Creating custom configuration files

You can create custom configuration files from the sample configuration file if the predefined configuration files do not meet your requirements for prerequisite properties. Before you create the custom configuration file, ensure that you know the prerequisite properties that you want to add and their expected values.

1. If necessary, add product codes for the product to the codename.cfg file.
2. Create the configuration file by using a text editor in the ips_root/OS directory. Ensure that you use the following naming convention for the file name:

   product_code_version.cfg

   Where:

   • product_code

     It is the variable to represent a product code on either Windows or UNIX systems. Product codes identify the product and optionally the version of the operating system that is supported by that product. They are stored in the codename.cfg file. A product that supports multiple platforms might have multiple product codes, with each one identifying a product, platform, and version of the operating system as required.

   • version is the 8-digit code to represent the version, release, modification, and level, with 2 digits for each part of the code; for example, 7.3.21 is 07032100.
3. Review the basic prerequisite properties that are outlined in Prerequisite properties reference and determine which prerequisite properties that you want to check.
4. Optional: Add a section and ensure that you use the naming convention for the section title. See Sections in configuration files.
5. Optional: For each section, review the basic prerequisite properties that are outlined in Prerequisite properties reference and determine which prerequisite properties that you want to check.
6. For each prerequisite property that you want to add, enter the name-value pair for the custom prerequisite property and the expected value. The expected value can have optional qualifiers and an optional severity level. Ensure that you use the following format, with only one prerequisite property on each line:

   [prefix_identifier.]property_name[.suffix_identifier]=
   [[sev:FAIL|WARN]][[qualifier_name:qualifier_value]]property_value

   where:

   • prefix_identifier is an identifier for a predefined category of prerequisite properties, as outlined in Table 1. This prefix identifier is required by some of the predefined categories.
   • property_name is the name of the prerequisite property.
   • suffix_identifier is an optional identifier for a subtype of prerequisite properties, as outlined in Table 1.
   • sev:FAIL|WARN is the optional severity level for the prerequisite property, as outlined in Severity levels.
     Note: The severity level must be enclosed by [] square brackets.
   • qualifier_name is an optional attribute for the prerequisite property. IBM Prerequisite Scanner uses it to qualify the prerequisite property or type of check to perform on the prerequisite property.
     Note: You can have multiple qualifiers, each separated by a comma. The set of qualifiers must be enclosed by [] square brackets.
   • qualifier_value is the value for the optional attribute. Each qualifier and its value must be delimited by a : colon.
   • property_value is the value for the prerequisite property and it can be a string or integer.

   For example, the user predefined category of prerequisite properties has the user prefix identifier. The prerequisite property for checking whether the logged on user belongs to the Administrator user group is:user.isAdmin=True
7. If a prerequisite property does not exist in the predefined categories, add the name for the custom prerequisite property, its value, and optional qualifiers. You must then create the following files to check for and compare the custom prerequisite property as required: a custom collector to collect the actual value for the prerequisite property and a custom evaluator if the standard compare functions cannot compare the actual and expected values.