INSTALLING SOFTWARE BASED ON A PROFILE

A software system is selectively installed from a source into a target system according to a profile. The software system comprises a plurality of components. Only selected components are needed by the target system. A profile of the target system is created when the target system is defined; the profile defines the components needed by the target system. To configure the target system, an installation process installs in the target system only components from the source that are defined in the profile for the target system. The source may be a storage medium or a separate installation system.