IBM Installation Manager - Installing across the 'web' - no packages found

Recently my client decided to try and set up Installation Manager for IBM products on a webserver.   I guessed this was possible but just to make sure I spoke to my go-to expert, Dave Hay,  who pointed me at his blog  http://planetlotus.org/profiles/dave-hay_131315

Perfect!

I followed his steps to the letter but when I ran:

./imcl listAvailablePackages -repositories  http://jslwebserver/repos/WebSphere/8.5.5/Base/repository

I received the message "No packages were found"

Hmmm, how odd.  When I used IM to test connections to the repository it worked ok.  A quick look at the webserver logs showed that IM was trying to find repository.xml as well as repository.config and getting a 404 error.

A but more reading and I spotted this http://www-01.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SSDV2W_1.8.2/com.ibm.cic.auth.ui.doc/topics/t_introduction.html    which states

Restriction: Installing from an HTTP server requires by using the Packaging Utility. You must use Packaging Utility to create the repository that is on the HTTP server.

Ok, so I downloaded the packaging utility and then carried out the next few steps:

1  Copied pu.offering.disk.linux.gtk.x86_64_1.8.2000.20150303_1543.zip   to /home/wasadm/PU

2   Unzipped the above file

3.  cd disk_linux.gtk.x86_64/InstallerImage_linux.gtk.x86_64/

4.    ./userinstc -acceptLicense

"Installed com.ibm.cic.packagingUtility_1.2.2000.20150303_1543 to the /home/wasadm/IBM/PackagingUtility directory.

5.    cd   /home/wasadm/IBM/PackagingUtility

6.    ./IBMPU


At which point a GUI starts up.  I selected "Copy repository" which allowed me to point at my exisitng repository.config file and provide a new location for the updated repository.

The utility then ran and in my new location, the repository now included a few new files, one of which was repository.xml

So now when I ran the following I was able to see the package


./imcl listAvailablePackages -repositories  http://jslwebserver/repos/WebSphere/8.5.5/BasePU/repository

com.ibm.websphere.BASE.v85_8.5.5000.20130514_1044


I was then able to run my install using the repository on hosted on the webserver.