Silently installing on AIX

You can use native installation to install WebSphere Application Server. The steps below describe how to install WebSphere Application Server using the noninteractive (silent) mode.

To complete a silent installation, you must create a response file and then use it to perform the installation.

Template response file

WebSphere Application Server supplies a template response file called response_aix.res. Using this file as a template, you create your own response file. By default, a file that you create directly from the template installs IBM SDK 1.2, IBM HTTP Server Version 1.3.12, InstantDB, and WebSphere Application Server as well as configures WebSphere Application Server for use with IBM HTTP Server and InstantDB. Further, it installs documentation in U.S. English, WebSphere Application Server application samples, and files that make the product compatible with the Tivoli System Management Tool.

You can edit your file to permit configuration with other selected Web servers or databases, or to install documentation in selected languages. Detailed instructions within the template file guide you in your selections.

After creating your file, you run the associated shell script WebSphereInstallAIX.sh with your response file as the argument. This script silently installs the components and options that you have selected into the /usr/IBMWebAS directory in U.S. English. (Because the shell script performs some pre- and post-processing steps on the installation, do not use the System Management Interface Tool (SMIT) to run the script.)

Creating the response file and performing the silent installation

Perform the following steps to create a custom response file and install WebSphere Application Server by using the noninteractive (silent) mode. These instructions assume that installation is made from the product CD.

  1. Ensure that you are logged into the machine with superuser (root) privileges.
  2. Ensure that you have the DISPLAY and TERM environment variables set correctly for your environment.
  3. Ensure that the /usr directory has approximately XXXX MB of free disk space.
  4. Insert the WebSphere Application Server CD and mount it. The steps below assume that you have already created and properly configured a CD-ROM mount point (for example, /cdrom). If you have not already done so, refer to your AIX operating system documentation for more information.
    1. Invoke SMIT for mounting a file system by entering the following command:
      # smitty mountfs
    2. With the cursor in the FILE SYSTEM name field, press F4, and then choose the appropriate CD-ROM file system that you want to mount.
    3. In the DIRECTORY over which to mount field, type the name of the mount point for the CD-ROM (these instructions assume you are using the /cdrom mount point).
    4. With the cursor in the TYPE of file system field, press F4, and then choose the cdrfs option.
    5. Verify or change the entries in the remaining fields, depending on how you want to mount the CD, and then press Return. SMIT mounts the CD as a file system. When the process is complete, exit from SMIT.
  5. Move to the directory containing the response_aix.res file by issuing the following command:
    # cd /cdrom/usr/sys/inst.images
  6. Create a customized response file by copying the file response_aix.res; use the following command:
    # cp response_aix.res <response_file>
    where <response_file> is the full path name of the response file you are creating (for instance, /tmp/<response_file>). Be sure that the name of your response file has a .res extension.
  7. Edit the newly created response file with a text editor, following the detailed comments throughout the file to help you select the appropriate options for your configuration.
  8. After saving your changes to the customized response file, silently install WebSphere Application Server by entering the following command at the prompt:
    # ./WebSphereInstallAIX.sh <response_file>
    The WebSphereInstallAIX.sh shell script then uses the response file to silently install the components and options that you have selected into the /usr/IBMWebAS directory.

    Note: If you choose to install the plugin for IBM HTTP Server, the installation process checks if you have the correct version of the server (1.3.12.0) on your machine. If you do not have this product on your machine and you have indicated in your response file that you want to have it installed, the installation process installs it. (You must manually back up and merge any existing configuration and date files from previous editions of IBM HTTP Server.) If you do not have this product on your machine and you have indicated in your response file that you do not want to have it installed, the script exits without installing the product.

  9. After installation, refer to the log file WebSphere.instl located in the /tmp directory to determine if the silent installation was successful.