Executing a Pilot Installation

When you create new packages or new revisions for existing packages, you can also test them in the productive environment. DSM simplifies the usual process, which includes release and distribution, by providing so called pilot installations. This process is especially practical if you are also using specific test computers.

A pilot installation has the following advantages:

  • You can test on specific installation targets if the package settings you selected have the effect you want them to have.
  • Unlike with local installations on DSMC workstations, you can test the behavior of different computers during installation, for example, with user-defined installations or unattended installations.
  • The system runs the distribution automatically with the default settings.
  • Since the pilot installation process is only possible as long as a package or the revision of a package has not been released yet, the package release process is omitted.

    If you want to run a pilot installation for an installed package's new revision that has not been released yet, just assign the new revision with a higher priority (=lower number) to the respective installation targets. This is very important to prevent that the released revision with the higher priority always 'wins' over the one that is not released yet.
    Regarding Software Sets, note that it may be necessary to uninstall an earlier revision before installing the pilot installation. This is the case if the new revision contains other components than the revision that has been installed earlier on.
    To do so, assign a deny policy for the installed revision that has a higher priority than the installed revision but a lower priority than the new revision you want to test.

Further advantages of running the pilot installation on test computers:

  • The system runs the pilot installation on test computers directly from the Work directory.
  • You can test a package immediately after changing it and you do not have to wait until the changes have been distributed.

    See more on test computers here: ORG Properties - Define Test Computers

 

How to run a pilot installation for a package:

  • Select the desired package in the Software Library.
  • To Execute Pilot Installation task and follow the wizard, you can do one of the following:

    •  Right-click on the selected package and choose the Execute Pilot Installation task.

    • If the task view is enabled, select the package and choose the Execute Pilot Installation task from the task window (View/Task Window/Tasks).

      • If you execute a pilot installation for a Software Set, you can modify the components of the Software Sets only after deleting policies previously created for the pilot installation.