WebSphere Commerce Developer

Overview of the IBM Packaging Utility

The IBM Packaging Utility is a publicly available packaging tool that combines the repositories of different IBM software packages into a common central repository. You can use the utility to move software packages between repositories or delete software packages from central repositories.

The IBM Packaging Utility can be used to copy software package repositories from various sources (such as CDs, DVDs, the Internet) onto internal servers. You can point the IBM Installation Manager to the internal servers to install the software from a common source.

The WebSphere Commerce Developer product provides the development environment for WebSphere Commerce. In WebSphere Commerce Version 8.0, the development environment uses the IBM Installation Manager as the installation technology. To set up the WebSphere Commerce development environment, the following IBM products must be installed:
  • Rational Application Developer Version 9.5
  • WebSphere Application Server Test Environment Version 8.5.5.7 or WebSphere Application Server Version 8.5.5.7. (IBM WebSphere Commerce Developer supports both the test environment and the full version of WebSphere Application Server.
You can use the IBM Packaging Utility to complete the following tasks:
  • Create a central repository for WebSphere Commerce Developer assets. Assets include the following IBM software package repositories:
    • Rational Application Developer Version 9.5
    • WebSphere Application Server Test Environment Version 8.5.5.7
    • WebSphere Commerce Developer V8.0
  • Make your central repository available on your intranet by using HTTP, FTP, or a network shared drive.
  • Maintain your central repository.

Benefits of using a central repository

Without a central repository, you need to manually download and add each software package repository to the Installation Manager. In an enterprise, this task becomes a time-consuming and tedious process as each developer must complete the updates their local machine. In some enterprises, the developers do not have Internet access so they must wait until the updates to these software packages are available on the intranet.

There are several benefits to having a central repository in your site. The following are just some of the benefits:
  • Only an administrator needs to download all the software packages and create the central repository.
  • To install products, developers need to add only one repository to the Installation Manager for all products, instead of one repository per product.
  • It is ideal for sites that have no Internet connection for developers, as the central repository is available over the local intranet.
  • Administrators can control the minimum and maximum level of software that can be installed by the developers.
  • When software updates are available, only one person needs to download and update the central repository. All other developers can refer to the central repository to apply updates to their environment.
  • Developers save time because they do not need to download each software package themselves and their latest fixes, which increase in size over time.
  • There is no need to order or create duplicate CD/DVDs for all developers in the site.
  • There is no need to fumble with all the CD/DVD packages.
  • To ensure that all developers are using software that is consistent with each other.