Installing Noninteractively (Silent Installation)

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When to Install Noninteractively Using an Installer Initialization File

When to Install Noninteractively

If you have many installations of MATLAB software to perform, and the information you need to enter for each installation is the same, you can put this information in an installer initialization file and run the MathWorks installer noninteractively. An initialization file provides the installer with the information that you would otherwise provide interactively using the installer dialog boxes. Noninteractive installation (also called silent installation) can save time and prevent errors.

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Using an Installer Initialization File

Note   You need a File Installation Key to use an initialization file.

To run the installer noninteractively, perform these steps:

1. Create an installer initialization file.

   The MathWorks provides an initialization file template, named installer.ini, located in the top-level folder on the MathWorks DVD. Using Windows Explorer, create a copy of this template file in any convenient folder, giving it any name you want. For example, you might create the initialization file:

   C:\temp\my_install.ini
   

2. Open your copy of the initialization file, using any text editor, and enter all the required installation information.

   The initialization file template includes parameters for all the information you need to enter. For example, to specify where you want to install products, set the value of the destination parameter to the full path of the installation folder.

   destination=C:\Program Files\MATLAB\R2009b
   

   There are several required parameters, such as name, company name, and File Installation Key. If your initialization file is missing a required field, the installer stops the installation and writes an error to the output log. Two optional parameters you might want to set are:

   • visible= — By default, when you run the installer in silent mode, it still displays the dialog boxes as it progresses through the installation, even though no interactive response is required. If you want to suppress the display of these dialog boxes during a silent installation, set the value of the visible parameter to false.

   • outlog= — To request that the installer create an output file that reports the status of the installation, specify the full path as the value of the outlog parameter.

   If you are using an initialization file for client installations in a network configuration, you might want to set the following additional parameters:

   • createActivateShortcut=— If the property is set to false, the installer does not add a Activate software shortcut on the MATLAB entry in the Windows Start menu. By default, the installer adds this shortcut to the MATLAB menu.

   • createDeactivateShortcut=— If the property is set to false, the installer does not add a Deactivate software shortcut on the MATLAB entry in the Windows Start menu. By default, the installer adds this shortcut to the MATLAB menu.

3. Save your changes to the file.

4. Run the installer (setup.exe), using the -if flag to specify the initialization file as a command-line argument. You must specify the full path of the initialization file. For example, click the Start menu and select the Run option. In the Run dialog box, enter

   setup.exe -if C:\temp\my_install.ini
   

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After a Network Install

Troubleshooting

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