least impacts the operation of your business.

Procedure

  1. For each new fix pack you install, download and install the latest WebSphere Commerce Update Installer.
  2. Download the required WebSphere Commerce fix pack.
  3. Save the fix pack to directory:
    • UPDI_installdir/maintenance
    Notes:
    1. Ensure that the fix pack maintains the proper file extension. The file must be named 7.0.0-WS-WCServer-FP00X.pak where X is the number of the fix pack that you plan to install.
    2. Do not put any other maintenance files in the UPDI_installdir/maintenance directory.
  4. Before you apply the fix pack to your machine, back up the following objects:
    WC_profiledir directory
    See Backing up and recovering the application server environment.
    Database
    The database updates that are included in this fix pack cannot be undone. If you want to undo the database update after you apply the WebSphere Commerce fix pack, you must restore your database backup. See your database documentation for information about backing up your database.
    JSP files
    A fix pack overwrites certain JSP files that are related to the WebSphere Commerce tools pages. See the text file 7.0.0.x files changes for a list of the files that are overwritten during the installation of the fix pack. A link to this text file is found on each WebSphere Commerce fix pack download page. The Fix packs for WebSphere Commerce technote provides links to the fix pack download pages.
  5. Review the information about applying fix packs in different environments:
    OptionDescription
    Development environmentFirst, apply the fix pack to your development environment first to ensure that you do not negatively impact your production environment. See Installing WebSphere Commerce Developer fix packs with the IBM Installation Manager.

    Ensure that your WebSphere Commerce and WebSphere Commerce Developer environments are at the same fix pack level.

    Staging environmentIf you use a staging server, you must ensure that your production server and staging server stay synchronized. To keep them in sync, apply fix packs by using the following steps:
    1. Optional: It is recommended that you run the stagingprop utility before you install the fix pack.
      To ensure that stagingprop is run successfully:
      1. Check the stagingprop log file.
      2. Check the STAGLOG table in the staging database and confirm that no unprocessed records exist. An unprocessed STAGLOG record is a record in which the STGPROCESSED column has a value of 0.
    2. Stop all activities on the staging server. Any data changes on the staging server are neither captured nor propagated from this point until installation is completed.
    3. WebSphere Commerce Version 7.0.0.3WebSphere Commerce Version 7.0.0.2WebSphere Commerce Version 7.0.0.1Issue the following SQL statement and make note of the number of the latest record in the STAGLOG table in the staging database
      SELECT MAX(STGRFNBR) FROM STAGLOG
    4. Install the fix pack on the staging server and update the instance.
    5. WebSphere Commerce Version 7.0.0.3WebSphere Commerce Version 7.0.0.2WebSphere Commerce Version 7.0.0.1Mark all the STAGLOG records inserted during fix pack installation 
      UPDATE STAGLOG SET STGPROCESSED=1 where STGRFNBR > lastnum
      where lastnum is the number you made note of in step c.

      As the database is updated on the staging server, corresponding staging triggers will get fired, and these changes are captured in the STAGLOG table. If this STAGLOG data is not clean up, it will cause duplicate exceptions the next time that stagingprop is run because the production server will have the same data after the fix pack is installed and the production database is updated.

    6. Install the fix pack on the production server.
    7. By default Access Control Policy tables are not staged. If you manually added Access Control Policy tables to the staging configuration, you need to run the stagingcopy utility.
    Clustered environment Apply the fix pack on the machine where WebSphere Commerce is installed. The WebSphere Commerce Update Installer stops the WebSphere Commerce application of the selected WebSphere Commerce instance.
  6. Review the following information about WebSphere Commerce instances:
    OptionDescription
    Existing WebSphere Commerce instances
    Important: If you customized your WebSphere Commerce instance, ensure that you followed the documented deployment procedure in the IBM Knowledge Center, otherwise your customizations are removed when the fix pack is installed. For more information about customized code, see Customized code deployment.
    1. You must apply the fix pack to the WebSphere Commerce product installation directory first. After the fix pack is applied to the product, you must then apply it to your WebSphere Commerce or WebSphere Commerce Payments instances.
    2. If any new components are installed from the WebSphere Commerce base (7.0) DVD images, you must reinstall the fix pack in order to upgrade that component to the current fix pack level. For example, if you installed the WebSphere Commerce remote management utilities on a separate node from your WebSphere Commerce Server, install the fix pack on that node as well. If you do not install the fix pack on that node, you are not able to use the Configuration Manager client.
    3. Delete all the old disk cache files before you install a fix pack.
      1. Stop the WebSphere Application Server V70-WC_instance_Name.
      2. Delete the contents of the disk offload cache that can be found in one of these directories:
        Default location
        WC_profiledir/temp/node_name/server1/_dynacache
        Offload location
        This directory is set in the WebSphere Application Server Administration Console. Click Servers > Server Types > WebSphere Application Servers > server1 > Container Settings > Container Services > Dynamic Cache Service > Disk cache settings > enable disk offload. Cancel the enable disk offload.
      3. Start the application server.
    4. Correct data in the MSGTYPES table, if necessary.

      If you created your own table that references the MSGTYPES table by using MSGTYPE_ID as foreign key, and if there are records in the table with MSGTYPE_ID = 1002, 1003, or 1004, you must take steps to ensure that the fix pack installation succeeds.

      1. Back up the records in your table with MSGTYPE_ID = 1002, 1003, 1004, then delete them from your original table.
      2. After you apply Fix Pack 1 to the WebSphere Commerce Version 7.0 instance, reinsert the backup records into the table, but change the MSGTYPE_ID values to 620, 621, 622.
    New WebSphere Commerce instances Each new WebSphere Commerce or WebSphere Commerce Payments instance that you create after you applied the fix pack to your WebSphere Commerce product installation directory, is created at that specific fix pack level. You are not required to update the WebSphere Commerce or WebSphere Commerce Payments instance to the fix pack level.
  7. Select an appropriate installation method for the WebSphere Commerce fix pack.
    OptionDescription
    WebSphere Commerce DeveloperInstalling WebSphere Commerce Developer fix packs with the IBM Installation Manager
    WebSphere Commerce Version 7.0.0.7 or laterSolarisLinuxAIXWindowsClustered environment installation Installing WebSphere Commerce fix packs with zero downtime

    SolarisLinuxAIXWindowsGUI installation

    1. Updating the installation directory interactively
    2. Updating the instance interactively
    Silent installation
    1. Updating the installation directory silently
    2. Updating the instance silently
    Note: If you encounter an error that says Unhandled exception, Type=Segmentation error while you install the fix pack, you might need to install one of the following DB2 fixes:
    • DB2 V9.5 Fix pack 6a, or higher
    • DB2 V9.7 Fix pack 3a, or higher
    See Troubleshooting: Massload error when using DB2 for details.

What to do next

If you want, you can now install the WebSphere Commerce feature pack.