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Maintain Help/Systems Products with ISO Images Stored on the NFS Server

Use these instructions to create an NFS directory and image catalog on your servers to allow you to maintain the Robot products from one location. This process is especially useful if you need to update products on multiple systems.

Step 1: Set up NFS on the Local System with a Directory for ISO Images (on the System i )

The NFS system is the system that contains the ISO images to be used by other systems in the System i network. The remote systems will mount their directory to the directory on the local NFS system.

  1. Enter the following command to create the NFS directory on the System i for the ISO image (for example, HELPISO).

    2. MKDIR DIR(‘/HELPISO’)

  2. Add your profile to distribution directory so you can execute the start/stop NFS server commands.

    3. ADDDIRE USRID(your_profile_system_name) USRD(‘Description of User’) USER(your_usrprf)

    Note: You must have *IOSYSCFG special authority to use this command.

Step 2: Download Help/Systems ISO Images to your PC and FTP the Images
to the System i NFS Server

Help/Systems provides two ISO images, CD1 and CD2. Download each of these ISO images to maintain your Help/Systems products.

  1. Download the ISO images from the Help/Systems Web site to your PC. Contact Help/Systems Technical Support for the URL for the download.

    2. Note: Download both ISO images for CD1 and CD2: ROBOT_CD1_xxxxxxxx.iso and ROBOT_CD2_xxxxxxxx.iso

  2. FTP both ISO images from your PC to the System i NFS directory you created in Step 1 (‘/HELPISO’).

    3. Note: Use the following FTP command to put the ISO images into the IFS directory.

    QUOTE SITE NAMEFMT 1

Step 3: Export the NFS Directory and Start the NFS Server on the System i Server

Before using the NFS directory, you must set up the export options on the Change NFS Export (CHGNFSEXP) command. The CHGNFSEXP command includes multiple options; refer to the IBM Redbook: Exploring NSF on AS400, section 4—NFS Security, if you need additional security.

  1. Enter the following command

    2. CHGNFSEXP OPTIONS(‘-I -O RO ANON=0’) DIR(‘/HELPISO’)

  2. Start the NFS servers on NFS system.

    3. STRNFSSVR SERVER(*ALL)

    Note: The NFS jobs (QNFS*) run in the QSYSWRK subsystem.

Step 4: Create a Directory and Mount the Directory on the Remote System i Servers

  1. Create directory HELPISO on the remote system

    2. MKDIR DIR(‘/HELPISO’)

  2. Mount the HELPISO directory from the client to the NFS server directory.

    3. MOUNT TYPE(*NFS) MFS(‘YOGI:/HELPISO’) MNTOVRDIR(‘/HELPISO’)

    Note: Display the attributes of the directory, to make sure that the user has mounted NFS directory. Execute the WRKLNK command and select option 5 to view the contents of the /HELPISO directory.

    If the parameters show the following:

    Owner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : *NOUSRPRF

    System object is on . . . . . . . . . : Remote

    The directory is mounted to a remote system.

Possible error messages:

  • CPFA09C, Not Authorized to object.
    Check the user ID or system on which the CHGNFSEXP command was executed to see if the UID or GUID is authorized to the object.
  • CPFA0A2, Object not found. Object is /HELPISO.
    Check if the /HELPISO directory exists on the remote system.

Step 5: Create an Optical Device and Image Catalog

Use the following steps to maintain the Robot products on the local System i or the remote System i systems that have been mounted over the NFS directory.

  1. Create a virtual optical device.

    2. CRTDEVOPT DEVD(OPTHELPISO) RSRCNAME(*VRT)

  2. Vary on the virtual optical device.

    3. VRYCFG CFGOBJ(OPTHELPISO) CFGTYPE(*DEV) STATUS(*ON)

  3. Create the Image Catalog.

    4. CRTIMGCLG IMGCLG(HELPIMGCLG) DIR(HELPIMGCLG) TYPE(*OPT) CRTDIR(*YES) TEXT(‘HELPSYSTEMS ISO IMAGE CATALOG’)

Step 6: Add and Load the Image Catalog

  1. Add the image catalog. (The example below uses CD1).

    2. ADDIMGCLGE IMGCLG(HELPIMGCLG) FROMFILE(‘/HELPISO/ROBOT_CD1_xxxxxxxx.iso’) TOFILE(*fromfile) TEXT(‘Helpsystems ISO Image’)

  2. Load the image catalog.

    3. LODIMGCLG IMGCLG(HELPIMGCLG) DEV(OPTHELPISO)

    Note: If the LODIMGCLG command fails, do the following and try the command again:

    WRKIMGCLGE IMGCLG(HELPIMGCLG)

    If the STATUS is IN_ERROR, select Option 9, Unload, and then Option 8, Load

    Execute the LODIMGCLG command again.

  3. Execute the LODRUN command to display the Help/Systems Menu.

    4. LODRUN DEV(OPTHELPISO)

  4. Now you can maintain the Help/Systems products.

Step 7: Unmount the NFS Directory and Unload the Image Catalog 

  1. Unmount the *NFS directory, /HELPISO, on the NFS client.

    2. UNMOUNT TYPE(*NFS) MNTOVRDIR(‘/HELPISO’)

    Note: The object could be locked by the NFS process for some time while it unloads and removes the image from the catalog.

  2. Unload the Image Catalog HELPIMGCLG.

    3. LODIMGCLG IMGCLG(HELPIMGCLG) OPTION(*UNLOAD) DEV(OPTHELPISO)

  3. Unload the Image Catalog entry for the ISO image.

    4. LODIMGCLGE IMGCLG(HELPIMGCLG) OPTION(*UNLOAD)

  4. Remove the Image Catalog entry for the ISO image.

    5. RMVIMGCLGE IMGCLG(HELPIMGCLG) IMGCLGIDX(1) KEEP(*NO)

  5. Vary off the virtual optical device.

    6. VRYCFG CFGOBJ(OPTHELPISO) CFGTYPE(*DEV) STATUS(*OFF)

  6. End the NFS subsystem on the NFS server system.

    7. ENDNFSSVR SERVER(*ALL)

Updated Feb. 8, 2011