Recompress an existing full pkg in 9.0?

CNCNooB

Member
Hi,

We would like to recompress our current full package in 9.0 as it has a number of updates built against it. I can not find the option to do this like in previous releases. Can someone please point me in the right direction?

Thanks!

Jeff

AS400, 9.0 8.98.2.2
 
This brings up the old argument again - why compress anymore ?

Compression takes up significant time with the package build procedure. It was created to help with the transfer of a package across a WAN for a FAT client. However, unless you have remote developers on bad WAN connections - whats the point ?!

At my customer, we turned off compression on all packages. Meaning, we don't have compression issues (which have happened occasionally with the unix servers) and has reduced the package build times by about 20% across the board. Since we have approximately 35 enterprise servers, and around 30 pathcodes that we build full packages weekly, that makes a saving of around 60 to 80 hours a week.

So, consider turning off compression....
 
In the old days "XE" we would recompress the full package so the latest updates are in the full package. Why, because if a lot of update packages are created, then users don't have to accept them all, just reinstall the full. Currently, at my new company, I just installed the 9.0 full package and I literally have 40+ updates I now must install because the company does not recompress the full packages. At 15 minutes to install an update, this is quite a lot of time. Installing 1 full package would save users a lot of time.
 
I'm in full agreement with Jay on this one (at least for the DV environment). We used to build at least 1 DV pkg per day with a ton of developers switching out PCs, etc. After just one month we could easily accumulate 2 dozen update packages. The time savings in having a compressed full package vs. installing every update is a tremendous time saver. I guess it just depends on what your needs are. In our case, compressing DV every night was the way to go.
 
Ah, but you see, that is the whole point. If the full package is not compressed, then what is the initial install of the full package putting on your system?

That's right, the copy of the DLL and MDF (or spec) files that have been updated with every update package build.

If the compressed CAB files were present, then it would be installing from those. But since they wouldn't exist, then the setup program has to go to the uncompressed files that are sitting in the subdirectories of the full package.
 
Just so as I can clarify my understanding, the update packages obviously update the parent package with the updated specs/objects, but the compressed objects do not.

So does this mean that if I am using compression, (which I dont think I will anymore) and I only install the full parent package on a client or server, the updates that were built for that full package wont be applied?

If this is the case, Is it as simple as deleting the compressed .CAB files in my packages parent directory and reattempting the install for the most up to date package to be installed?
 
In answer to the first question, yes, that's right. The update packages would update the parent full package's DLL files (in bin32) and either the DDB and XDB spec files or the spec database used in 8.12 and later (both in the spec directory). The CAB files that are the compressed versions of those subdirectories don't get those updates without the recompression procedure that we've been talking about.

For the second question, I don't think it's quite that simple. Each package has an INF file associated with it (in the PACKAGE_INF folder), and those would contain an association to the CAB files. The setup program looks at those INF files when doing the installation. I'll have to look to see what the differences are between an INF of a full package with compression, and one without.
 
So to over-simplify; if a full package is created and never compressed, then the update packages will update the spec files of the full package and since there are no compressed .CAB files, we shouldn't have to worry about the update packages. So then all a user would have to do is just keep reinstalling the full package and they should have all the updates, correct?
 
Yes, that's it exactly.

Of course, you don't want to just tell the users to keep reinstalling the full package. That would mainly be for new workstations and users who haven't kept up with all the updates.
 
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