SQL Anywhere 17 silent installation via Chef (configuration management tool)

[former_member1328122]

Hello,

I'm having problems installing SQL Anywhere 17 in silent / unattended installation mode when using Configuration management tool - to be precise: using Chef. I'm trying to configure this automatically on Windows 2016.

"Manually" kicking off the silent install mode is successful, however when I execute the same command with Chef it fails.

The reason for that is the splash screen of the product that pops up even during silent installation. Chef is being kicked off remotely and there is no GUI attached to it. When the splash screen appears, then chef fails with windows error code 1603.

Is there a way to install the software silently without anything appearing on the screen? The current usage kind of defeats the silent installation purpose...

Any help would be much appreciated on this.

Thanks,

Gergo

[chris_keating]

What specific version and build are you installing? What splash screen is being displayed? What platform are you installing i.e., Windows, Linux, MacOS? What specifically is the command line you are using for the silent install?

[former_member1328122]

OS: Windows 2016

SQLAnywhere: 17.4.2053

Command: .\setup.exe /L1033 "/v: /passive /norestart", however this pops up the splash/initialisation screen and the the progress bar (that causes the installation fail if I trigger it via Chef due to no screen is being available).

Using the /s parameter in the commandline causes the installation not starting/failing(?).

I'd like to install the "development" version of the product silently.

I hope this clarifies this, but let me know if you need further info.

[chris_keating]

Please note that you cannot install the developer edition silently. The silent install is intended for use for deployment. As the developer edition is not a *deployable* license, it is not to be deployed. Each user of a developer edition must download their own copy of the developer edition and accept the licensing terms for its use. The silent install can only be used to deploy in the context of a deployment license.

The causes for the issues you are encounter are:

• You have to use /s and /qn options to perform a silent install. This prevent user interface elements from being displayed.
• You need to provide a valid REGKEY for a deployment license for the silent install to work. That is the reason why the /s option appears to not start.

[chris_keating · Accepted solution]

Silent installation of the Developer Edition is not permitted as the silent install is a "deployment" mechanism which is contary to the licensing.

[former_member1328122 · Accepted solution]

Hi Chris, thanks for getting back to me and the clarification on this. Looking at the silent installation documentation I cannot find any reference regarding that silent installation does not work with developer license...

Is there a workaround? Like a dummy license that I can feed in or something else to make this working?

The reason I need SQLAnywhere is as that's a pre-requisite of installing Powerbuilder 2017 silently..

[chris_keating · Accepted solution]

The silent install requires a deployment license key to be supplied. There is no workaround since doing so would violate the licensing of the Developer Edition. It should not be necessary to document in the topic Database and application deployment that the Developer Edition, a non-deployable single use license, cannot be installed silently.

You may want to raise with Appeon why the silent install for PowerBuilder is dependent on SQL Anywhere. My understanding is that SQL Anywhere is only needed if you want to run the PowerBuilder sample application.

[former_member1328122 · Accepted solution]

I disagree with you regarding the documentation part, but I appreciate your answer and clarification on this.

I have tried to get in touch with Appeon at the same time to find this out as my understanding is the same as yours - it should be required only for the example codes.

Anyhow, I'll mark your answer correct, but please reconsider updating the documentation. Once again, thank you for your help!

[chris_keating · Accepted solution]

The deployment documentation does have this statement in an highlighted box.

• Redistribution of files is subject to your license agreement. No statements in this document overrid...

It is this statement that I base on my position that no further documentation is needed. The Silent Install is documented as a deployment mechanism and the licensing of the Developer Edition does not permit deployment. Each user of the developer edition is expected to download and install their own copies of the software and use it in accordance to the license terms that they will accept during the install process. You can always opt to add a comment into the documentation system (both SAP Help and the DocCommentXchange accept documentation feedback) with your feedback as those comments are regularly reviewed and if deemed suitable the docs updated.