TIL: GBase Database Silent Installation with bundle.properties

When deploying GBase Database(GBase 8s) across multiple servers, silent installation can save a lot of repetitive manual work. Instead of answering installation prompts on every machine, you can define the installation settings in a bundle.properties file and reuse the same template.

Here is a practical GBase Database silent installation guide covering the command, commonly used parameters, batch deployment, and post-installation checks.

Silent Installation Command

After preparing your bundle.properties file, run:

sh ids_install -i silent -f bundle.properties

For automated deployments, keep the properties file together with the installation package and validate it before starting the installation.

Core bundle.properties Parameters

A basic configuration may look like this:

USER_INSTALL_DIR=/opt/GBASE/gbase
CHOSEN_INSTALL_SET=TYPICAL
CHOSEN_INSTALL_FEATURE=2

INSTANCE_NAME=gbase01
SERVER_NUM=1
PORT_NUM=9088

DB_LOCALE=zh_CN.utf8
CLIENT_LOCALE=zh_CN.utf8

The exact available parameters can vary by GBase Database(GBase 8s) version and installation package, so treat the vendor-provided bundle.properties template or installation documentation as the authoritative reference.

Installation Configuration

Common installation-related settings include:

USER_INSTALL_DIR=/opt/GBASE/gbase
USER_INSTALL_LANGUAGE=zh
USER_ACCEPT_LICENSE=YES

USER_INSTALL_DIR defines the target installation directory.

Before deployment, make sure the parent filesystem has enough capacity and that the installation user has the required permissions.

Instance Configuration

Instance-related settings may include:

INSTANCE_NAME=gbase01
PORT_NUM=9088

DB_LOCALE=zh_CN.utf8
CLIENT_LOCALE=zh_CN.utf8

If your installation package supports parameters for data and log locations, configure them according to the specific version and deployment architecture.

For example:

DATALOCALE=/opt/GBASE/gbase_data
LOGDIR=/opt/GBASE/gbase_logs

Do not assume that every parameter is supported by every GBase 8s installer version. Validate the parameter names against the bundle.properties generated or supplied for your release.

Advanced Installation Options

Some installation packages also provide additional options for logging or optional components, for example:

CONSOLE_LOG_LEVEL=2
INSTALL_DEV_LIB=NO
INSTALL_JDBC=YES

These options should also be checked against the installer version before being included in a reusable deployment template.

Batch Deployment Example

Once the silent installation has been tested on one server, the same package and configuration can be deployed to multiple machines.

Using SSH keys is preferable to putting passwords directly into a deployment script:

#!/bin/bash

SERVERS=("192.168.1.101" "192.168.1.102" "192.168.1.103")
REMOTE_USER="gbase"

for server in "${SERVERS[@]}"; do
    echo "=== Deploying GBase Database to $server ==="

    scp gbase8s.tar.gz bundle.properties \
        "${REMOTE_USER}@${server}:/opt/"

    ssh "${REMOTE_USER}@${server}" << 'EOF'
cd /opt
tar -xzf gbase8s.tar.gz
cd gbase8s

sh ids_install -i silent -f /opt/bundle.properties
EOF

    if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
        echo "=== $server installation completed ==="
    else
        echo "=== $server installation failed ==="
    fi
done

For production automation, add pre-checks for disk space, memory, required packages, ports, users, permissions, and existing GBase Database instances before starting the installation.

Verify the Installation

After the silent installation finishes, verify that the main executable exists:

ls /opt/GBASE/gbase/bin/oninit

Then check the instance status:

onstat -

You should also verify the environment variables and configuration files used by the instance:

echo $GBASEDBTDIR
echo $GBASEDBTSERVER
echo $ONCONFIG
echo $GBASEDBTSQLHOSTS

A successful installer exit code does not necessarily mean the database instance is ready for production. Always perform a basic startup and connectivity test.

Why Silent Installation Matters

For a single GBase Database installation, console mode is usually sufficient. For tens or hundreds of servers, however, manually answering installation prompts becomes slow and error-prone.

A standardized bundle.properties template provides several advantages:

• Repeatable installations
• Consistent directory and instance configuration
• Easier batch deployment
• Reduced manual input
• Better integration with automation and CI/CD workflows

Silent installation can also be useful when building standardized VM or container images, provided that the licensing, initialization, networking, and runtime requirements of the target GBase 8s environment are handled separately.

Key Takeaway

The bundle.properties file is one of the most useful pieces of an automated GBase Database(GBase 8s) deployment workflow.

But don't treat it as a universal configuration file. Parameter names and supported options can vary between GBase 8s releases. Build your template from the installation package for the specific version you are deploying, test it on a clean server, and only then reuse it for batch deployment.

One tested silent-install template can eliminate dozens of repetitive installation steps—and make GBase Database deployment much more predictable.