Lotus Domino Administrator 8.5 Help - Creating and using an NSF-based update site

NOTES CLIENT INSTALLATION AND UPGRADE

Creating and using an NSF-based update site
You can use the Eclipse Update Site template to create an NSF-based update site application and then import some or all of the features from an Eclipse™ update site into the NSF-based update site.

The Eclipse Update Site template (UPDATESITE.NTF) is installed during IBM® Lotus® Domino® and IBM® Lotus® Notes® install.

Use this template to create an NSF-based update site to act as an Eclipse™ update site hosted in a Notes application. The NSF-based update site dynamically provides the SITE.XML, features, and plug-ins.

You can use the UPDATESITE.NTF template as the basis for your own NSF-based update site by creating an update site application, as below:

1. Click File - Application - New.

2. Specify the server on which to create the NSF-based update site application.

3. Specify a new application title and file name, for example updatesite and UPDATESITE.NSF respectively.

4. In the template server field, use the local server or specify a different server from which to obtain the template you'll use to create the application.

5. Click Show Advanced Templates.

6. Select Eclipse Update Site template (UPDATESITE.NTF) as the template.

7. Click OK.

Note You can name the NSF-based update site any name you choose; however, you must use Eclipse Update Site (UPDATESITE.NTF) as the template.

When you first open the NSF-based update site, there are three action buttons available. These import actions are not mutually exclusive. For example, you might initially import an entire Eclipse update site and later choose to import specific additional or updated features. You may later choose to import an additional NSF-based update site. Note that once the NSF-based update site contains content, a fourth button is also available, enabling you to specify the NSF-based update site as the location from which to obtain feature updates.

Action Buttons Description

Import Local Update Site Use this action to import the contents of a local Eclipse update site, containing a complete features subdirectory, plugins subdirectory, and SITE.XML file into the active NSF-based update site.
Navigate to the update site's site.xml file as prompted.
You can import one or more Eclipse update sites into a single, consolidated NSF-based update site. For example, if you have three separate Eclipse update sites, you do not need to create three individual NSF-based update sites.

Import Features Use this action to import individual features into the NSF-based update site instead of importing a complete Eclipse update site. There are two typical scenarios for using this action:

A developer creates new features. Instead of exporting an entire update site, the developer exports only the particular feature he's working on and imports those features into the NSF-based update site. In this scenario case, the NSF-based update site would only contain that particular feature (and whatever plug-ins are associated with that particular feature).
An administrator who previously imported a complete Eclipse update site (using the "Import Local Update Site" action), later receives updated features. The administrator can then import these individual features into his existing, and already populated, NSF-based update site. If the features he imports already exist, the features are either updated in the database (if the feature name and version is the same) or added as a new feature (if the feature name and version is different or doesn't yet exist).

Import Database Use this action to import an existing NSF-based update site into the active NSF-based update site. This is similar to importing Eclipse update sites, except that the contents are imported from an existing NSF-based update site. For example, an administrator may have an existing NSF-based update site (for example, UPDATESITE.NSF). A developer may provide him with another (probably smaller) NSF-based update site (for example, UPDATESITEABX.NSF). The administrator can import the entire NSF-based update site into his active NSF-based update site, effectively merging the content of both into a single NSF-based update site.

Update URL references This action is available in NSF-based update sites that contain features and plug-ins.
Use this action to specify that Eclipse features and plug-ins are updated from the active NSF-based update site. Imported features and plug-ins may contain a specified update site URL, from which updates are to be obtained. As an administrator, you can determine that updates come from your NSF-based update site, rather than a source URL that may, for example, be outside your organization's control. You can specify an NSF-based update site as the site from which to obtain updates. Specify the URL of the Domino server hosting the active NSF-based update site. Example syntax is provided in the dialog box. Options are as below:
New site label -- Type a name to label the local site URL, for example, ABXLocal site.
New site URL -- When you click the button next to this field, the Select URL dialog appears displaying the active update site URL in both HTTP and NRPC format. Click either the HTTP or NRPC option to pass that value to the New Site URL field.
Note The last-selected HTTP or NRPC URL value is provided as the default. You can browse to locate a different site.
Apply to Update site URL -- Pass the URL value as an update site value.
Apply to Discovery site URL -- Pass the URL value as a discovery site value.
Change features with embedded URL only -- Apply this new default update site value only to features that already have a default update site specified to overwrite that site value with this one.
Change ALL features -- Apply this new default update site value to every feature in the active Notes application.
Note that this setting is similar to the SITE.XML specification found in an Eclipse™ feature's accompanying FEATURE.XML file. Also note that the SITE.XML settings you specify here are overridden by settings that may exist in the Domino server Configuration Settings document. For example, if the server Configuration Settings document has defined an update site list and specified that updates can only come from that site list (this is also called a whitelist) then the site you specify in this field must also exist in that whitelist or it will not be considered during an update request.
You can also obtain the New Site URL default value using the Action -- Show URLs menu sequence.

Display activity logs

The NSF-based update site records the various update actions that it performs in an activity log. You can display that log by clicking Activity Logs in the Update Site left pane navigator. Logged information includes the following:

Activity type, such as importing a feature or changing an imported feature's default update site URL
Name of the person initiating the activity
Date and time when the activity was initiated
Activity details such as which feature was imported or updated

Display the active update site URL

You can display the active update site URL in HTTP or NRPC form using the Actions -- Show URLs menu sequence. You can then paste this value into a site list, for example a site list specified in a server Configuration Settings document, using the Copy button in the dialog. Note that the Update URL References dialog has also been updated to display the active update site URL.

Example URL for a server-hosted NSF-based update site:

http://teamabx.notesdev.xyz.com/__ccc570f2006677cf.nsf/site.xml

nrpc://teamabx.notesdev.xyz.com/__ccc570f2006677cf/site.xml

Example URL for a local NSF-based update site:

http://localhost/__ccc570f2006677cf.nsf/site.xml

nrcp://localhost/__ccc570f2006677cf/site.xml

Resources for learning more about NSF-based update sites

For information about how to create the NSF-based update site, see "Creating and preparing the updatesite.nsf" in this guide.

For information about using an NSF-based update site with composite applications, see "Configuring component update for composite applications" in this guide.

Also see listed related links to Domino Designer and IBM Lotus developerWorks sites.

Managing client plug-in deployment

Configuring component update for composite applications

Limiting feature install and update with update sites

Specifying available update sites

Client feature deployment

Creating a desktop policy settings document

Create an NSF-based update site and import the Eclipse updateSite content

Updating a widget-deployed client feature or plug-in

NSF Based Eclipse Update Sites and Composite Applications

Lotus Support

Lotus Notes and Domino Wiki

Lotus Documentation on IBM developerWorks

"NSF based Update Sites" on My developerWorks Blog

Glossary

Feedback on Help or Product Usability?

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All Help Contents

Glossary

Action Buttons	Description
Import Local Update Site	Use this action to import the contents of a local Eclipse update site, containing a complete features subdirectory, plugins subdirectory, and SITE.XML file into the active NSF-based update site. Navigate to the update site's site.xml file as prompted. You can import one or more Eclipse update sites into a single, consolidated NSF-based update site. For example, if you have three separate Eclipse update sites, you do not need to create three individual NSF-based update sites.
Import Features	Use this action to import individual features into the NSF-based update site instead of importing a complete Eclipse update site. There are two typical scenarios for using this action: A developer creates new features. Instead of exporting an entire update site, the developer exports only the particular feature he's working on and imports those features into the NSF-based update site. In this scenario case, the NSF-based update site would only contain that particular feature (and whatever plug-ins are associated with that particular feature). An administrator who previously imported a complete Eclipse update site (using the "Import Local Update Site" action), later receives updated features. The administrator can then import these individual features into his existing, and already populated, NSF-based update site. If the features he imports already exist, the features are either updated in the database (if the feature name and version is the same) or added as a new feature (if the feature name and version is different or doesn't yet exist).
Import Database	Use this action to import an existing NSF-based update site into the active NSF-based update site. This is similar to importing Eclipse update sites, except that the contents are imported from an existing NSF-based update site. For example, an administrator may have an existing NSF-based update site (for example, UPDATESITE.NSF). A developer may provide him with another (probably smaller) NSF-based update site (for example, UPDATESITEABX.NSF). The administrator can import the entire NSF-based update site into his active NSF-based update site, effectively merging the content of both into a single NSF-based update site.
Update URL references	This action is available in NSF-based update sites that contain features and plug-ins. Use this action to specify that Eclipse features and plug-ins are updated from the active NSF-based update site. Imported features and plug-ins may contain a specified update site URL, from which updates are to be obtained. As an administrator, you can determine that updates come from your NSF-based update site, rather than a source URL that may, for example, be outside your organization's control. You can specify an NSF-based update site as the site from which to obtain updates. Specify the URL of the Domino server hosting the active NSF-based update site. Example syntax is provided in the dialog box. Options are as below: New site label -- Type a name to label the local site URL, for example, ABXLocal site. New site URL -- When you click the button next to this field, the Select URL dialog appears displaying the active update site URL in both HTTP and NRPC format. Click either the HTTP or NRPC option to pass that value to the New Site URL field. Note The last-selected HTTP or NRPC URL value is provided as the default. You can browse to locate a different site. Apply to Update site URL -- Pass the URL value as an update site value. Apply to Discovery site URL -- Pass the URL value as a discovery site value. Change features with embedded URL only -- Apply this new default update site value only to features that already have a default update site specified to overwrite that site value with this one. Change ALL features -- Apply this new default update site value to every feature in the active Notes application. Note that this setting is similar to the SITE.XML specification found in an Eclipse™ feature's accompanying FEATURE.XML file. Also note that the SITE.XML settings you specify here are overridden by settings that may exist in the Domino server Configuration Settings document. For example, if the server Configuration Settings document has defined an update site list and specified that updates can only come from that site list (this is also called a whitelist) then the site you specify in this field must also exist in that whitelist or it will not be considered during an update request. You can also obtain the New Site URL default value using the Action -- Show URLs menu sequence.