## Installing and Updating the Database Software

### Implementation Considerations

You can install or update the database software either interactively or in the background.

You can install/update component groups, installation profiles or individual software components. The installation program itself decides whether it is dealing with a new installation or an update.

The installation process is logged by the system.

Before you start the installation or upgrade of the database software:

● Make sure that you have taken precautions against the most common errors that can cause an installation or update to crash (see Troubleshooting).

● Find out about which advantages and disadvantages interactive and background installations have.

● Decide whether you need one or more database instances.

If you plan to run multiple database instances, we recommend a separate (parallel) software installation for each database instance. This makes subsequent updates easier, since any errors will only affect one database instance.

● Choose an appropriate component group or an appropriate installation profile, or decide whether, in special cases, you only need to install or update one or more individual software components. Note you can only install individual components in the background however.

We recommend that you use component groups or installation profiles to perform your installation or update. This is a simple and secure way of choosing the database software installation that meets your needs.

See also:

Directories

Supported Operating Systems and Platforms

Concepts of the Database System, Special Operating System Users and Groups (UNIX/Linux)

### Interactive Installation/Update

In an interactive installation or update, you install complete component groups or installation profiles. The SDBINST installation program queries all necessary information and offers you default values and options for the software to be installed and for the installation paths. The program then installs the software packages and registers them.

### Background Installation/Update

In a background installation or update, you use options to specify the information required by SDBINST. The actual installation process then runs in the background.

#### Advantages of a Background Installation

● Performing Fan installation or an upgrade in the background is less time-consuming.

● You have the option of installing or updating individual software components.

● You can generate identical database software installations on different computers using call script embedding.

#### Disadvantages of a Background Installation

● You have to enter all the required options in the call script correctly and in their entirety.

● The system does not determine some options from the software packages until runtime. This means that the system cannot check the completeness of the information at the start of the installation. It starts the installation, and then interrupts it when it finds that some information is missing.

### Installing/Updating Component Groups or Installation Profiles

You can choose between various combinations of software components. Each individual combination fulfils a different purpose. You choose the component group or installation profile that is appropriate for your needs, and do not need to worry about the sequence of the installation, or any dependencies between software components, to obtain a fully functioning software installation.

To perform a standard installation or update of the entire database software package, choose the component group Server + Client or the installation profile all.

### Installing/Updating Software Components

If you want to update parts of your database software, you install individual components of the database software. We recommend this installation procedure in special cases only.

In this procedure, you must take into account the dependencies between the individual software components. An appropriate error message is otherwise displayed, and the system terminates the installation.

Background Installation of the Software Component Precompiler (CPC <version>)

You only want to update the C++ Precompiler in your existing software installation. You start the installation of the CPC SDK <version> software component. The system recognizes that this component requires a new version of the CPC Base software component. You are reminded that the CPC SDK <version> package depends on the CPC Base package, which must be installed first. The installation terminates.

This means that if there are many dependencies, you will have to restart the installation many times (with a different installation package each time).

You can avoid this problem by using, for example, the C Precompiler installation profile.

See:

Installing/Updating Software on UNIX

Installing/Updating Software on Linux

Installing/Updating Software on Microsoft Windows