AutoInstall self updates

AutoInstall is the component that works in conjunction with the Domino autoupdate task to coordinate and manage Domino updates. AutoInstall is a standalone, non-Domino application that processes requests made by autoupdate. It validates the request and the software, stops Domino, invokes the actual Domino installer, and restarts Domino. On Windows, the AutoInstall executable is named autoinstall.exe, and on Linux it is autoinstall.

AutoInstall requires system privileges. On Windows, this is achieved by running it as a Windows service under the system account. On Linux, it is done by installing the executable with root permissions and the SUID bit set. If you do not wish to use the autoinstall application, you could remove or disable the service on Windows or remove the SUID bit on Linux, which would render the application unable to perform installs. Also, no requests are made to autoinstall unless you have enabled Notify, Download and Update, so it is safe to leave in place and it simply won't be used.

Autoinstall will only install software that is in the software catalog. It can't be used to install any other software. The software catalog itself uses a secure Java web token that must be successfully verified by AutoInstall or it will refuse to install. Furthermore, each software product in the catalog has a name, size, and hash that must match exactly or AutoInstall will refuse to install.

The Domino installer installs autoinstall only if it does not already exist in the Domino program directory. Thereafter, autoinstall updates itself. This allows HCL to make bug fixes and updates available immediately, without requiring a Domino release. Since AutoInstall is a standalone program, it has no dependencies on any Domino binaries. Note that autoinstall cannot perform the initial install, it can only update itself.

HCL makes autoinstall available as part of the software catalog. You do not have to schedule deployments of new autoinstall versions; AutoUpdate will automatically download, distribute, and install new versions. The installs are a "hot swap" whereby the existing autoinstall version is able to update itself to the new version.

Viewing autoinstall status

You can view details on AutoInstall downloads and updates.

  1. Open the autoupdate.nsf, and then the Software Catalog view.
  2. Expand the Domino category.
  3. Expand the AutoInstall category. This will show any AutoInstall software that is in the current software catalog. If a green checkmark appears, the software was automatically downloaded. You can also look for the software in the Downloads view.
  4. Open the Servers view and open any server document.
  5. The field "AutoInstall version" shows the version currently running on that server.
  6. Open the History view under Deployment History.
  7. Expand the AutoInstall Update category. This will show any autoinstall self-updates.
  8. Open any history document to see details on the install results.