Installing maintenance package for WebSphere Commerce

Both maintenance packages (fix packs and mod packs) are installed by following the same process.

A fix pack is the standard delivery for a group of corrective and preventive fixes for a WebSphere Commerce product. Fix packs are cumulative, so when you install the latest fix pack, you get all the fixes that were included in previous fix packs.

You do not have to be on a specific 8.0.x.0 mod pack level to install a newer 8.0.x.y fix pack. For example, if you are on base Fix Pack 8.0.0.5, you can directly download and install 8.0.4.1. Your environment is automatically upgraded to the Mod Pack 4 Fix Pack 1 level (8.0.4.1) and you can enjoy all the new features that are in Mod Pack 4. You do not have to install 8.0.4.0 before you install 8.0.4.1. Review the following examples of maintenance installation paths that you might consider.
I am on maintenance level ... I want to upgrade to ... Result
Mod Pack 1 (8.0.1.0) Downgrade to Fix Pack 9 for base (8.0.0.9) You cannot directly install a lower level maintenance package, but you can rollback to a previously installed maintenance package. For example, if you upgraded from 8.0.0.9 to 8.0.1.0, then you can rollback to 8.0.0.9.
Mod Pack 1 (8.0.1.0) Fix Pack 2 for Mod Pack 1 (8.0.1.2) Installation successful. Your WebSphere Commerce level is changed to 8.0.1.2.
Fix Pack 3 for base (8.0.0.3) Fix Pack 2 Mod Pack 1 (8.0.1.2) Installation successful. Your WebSphere Commerce level is changed to 8.0.1.2 and you get the features and enhancements that are included in Mod Pack 1.

A mod pack is the standard delivery for a group of new features and enhancements for a WebSphere Commerce product. A mod pack can also include fixes that were included in previous fix packs. Mod packs are cumulative, so when you install the latest mod pack, you get all the fixes that were included in previous mod packs. For example, when you install Mod Pack 2 you get all the fixes, features, and enhancements in both Mod Pack 1 and Mod Pack 2. Installing Mod Pack 2 to Version 8.0.0.0 changes the version to 8.0.2.0.

Maintenance package Product number change example
Fix Pack 8.0.0.1
Mod Pack 8.0.1.0
Note: When you install a mod pack, the fix pack number is reset to 0.

To install a maintenance package, you need to install the package to the product installation directory, update the database, and then install the package to a WebSphere Commerce instance. Installing a maintenance package to the product installation directory does not affect the instance (running application). Instance level upgrades for clustered environments are completed by using the rollout update process.

Before you begin

Ensure that you completed the steps in Preparing to install maintenance.

About this task

It is recommended that you install the maintenance package at a time that least impacts the operations of your business. For information about the type of fixes that can be included in a fix pack or mod pack, see Maintenance overview.

Procedure

  1. Ensure that you are using the latest version of the Update Installer.
  2. Download the maintenance package that you want to install.
    For information about where to download the maintenance package, see List of available maintenance packages.
  3. Save the package to directory:
    • UPDI_installdir/maintenance
    Notes:
    1. Ensure that the package maintains the proper .pak file extension. For example, 8.0.0-WS-WCServer-FP00X.pak where X is the fix pack number.
    2. Do not put any other maintenance files in the UPDI_installdir/maintenance directory.
  4. Before you apply the maintenance package to your machine, back up the following objects.
    WebSphere Application Server profile
    Back up the WAS_installdir/profile_name. For more information, see Backing up and recovering the application server environment.
    The WAS_installdir/profile_name directory also includes JSP files. A fix pack might overwrite certain JSP files that are related to the WebSphere Commerce tools pages. If you customized any JSP files, you might need to merge your customizations after you install a maintenance pack. For information, see Enabling store-related fixes.
    WebSphere Commerce Search profile
    Back up the WAS_installdir/profile_name_solr.
    Database
    The database updates that are included in this maintenance pack cannot be undone. If you want to undo the database update after you apply the maintenance package, you must restore your database backup. See your database documentation for information about backing up your database.
    CAUTION: If you restore your database backup, you might lose new orders or session-related data that was added after the database update.
  5. Review the information about applying fix packs in different environments:
    OptionDescription
    Development environment Apply the maintenance package to your development environment to ensure that you do not negatively affect your production environment. See Installing maintenance packages for WebSphere Commerce Developer (interactive method).

    Ensure that your WebSphere Commerce and WebSphere Commerce Developer environments are at the same maintenance level.
    Staging environment If you use a staging server, ensure that your production server and staging server stay synchronized. To keep them in sync, apply packages by using the following steps:
    1. Optional: It is recommended that you run the stagingprop utility before you install the maintenance package.
      To ensure that the stagingprop utility runs successfully:
      1. Check the stagingprop log file.
      2. Check the STAGLOG table in the staging database and confirmed 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 not captured nor propagated from this point until installation is completed.
    3. Install the maintenance package on the staging server and update the instance.
    4. Install the maintenance package on the production server.
    5. 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 maintenance package 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 maintenance package to the WebSphere Commerce product installation directory first.
    2. After the maintenance package is applied to the product, you must update the database by running the updatedb utility.
    3. If the database update completes successfully, then you can install the maintenance package to your WebSphere Commerce instances.
    4. If any new components are installed from the WebSphere Commerce base (Version 8.0.0) DVD images, you must reinstall the maintenance package in order to upgrade that component to the current maintenance 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.
    5. Delete all the old disk cache files before you install a fix pack.
      1. Stop the WebSphere Application Server.
      2. Delete the contents of the disk offload cache, which can be found in one of the following 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.
    6. 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 records exist in the table with MSGTYPE_ID = 1002, 1003, or 1004, you must take steps to ensure that the maintenance packagek 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 8.0 instance, you need to 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 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 do not have to update the WebSphere Commerce instance to the fix pack level.
  7. Select an appropriate installation method for the WebSphere Commerce fix pack.
    OptionDescription
    WebSphere Commerce DeveloperWebSphere Commerce Developer Installing maintenance packages for WebSphere Commerce Developer (interactive method)
    LinuxAIXWindowsGUI installation Installing fix packs interactively
    LinuxAIXWindowsSilent installation Installing fix packs silently