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>So your installation instructions can be as follows:
>1. Things you need to know or do before installing
>2. Options to think about before you run the installer.
>3. Put away the manual and run the installer.
Lately, I've been documenting applications that require a complex
installation procedure, even though the installation is done through an
Installation Wizard. My feeling is that someone who is installing an
application is the least experienced user I can have. He knows NOTHING
about the application, and he needs the most handholding.
I've chosen to document each step for two reasons.
1) In my world right now, there's more than one step where the tiniest
deviation can make a difference. Example...I'm installing a mainframe
application where one of the steps is to enter something called a Job
Card. This is a 3-4 line of string of characters and commands. By making
one error, even if it's an extra space or the wrong type of double
quote, the installation abends.
2) In my experience, seeing each screen gives the user comfort that he's
doing each step correctly.
However, before I even begin to describe step one, I include a section
describing all the information they are going to need once the
installation starts. Example:
===========
You should have the following information available:
-Host name or IP address
-Your TSO ID and TSO Password
-Job card
-Dataset allocation information, including Unit Name and Volume Serial
Number
-High-level and secondary dataset qualifiers
-Dataset name of the ISPF Panel Library
-Dataset name of the TSO Procedure Library
-Member name of the ISPF Main Menu
-Member name of the TSO Logon Proc to be modified
-You must have FTP access to your mainframe.
===========
John Posada
Senior Technical Writer
Isogon Corporation http://www.isogon.com
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