• Using the supplied install manifest and update site during Notes installation and update

  You can customize the supplied Lotus Notes install media kit to add your own features and plug-ins to the install manifest and update site folder. This is ideal if the new feature is available when you are ready to install a Lotus Notes release and you want to install it when you install or upgrade to Lotus Notes. This applies to installation only.

• Using a traditional third-party installer after Notes installation

  You create an install manifest and update site folder containing the feature and plug-in JAR files for the new feature. You can distribute the installer to deployers or users so that they can perform their own installation, or you can install Notes for them. This is ideal if you want to make a new feature available to users who already have Lotus Notes installed.

• Enabling user-initiated update after Notes installation

  You can enable user-initiated update of certain features or composite applications. This is ideal if you want to make a new or updated feature available at an update site and allow users to fetch the feature from that site. This can be used in conjunction with an Eclipse update site or NSF-based update site.

• Using a composite application and/or Notes update site database after Notes installation

  You can use composite applications alone or with an NSF-based update site to install or update custom or third-party features.

Creating features and plug-ins

Regardless of how you make third-party or custom Eclipse-based features and plug-ins available for Notes installation or update, you must first create or obtain the feature, create an install manifest to describe what is to be installed and place the new features and plug-in JAR files correctly in an update site directory along with a site index. Tools such as the IBM® Lotus® Expeditor integrated development environment (IDE) help automate the Eclipse feature development process for you.

You should also specify feature and plug-in security settings for signing, and can specify additional information such as a list of valid sites from which to obtain install and update information, and some security settings, using a PLUGIN_CUSTOMIZATION.INI file.

For information, see the topic Creating custom or third-party features and plug-ins.

Signing features and plug-ins

Prior to making a new third-party or custom Eclipse-based feature available for Lotus Notes installation or update, you must correctly sign the feature. Once signed, you must also include signing information in the PLUGIN_CUSTOMIZATION.INI file that accompanies the install manifest.

For information, see the topic Signing custom or third-party features and plug-ins.

See also

Enabling and using third-party feature installation and update in Notes
Installing a new feature using the Notes install manifest
Creating and using a traditional third-party installer
Creating and using an NSF-based update site
Signing custom or third-party features and plug-ins for install and update
Configuring component update for composite applications

Glossary