Why is it so difficult to install Lotus Notes silently?
We have been working with packages to install Lotus Notes 8.5.2 as an upgrade, and each version adds difficulties and problems that just don’t make sense or flat out don’t work.
We’ve tried to get the preloader to work as an install option, but found that (through a web page) the install option specifically added for it “has a bug” and won’t work; so we created a transform file that was supposed to solve the issue but didn’t. Symphony installs anyway, even when using the “REMOVEFEATURES=Editors” option (Without using the ADDFEATURES=ALL option). ClientSingleLogon options seem to be ignored whether in the transform or not.
It’s rather frustrating to spend hours and hours debugging, then going through the installing/removing/installing/upgrading again/testing to find out it doesn’t work/back to the drawing board cycle.
Can IBM and the Lotus team spend some time getting us an installshield tuner/config that isn’t buggy, works as documented, and forces settings that we tell it to force to work regardless of what is currently installed on the machine?
Does anyone have a transform file that works when upgrading, that adds ClientSignleLogon, the Preloader, removes the “optional notes ports” aside from TCP/IP and does not install Symphony? An MSI silent install command line from the decompressed package will work as well, if tested and shown to work.
We do extensively test the Notes installers in many different upgrade scenarios. However we are not able to test very permutation that could possible exist on customers machines.
If you already have symphony installed with your previous version and want to remove it on upgrade please use REMOVEFEATURES=Editors.
If you did not previously have symphony installed then on upgrade do NOT specify Editors in ADDFEATURES property and Symphony should not be installed.
If in either of the above cases the solutions mentioned are not working for you, please send us your logs so we can identify the issue and help you with a successful upgrade.
It would also be helpful to know your command line used during upgrade so we can suggest modifications if any.
If recommend generating verbose installation logs (add the /l*v verbose.log) parameters to your installation and opening a PMR. If you want, I would be happy to look at your verbose log file before you do that to check for any obvious issues. Please send it to zamfir at us.ibm.com
Subject: I agree with Jeff in general, but also know your pains
From my experience, I have to agree with Jeff that Lotus Notes can be installed quite automatically.In my experience, most issues are caused by dirty installations or software deployment solutions going wild (my experience from many diffent deployment projects is that at least 30 % of install errors are errors caused by the software deployment solution, not by Notes itself)
The issue with the preloader is bad luck for IBM, but sh*t happens, and I’ve built packages with and without preloader and all worked.
In my opinion, no upgrade should be done, but a deinstallation of the old client and a installation of the new client.
It’s cleaner, you can change for instance from Single to Multi-user, change directories, Features/components, and you can do a cleanup before installing the new client.
An upgrade is not faster than that, but causes a lot of problems.
Further more I won’t install Lotus Symphony 1.3.0.x included in the Notes client install kit, but Symphony 3.0.
Addon and Notes embedded installer for Symphony 3.0 are available.
Please take into account that Notes Single Login is not working on 64 Bit platforms…