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.

    • Setting the Environment Variable "Temp"

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.