BI4.3 Silent Installation: Doesn't appear to be working with the one install file

[JohnClark]

Has anyone been able to successfully create a response file for the BI4.3 Client Tools?

We are upgrading to BI4.3sp2 patch 7 and need to create a response file for the client installations.

When we run the command as follows

<a href="https://launchpad.support.sap.com/">BIPLATCLNT4302P_700-70005711.EXE</a> -w C:\response.ini

the executable runs the installer instead of creating the response file after we have gone through all the screens to select the options that we want installed. It behaves as if it is ignoring the switch for creating the response file.

I've tried the following as well:

<a href="https://launchpad.support.sap.com/">BIPLATCLNT4302P_700-70005711.EXE</a> -w C:\response.ini -i bipclient

with the same result.

I experimented with trying to use our response file from BI4.2 but the installer appears to ignore the -r switch as well.

The Crystal Reports installer is behaving in the same manner.

I have a case open with SAP but it isn't moving anywhere.

All the KBAs and the Administrators guide refer to running the command as setup.exe -w C:\response.ini which was true prior to BI4.3 when there were files extracted into a folder structure to perform the install and there was a file called setup.exe but with the one installer that is used now, there is just one file that is downloaded to do the installation.

[JohnClark · Accepted solution]

It would have saved us a lot of trouble and time if the Installation Guide or the KBA on doing silent installations had stated that this step was needed. The documentation seemed to ignore this step.

We used 7zip to extract the EXE file into it's folder components and were able to create a response file for both the Client Tools and Crystal Reports 2020.

We still need to test the installation part of the process. I assume that we will need to use the extracted folder structure for reading the response file as well.

[ayman_salem]

The file "BIPLATCLNT4302P_700-70005711.EXE" is a self-extracting file and double-clicking the file will extract it to the Windows temporary directory and then run "setup.exe" automatically without any parameters.

So you should first extract it with the extraction program (winrar, ....) and then run "setup.exe -w C:\response .ini" from the extracted directory

[VenkateswaraGupthaY]

And adding to what Ayman said, the functionality of silent installation is not changed at all... even with the ONE Installer packages.. silent installation can be achieved as earlier. As mentioned by Ayman, that self extractor need to be extracted first and then we can see the setup.exe in the extracted folder, then use the setup.exe -w response.ini command.

If you do not want to use any of the extraction programs, to get the contents from self-extractor exe.. you can simply run it then the self extraction happens in system temp directory (usually it will be "C:\Users\<User_Name>\AppData\Local\Temp\2\RarSFX0"), then after completely extracting the contents, the installer screen will pop-up, at this moment, you can simply navigate to the above mentioned temp directory and copy the contents to any other directory for your use, and then cancel the installation, then automatically the contents extracted in the temp directory will get deleted.

Now, you can launch the installer using the "setup.exe -w response.ini" command from the folder where you copied the contents of the installer.

Regards, Venkat.

[kpalmario]

Hello @Ayman and @Venkateswara, I tried using command switches to add as argument if I run BIPLATS4209P_1500-80001044_P1.EXE using command line, example (https://learn.microsoft.com/fil-ph/troubleshoot/windows-client/deployment/command-switches-supported-by-self-extractor-package) But this is not working. Does anyone knows command switches we can use so we can place it in automation running thru cmd?