The main advantage of a SAS Software Depot is realized
when it resides on the network at a location that you can share access
to. When it is shared, a depot provides a faster and more reliable
means of installation compared to traditional removable media (cartridges,
CDs, DVDs, and so on).
If you have remote sites
running SAS without access to the network on which your depot resides,
you can use the SAS Deployment Wizard to create your own SAS media
image to write to the removable media of your choice.
Here are some other
benefits of using a SAS Software Depot:
-
The depot enables you
to place multiple SAS orders in one location to simplify initial SAS
deployment and future maintenance.
-
makes
applying maintenance and upgrades easier.
You need only to download
the changed depot files instead of having to download an entire SAS
order.
-
Storing multiple orders
in a single depot saves disk space, as any content shared between
orders is not duplicated, but rather shared, in the depot.
A single depot in SAS
9.3 can store SAS software installation files for more than one operating
system, making the single, multi-system SAS 9.3 depot cumulatively
smaller than the multiple, single-system depots in SAS 9.1.3.
-
Because there is a
shared copy of common files, the SAS 9.3 single, multi-operating system
depot requires smaller amounts to download.
-
organizes license keys (also known
as SAS installation data files).
The depot enables you
to place SAS installation data files in a standard location to better
associate license keys with their corresponding orders. (These files
are stored in the
sid_files directory,
directly under the depot's root.)
-
identifies multiple orders.
The depot supports
the SAS Deployment Wizard's feature that enables you to customize
order descriptions and enter notes to better identify multiple orders
residing in a single depot.
Because depots contain
your personal SAS software order, it is important to use the following
best practices for securing and backing up your depot.
