The best practice for SharePlex is to install the base version first and then run the script for the patch. The question arises as to whether it is possible to just install the software and do away with the installation of patch.
N.A.
Shareplex has two different binary components to be dealt with during install. The first one is termed software (also called base install for example 5.1.0, 5.3.0) which contains binaries for various components of Shareplex. These binaries contain program code as it existed when that version was first formulated. However, with the passage of time a number of bug fixes and improvement typically follow. Not all components need necessarily go through this change unless they undergo a code change. The patch would comprise all binaries that have undergone change since the version was first created. So, for example, if the base install for Shareplex version 5.1 is termed as 5.1.0, then its patch may be numbered 5.1.1, 5.1.2, and so on. The latest patchset always contains all the fixes included in all previous patchsets. For example, the latest patch available for 5.1 version is 5.1.7 which includes all fixes from 5.1.1 to 5.1.6 plus any new fixes in 5.1.7.
Although the software (base install) is fully contained in that it has all the components of Shareplex and can run on its own without having to apply the patch on the top of it, but following this approach may deprive you of the improvements and bug fixes that may have followed and may have been incorporated into the latest patch. We strongly suggest that you always patch to the latest patch before deploying Shareplex. Another reason is that if you only deploy the base install and run into bugs, then Development would require you to first apply the latest patch before they can explore the possibility of providing any code fixes by way of one-off, etc.
