Patch installer

The patch installer patchinstall is a tool provided to install patches on an existing cluster.

The patch installer includes functionality to query a cluster, check contents of a package and compatibility with the cluster, and patch or roll back a cluster.

Installers

The patch installer installs all patches and never modifies configuration. A partial distribution (FP or fix) can only be installed by the patch installer.

The LSF installer installs full distributions and can modify configuration. The LSF installer incorporates the patch installer so the process of updating the files is the same as the patch installer. However, the LSF installer should be used to install an update because the update may require configuration changes that lsfinstall can do automatically.

The LSF installer may change with each update. You should not install a new update using the old lsfinstall program or install.config template; make sure your installers match the version of the distribution you are installing.

Patch installer accessibility

For clusters version 7.0 or earlier, you must obtain the patch installer separately from Platform, and run the patchinstall command from your download directory.

For clusters version 7 Update 1 (7.0.1) or later, the patch installer is available under install directory under the LSF installation directory. This location may not be in your path, so run the patchinstall command from this directory (LSF_TOP/8.0/install/patchinstall).

Order of installation

If you have to install multiple patches, start with the most recent update, which includes all previous fixes. Install on all UNIX hosts to bring the whole cluster up to date. Then install fixes or fix packs as needed.

Silent install

The silent install option is used for automated installations.

For lsfinstall, enable silent install by the LSF_QUIET_INST parameter in install.config. Silent install hides some messages.

For patchinstall, enable silent install by the --silent option in the command line. Silent install shows all messages but does not prompt for confirmations.

Windows-UNIX clusters and Windows clusters

If your cluster has both Windows and UNIX, patch the UNIX hosts in the cluster using the patch installer. Patch the Windows hosts using Windows tools.

The Windows patch files should be installed in order from oldest to newest on every Windows host if you have more than one to install.

To install a Windows patch, double click the .msp file for the OS you want and follow the wizard. You may be asked to reboot after installing. Follow the Windows prompts if applicable.

Note:

You can also install silently.