Tips for Installing FixPacks in Business Objects XI 3.1
Lately I have been faced with the need to install a FixPack on one of my Business Objects Enterprise XI 3.1 systems. Doing so has reminded me of some key points and tips that I wanted to share with the Business Objects community. FixPacking BO 3.1 is truly a different experience:
Not Your Father’s BO FixPack
Like everything else in life, FixPacks have changed and evolved with the Business Objects product. Some of the notable changes for BO XI 3.1 FixPacks are:
- FixPacks are no longer suite wide. You need the FixPack for the specific Business Objects product you wish to patch (such as Enterprise, Live Office, Crystal Reports 2008, etc.)
- You must first install the patch on a node where a CMS server is located. According to some SAP-BO support engineers the safest choice in a distributed environment is to install the FixPack one node/machine at a time. So if you have multiple CMS nodes, install on those first one at a time, then install on the other servers one at a time. This makes for a VERY lengthy FixPack deployment, but it is the safest method. I have also had several senior support engineers confirm that the only requirement is to patch 1 node hosting a CMS first, then after that patch is completely started you can patch all of the rest, staggering them by 5-10 minutes each.
- Stop all BO servers except for a single CMS, Input/Output File Repository Servers, CMS database, and Server Intelligence Agent (SIA). If a CMS in the cluster is not up and running the install will not work properly or at all (this is true for all servers, regardless of their role). The SI Agent must also remain up on all nodes to be patched.
- Czech and Finnish Language Packs are now available (as of FP 1.3/1.4)
FixPack Installer Beware
Here are a few cautions/warnings that stand out to me:
- EVERY Business Objects component must be on the same version. If you patch a dedicated CMS server, you must also patch any other nodes that are a part of your cluster, such as processing servers or Live Office servers, etc. Also any clients, Designer and DeskI need to be patched as well. Another reason to use WebI exclusively, no client patches needed (unless we are talking about WebI Rich Client).
- Don’t forget to redeploy the patched BusinessObjects web components. The deployment method will vary based on your original web component deployment.
- Temp Directory: When working with the Windows Installer Package, be sure to either manually extract the installation files to a desired location, or to change your user’s “TEMP” environment variable to the true location to which you want these very large and many files extracted. Actually, on second thought, ALWAYS change your “TEMP” path environment variable to a location with enough space (a few GB); I have seen the installer, in the midst of installing fill up my C: drive with temporary files that it works with after all of the unpacking and hours into the patch installation. Be careful here, plan ahead.
These are just a few of my notes and pointers for now on the top of my head. I will update this article later with my more complete notes or with any of your suggestions offered through the comments below.
I’ve been testing 3.1 for many months now and can’t seem to find the right combination of service packs and/or fixpacks. We wanted to go live on the most recent patch level possible but have had so many significant issues that we’ve had to do many reinstallations with different combinations and I’m wondering if you know what the most stable one is? Our implementation is relatively large (6,000 users in prod) and we use a bit of everything – Webi, Crystal, Xcelsius, Dashboards, etc. So far I have tried 3.1 with FixPack 1.8; 3.1 with SP2 and FixPack 2.7; 3.1 with SP2, FixPack 2.7 and SP3. The first one was ok but would not be very recent. The others have significant issues, primarily when trying to schedule Crystal or Webi reports. One issue was fixed by FixPack 2.7 but then reappears with SP3 and according to support, that’s because SP3 was built only from FixPack 2.5. I’m wondering how to develop a long-term patch management strategy for BO when the service / fixpacks are not cumulative.
Hi Cecelia, BO Support told you right. The fixes in FP 2.5 and in SP3 are the same. This is actually normal, that is to say that new Service Packs are usually started concurrent with the FP x.5 or x.6. This is one reason why you usually want to avoid installing an SP without at least one FP release. Having said this, FP 2.8 and FP 3.1 are equal in their fixes, but SP3 gives you some new color schemes and something else intangible. FP 3.1 was just released at the end of July.
I do understand and agree with your frustration. Where is the stability we were promised. All I am seeing is bloat lately and bugs. I am going to start a new article on XI 3.1 rants and raves and also another on patches. I hope you will find those and share your thoughts.
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