Loading
search-img
Title
Instance Management

Summary

This article goes over the Instance Management support in InstallAnywhere

Synopsis

Instance management support is available in the Premier edition of InstallAnywhere. The maintenance mode support in InstallAnywhere includes instance management functionality that enables you to specify whether multiple instances of a product can be installed on the same machine. The instance management options are only enabled if the Enable Maintenance Mode support check box is selected. However, you can provide maintenance mode support without enabling instance management support.

If an installation includes both maintenance mode support and support for multiple instances of the product on the same machine, when an end user launches maintenance mode, they are able to specify which instance of the product they want to perform maintenance on.

Discussion

To specify instance management behavior:
  1. In the Advanced Designer, on the Project page, click Advanced. The Advanced view opens.
  2. In the Maintenance Mode area, select the Enable Maintenance Mode support check box. InstallAnywhere enables the maintenance option check boxes, as well as the Enable Instance Management options, enabling you to select or clear each of them.
  3. In the Instance Management area, select the Enable Instance Management check box. InstallAnywhere enables the Instance Management options.
  4. In the Instance Management area, select the appropriate check boxes.
SettingDescription
Enable Instance ManagementSelect this option to enable the Instance Management options: Do Not Limit Instances, Restrict to a Single Instance, and Restrict to Number of Instances.
Note: This check box is enabled if the Enable Maintenance Mode support check box is selected.
Do not Limit InstancesSelect this option to enable end users to install an unlimited number of instances of this product on a machine.
End users may want to install multiple instances on the same machine if they want to configure each instance differently (each with different features, configuration settings, environments) and want to launch each instance independently (such as launching multiple instances on WebSphere/Tomcat using different JVM versions).
If an installer was created with the Do not limit instances option selected, the following occurs:
  • When an end user attempts to install a second instance of that product, the Manage Instances dialog box opens, prompting the user to specify that they want to install a new instance (rather than Modify an Existing Instance).
  • When an end user has installed multiple instances of a product on a machine and then launches Maintenance Mode, the Manage Instances dialog box opens, prompting the user to select the instance that they want to modify.
For more information, see Run-Time Behavior for Maintenance Mode.
Restrict to a Single InstanceSelect this option to restrict end users to be able to install only one instance of the product on a machine.
By selecting the Restrict to a Single Instance option, you are preventing the end user from being able to do either of the following:
  • Installing additional instances of the product on the same machine.
  • Overwriting an existing instance of the product.
If an installer was created with the Restrict to a Single Instance option selected, when an end user attempts to install a second instance of that product, the Manage Instances dialog box opens, prompting the user to modify the existing instance, rather than to install a new instance.
Restrict to Number of InstancesSelect this option and enter a number in the text box to restrict end users to be able to install only a specified number of instances of the product on a machine.
Identify Instance UsingSelect one of the following options to specify how to identify an instance of an application:
  • Installation Location Only?Identify an instance by examining the installation location. No filters are applied to the detected instances.
  • Installation Location and Version?Identify an instance by examining the installation location and the application version of the installed application. When this option is selected, the Version Field Level That Identifies New Instance option is enabled, which enables you to identify what level of version change constitutes a new version.
Version Field Level That Identifies New InstanceWhen you select Installation Location and Version from the Identify Instance Using option, this option is enabled. You are prompted to specify what level of version change constitutes a new version by selecting one of the following options:
  • Major
  • Minor
  • Revision
  • Subrevision
Note: Versions are conventionally represented in the following format: [Major].[Minor].[Revision].[Subrevision], such as: 1.0.2.1047. For more information, see Specifying Instance Management Behavior.
Note: Reinstalling an application to the same location as an existing application would result in only one instance, irrespective of the version.
Note: If you choose the Installation Location and Version option from the Identify Instance Using list, the installation does not recognize those instances which are from a more recent version, because an installer of a previous version might not be able to successfully manage an instance of the installer of a more recent version. For example, a Version 2.0.0.0 installer will not consider Version 3.x instances, but will consider all Version 1.x instances and Version 2.0.0.0 instances.
Enable Instance Overwrite WarningTo warn end users when they are about to overwrite an existing instance of an application and specify whether they will be permitted to overwrite the instance, select this check box. After you select this check box, select one of the following options:
  • Allow user to continue with overwrite?Permit end user to overwrite an existing instance of an application.
  • Do not allow user to overwrite?Do not permit end user to overwrite an existing instance of an application. Instead, prompt end user to change the installation location in order to continue with the installation.
Note: If this check box is selected, you are required to include a Panel: Choose Install Folder action in the Pre-Install sequence.

Additional Information

  • The instance count is only as secure as the security of the InstallAnywhere product registry file. For more information, see Product Registry.
  • When an installer that has instance management support is launched, it needs to determine how many instances of the application have already been installed. To do this, the installer queries the product registry to locate the uninstaller executable for that application. By default, the uninstaller executable file is named Change ProductName Installation.exe. However, if you have chosen to rename the executable file of the uninstaller, that file will not be located and the instance management support will not work properly.
  • Instance management uses the global/local zerog registries. If these directories are altered, the instance management functionality does not work properly.
  • The InstallAnywhere Uninstall Component, which is a standard component in an InstallAnywhere project, should have the key file set to the Uninstaller executable file, which is the default setting. However, if the key file is modified, the instance management functionality may not be able to manage instances, since it would be unable to find the Uninstaller. The key file for the InstallAnywhere Uninstall Component is set in the Organization view (Organization page > Components view > Properties tab).
  • To change the text used in the Instance Management dialog or console, follow these steps:
    1. Go to <IA_HOME>\resource\i18nresources, where <IA_HOME> is the directory InstallAnywhere is installed to.
    2. Save a backup copy of the custom_XX locale file (for example custom_en for English) in the above specified folder, and then open it with a text editor and search for the following string:
      For GUIInstaller.instanceManagement.customizer
      For ConsoleInstaller.instanceManagement.console
    3. Locate the strings you would like to modify and make your changes.
    4. Save the locale file, restart the InstallAnywhere IDE and rebuild the installer. (Note: Since the string is being changed in the global locale file, the changed text will appear in every built installer.)

Related KB Articles

Maintenance Mode Settings
Was this helpful?
Support Hub
Create a case with Support
0/255
Upload Attachment
File Upload
Maximum file size allowed is 3 MB.
File type not supported.
Supported file types:
Documents (.txt, .doc, .docx, .pdf), Images (.jpg, .png), Comma Separated Files (.csv) Speadsheets (.xlsx, .xls)

Are you sure you want to cancel the case creation?

Are you sure you want to close this case

Get Hotline support
Products Region Phone Numbers
FlexNet Operations
FlexNet Embedded
FlexNet Publisher
FlexNet Connect
FlexNet Code Insight
InstallAnywhere
InstallShield 		North America  * +1 630-332-2513 (toll)
+1 877-279-2853 (toll-free in North America)
Europe  * +44 1925 944367 (toll)
+44 800 047 8642 (toll-free in Europe)
Japan  * +81 3-4540-5335 (select option 2)
Australia  * +61 3 9895 2177
+61 1800 560 603 (toll-free in Australia)
Usage Intelligence (formerly Revulytics)
Compliance Intelligence 		Please use the Case Portal to submit your support ticket or reach out to your Revenera contact.
Book an Appointment
File Upload
Maximum file size allowed is 3 MB.
File type not supported.
Supported file types:
Documents (.txt, .doc, .docx, .pdf), Images (.jpg, .png), Comma Separated Files (.csv) Speadsheets (.xlsx, .xls)

Revenera Assistant

Revenera Assistant
+1.800.374.4353
CONTACT US REVENERA.COM FLEXERA.com
© 2026 Flexera Software. All Rights Reserved.
Privacy policy Terms and conditions Flexera Community Contact Us
Loading
Instance Management