This topic describes installing a Web server plug-in that WebSphere Application Server provides to communicate with a particular brand of Web server. This procedure describes installing the Web server and its Web server plug-in for WebSphere Application Server and the application server on the same machine.
Before you begin
When multiple profiles exist, the plug-ins installer configures only the default profile. See Configuration behavior of the Plug-ins installation wizard for a description of the flow of logic that determines how the installer selects the profile to configure.
If the WebSphere Application Server product family supports a particular brand of Web server, such as IBM HTTP Server or Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS), then your WebSphere Application Server product provides a binary plug-in for the Web server that you must install.
If the WebSphere Application Server product family does not provide a binary plug-in for a particular brand of Web server, then the Web server is not supported. The purpose of the binary plug-in is to provide the communication protocol between the Web server and the application server.
Suppose that you create a new profile. Suppose also that you want to use a Web server. You must install a new Web server for the new profile and use the Plug-ins installation wizard to install the binary plug-in module and to configure both the Web server and the application server.
If the Web server is not already installed, you can still install the plug-ins for future use. If the WebSphere Application Server product is not installed, you can still install the plug-ins. However, it is recommended that you install the Web server and the WebSphere Application Server product before installing the plug-ins for the supported Web server.
This procedure configures the application server profile that is the default profile on the machine. A one-to-one relationship exists between a Web server and the application server.
This topic describes how to create the following topology:
Why and when to perform this task
The wizard edits the configuration file or files for a Web server by creating directives that point to the location of the binary plug-in module and the plug-in configuration file.
The name of the binary plug-in module varies per Web server type. The plug-in configuration file is always the plugin-cfg.xml file.
You can use the administrative console to manage the Web server configuration. For example, when you install an application on the application server, you can also choose to install it on the Web server definition. If so, the updated plugin-cfg.xml file shows that the new application is available. When the Web server reads the updated plug-in configuration file, the Web server becomes aware of the new application that it can serve to Web clients.
If you choose not to install the new application on the Web server definition, the application is not added to the plug-in configuration file. The Web server is not aware of the application and cannot serve it to Web clients.
Use the following procedure to install the Web server plug-in, configure the Web server, and create a Web server definition in the default application server profile.
Steps for this task
umaskTo set the umask setting to 022, issue the following command:
umask 022
For example, on some Windows systems, click Administrative Tools > Local Security Policy > User Rights Assignments to see the advanced options. See your Windows documentation for more information.
The installation wizard grants your Windows user ID the
advanced user rights, if the user ID belongs to the administrator group. The
silent installation does not grant these rights. If you create a new user
ID on a Windows platform to perform a silent installation, you must restart
the system to activate the proper authorizations for the user ID before you
can perform a successful silent installation.
When
installing the WebSphere Application Server as a Windows service, do not use
a user ID that contains spaces. A user ID with spaces cannot be validated.
Such a user ID is not allowed to continue the installation. To work around
this problem, install with a user ID that does not contain spaces, or do not
choose to install Windows services.
See Installing IBM HTTP Server or refer to the product documentation for your Web server for more information.
Select the Plug-ins installation wizard from the launchpad or change directories to the plugin directory on the product disc or in the downloaded installation image and issue the install command.
If you are unsure of which installation scenario to follow, display the roadmap instead. Print and keep the roadmap as a handy overview of the installation steps.
Press Ctrl-P to print the roadmap if the Web browser navigation controls and the menu bar are not present on the browser window that displays the Plug-ins roadmap. Press Ctrl-W to close the browser window if the navigation controls and the menu bar do not display. Or close the browser window with the window control in the title bar.
See Troubleshooting installation for more information about log files.
The Plug-ins installation wizard panel prompts you to identify the Web servers to configure. Actually you can select only one Web server each time you run the Plug-ins installation wizard.
Stop any Web server while you are configuring it. A step later in the procedure directs you to start the Web server as you begin the snoop servlet test.
If you select the Web server identification option labeled None, the Web server installs the binary plug-ins but does not configure the Web server. A known problem in the wizard panel causes the English word None to appear in translated versions of the wizard. However, the selectable option is functional in every locale in spite of the missing translation.
You can type another new directory or click Browse to select an empty directory. The fully qualified path identifies the plug-ins installation root directory.
A possibility exists that the Web server might run on a platform that WebSphere Application Server does not support.
The fully qualified path identifies the installation root directory for the WebSphere Application Server product.
Select the file and not just the directory of the file. Some Web servers have two configuration files and require you to browse for each file.
The wizard prompts for the notes.jar file. The actual name is Notes.jar.
The Plug-ins installation wizard verifies that the files exist but the wizard does not validate either file.
The wizard displays a naming panel for the nickname of the Web server definition.
The wizard uses the value to name configuration folders in the plug-ins installation root directory. The wizard also uses the name in the configuration script for the application server to name the Web server definition.
$AdminTask deleteServer { -serverName webserver1 -nodeName webserver1_node } $AdminTask removeUnmanagedNode { -nodeName webserver1_node } $AdminConfig save
This is a critical selection.
plug-ins_install_root/config/ web_server_name/plugin-cfg.xml
was_install_root/profiles/profile_name /config/cells/cell_name/nodes/ Web_server_name_node/servers/ Web_server_name/plugin-cfg.xml
You can accept the default value if the application server does not have a Web server definition.
Using an existing Web server definition
If the application server has a Web server definition, the wizard cannot create a new Web server definition within the application server configuration. However, the wizard can reconfigure the Web server. Click Browse and select the existing plugin-cfg.xml file in the application server configuration.
was_install_root/profiles/profile_name /config/cells/cell_name/nodes/ Web_server_name_node/servers/ Web_server_name/plugin-cfg.xml
If the existing Web_server_name is different than the nickname that you gave the Web server in the wizard, click Back to return to the naming panel for the Web server and change the name to match the existing Web server definition name.
plug-ins_install_root/config/ web_server_name/plugin-cfg.xml
Once created, a Web server definition on a stand-alone application server node cannot be removed except through scripting. (See Uninstalling the Web server plug-ins for WebSphere Application Server for the procedure.)
You can, however, reuse the same definition for a different type of Web server. Run the Plug-ins installation wizard to configure a new Web server in that situation. The Plug-ins installation wizard configures the new Web server to use the existing plugin-cfg.xml file.
The wizard shows an installation status panel as it installs the plug-ins.
The wizard displays the Installation summary panel at the completion of the installation.
If a problem occurs and the installation is unsuccessful, examine the logs in the plug-ins_install_root/logs directory. Correct any problems and reinstall.
To configure Domino, you must
set the WAS_PLUGIN_CONFIG_FILE environment variable. On Linux and UNIX-based
platforms, sourcing a script to the parent shell allows child processes to
inherit the exported variables. On Windows systems, run the script as you
would run any other command. Sourcing is automatic on Windows systems.
The script is also in the lotus_install_root/notesdata directory on Linux and UNIX systems.
Issue the appropriate command for the script before starting the Domino Web Server.
Test your environment by starting your Application Server, your Web server, and using the snoop servlet with an IP address.
Use a command window to change the directory to the IBM HTTP Server installed image, or to the installed image of your Web server. Issue the appropriate command to start the Web server, such as these commands for IBM HTTP Server:
To start the IBM HTTP Server from the command line:
The HTTP Transport port is 9080 by default and must be unique for every profile. The port is associated with a virtual host named default_host, which is configured to host the installed DefaultApplication and any installed Samples. The snoop servlet is part of the DefaultApplication. Change the port to match your actual HTTP Transport port.
Either Web address should display the Snoop Servlet - Request/Client Information page.
"Could not connect to IHS Administration server error"
Result
The Plug-ins installation wizard creates a Web server definition within the application server profile unless one already exists.
The Plug-ins installation wizard configures the Web server to use the profiles_install_root/profile_name/plugin-cfg.xml file.
was_install_root/profiles/profile_name /config/cells/cell_name/nodes/ Web_server_name_node/servers/ Web_server_name/plugin-cfg.xml
What to do next
You can start a stand-alone application server and the Web server immediately after installing of the binary plug-in for the local Web server. Open the administrative console of the application server after you start the server and save the changed configuration.
See Selecting a Web server topology diagram and roadmap for an overview of the installation procedure.
See Configuration behavior of the Plug-ins installation wizard for information about the location of the plug-in configuration file.
See Web server configuration for information about the files involved in configuring a Web server.
See Editing Web server configuration files for information about how the Plug-ins installation wizard configures supported Web servers.
See Installing Web server plug-ins for information about other installation scenarios for installing Web server plug-ins.
Related concepts
Configuration behavior of the Plug-ins installation wizard
Web server configuration
Related tasks
Installing Web server plug-ins