Uninstall a WebSphere Application Server product from a Windows
system by running the uninstaller program and performing some manual steps
to remove log files and registry entries. Such registry entries can prevent
you from reinstalling the product into the original directory. If you are
not planning to reinstall, you do not have to uninstall manually.
Before you begin
The uninstaller program removes all profiles,
including all of the configuration data and applications in each profile.
Before you start the uninstall procedure, back up the config folder,
the installableApps folder, and the installedApps folder
of each profile if necessary. See Using command line tools
for
a description of managing configuration files. Back up all applications that
are not stored in another location.
Determine the installation root directory for the product so
that you remove the correct product and produce a clean system.
About this task
Reinstalling
the product into a new directory when files remain from a previous installation
can create a coexistence scenario. However, you can delete all files and registry
entries to completely remove a WebSphere Application Server product. A clean
system lets you reinstall the product into the original directory without
coexistence.
Default directories are shown in the following
planning table:
Identifier |
Directory |
Actual location |
app_server_root |
C:\Program Files\IBM\WebSphere\AppServer |
|
profile_root |
C:\Program Files\IBM\WebSphere\AppServer\profiles |
|
plugins_root |
C:\Program Files\IBM\WebSphere\Plugins |
|
If you move either installation root directory,
move them to a shorter path name. Some Windows systems have a length restriction
of 258 characters for a command. A problem can occur that prevents the successful
creation of a profile when either path is too long. The maximum length for
the installation root directory is 60 characters. The maximum length for the
profiles installation root directory is 80 characters.
The Installation
wizard and the
Profile Creation wizard let
you specify your own locations for installation root directories.
Examine
the following files to determine the actual locations:
- The app_server_root\logs\wasprofile\wasprofile_create_profile_name.log file for each created profile identifies the installation
location in the stanza with the <method>invokeWSProfile</method> tag.
Perform the following procedure to produce
a clean system.
- Log on with a user ID that belongs to the
administrator group.
- Run the uninstaller program for the Web server plug-ins
for WebSphere Application Server.
If a Web server is configured
to run with the application server, uninstall the plug-ins to remove the configuration
from the Web server. See Uninstalling the Web server plug-ins for WebSphere Application Server
.
- Stop any browsers and any Java processes related to WebSphere Application
Server products, as described in Uninstalling the product
.
- Issue the uninstall command.
If you have already run the uninstaller program or
if you cannot run the uninstaller program, skip this step.
See the description of the uninstall command
for more information.
The Uninstaller
wizard begins and displays the Welcome panel.
- Verify that you have an Emergency Recovery Disk. Instructions for
creating this disk are in the Windows help documentation.
This
step is a safeguard. This procedure does not require the recovery disk.
- Use the regback.exe program from the Windows
Resource Kit to back up the registry.
This step is a safeguard.
This procedure does not require the backup copy of the registry.
- Delete product registry entries for the WebSphere Application Server
product that you are uninstalling.
Edit the Windows system registry
by invoking the regedit.exe command from a command prompt.
Handle the Registry with care
Note: You can easily make
a mistake while using the registry editor to view and edit registry contents.
The editor does not warn you of editing errors, which can be extremely dangerous.
A corrupt registry can disrupt your system to the point where your only option
is to reinstall the Windows operating system.
- Press Ctrl-F to search for all instances
of WebSphere to determine whether you should delete
each entry. You might not be able to remove all of the entries related to
WebSphere Application Server, which is not a problem.
- Expand and select keys related to WebSphere Application Server products.
Delete
the following keys for the WebSphere Application Server product:
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ Software\ Microsoft\
Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Explorer\ MenuOrder\ Start Menu\ Programs\ IBM WebSphere\
Application Server Network Deployment v6.x
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ Software\IBM\ WebSphere
Application Server Network Deployment\ 6.x.x.x
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ Software\ IBM\ Web server Plug-ins for IBM WebSphere
Application Server\ 6.x.x.x
- Click Edit > Delete from the menu bar
for each related key.
- Click Yes when asked to confirm deletion
of the key.
- Click Registry > Exit from the menu bar
when you are finished.
- Delete the installation root directory for the product that you
are uninstalling.
- Determine all of the profile directories and remove the directories.
- Open a Windows Explorer window and browse to the C:\Documents
and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\IBM WebSphere directory.
If you have one installation of a WebSphere Application Server product,
delete the following folder:
Application Server Network Deployment v6.x
- Delete the %WINDIR%\IsUninst.exe file.
%WINDIR% is a variable. The Windows installation
folder might be, for example, C:\Windows or C:\Winnt.
- Edit the vpd.properties file
.
The file is located in the installation directory of the operating
system, such as the C:\WINNT directory or the C:\windows directory.
Do
not delete or rename the vpd.properties file because
the InstallShield MultiPlatform (ISMP) program uses it for other products
that it installs. If the WebSphere Application Server product that you are
uninstalling is the only product with entries in the vpd.properties file,
you can delete this file.
- Edit the .WASRegistry file.
The file location is the home directory of the user ID who installed
the product, %USERPROFILE%\.WASRegistry.
The .WASRegistry file contains a one-line
entry for each WebSphere Application Server product installation.
You
can delete the file if there is just one line that identifies the product
that you are removing. Otherwise, use a flat-file editor to remove the line
that identifies the installation root directory of the product that you are
removing. Leave the other lines intact. Do not delete the .WASRegistry file
unless you are removing all of the installations listed in the file.
The following example shows a .WASRegistry file
for a Linux system with five installations:
C:\Program Files\IBM\WebSphere\AppServer
C:\IBM\WebSphere\AppServer
C:\ExpressV6\IBM\WebSphere\AppServer
C:\ND_Install_9_25_2005_build\IBM\WebSphere\AppServer
C:\Express_09_25_2005\IBM\WebSphere\AppServer
- Restart your machine if a prompt displays that directs you to restart.