This topic describes creating a runtime environment for a custom
profile.
About this task
After installing the core product files for the Network Deployment
product, you must create a profile. It can be a deployment manager profile,
an application server profile, or a custom profile. This topic describes creating
a custom profile using the Profile Creation wizard. A custom profile is an empty node that you can customize to include application
servers, clusters, or other Java processes, such as a messaging server.
You can use the Profile Creation wizard in silent mode with a response file instead of the graphical user interface.
See responsefile.pct.NDmanagedProfile.txt
for
examples of using the Profile Creation wizard in silent mode.
You can also use the wasprofile command to create a custom profile. See the description of the wasprofile command
for more information.
By default, the Profile Creation wizard federates
a custom node when you create a custom profile. Federating the node makes
the node operational. You must have access to a running deployment manager
to federate the node.
If the custom
profile is on a machine that does not have a deployment manager, the deployment
manager must be accessible over the network to allow the federation of the
node.
- Install the product to create the core product files.
- Start the Profile Creation wizard to
create a new runtime environment.
Several ways exist
to start the wizard:
This task selects the Profile Creation wizard from
the First steps console:
- Open a command window.
- Change directories to the firststeps directory
in the installation root directory:
- Issue the firststeps command to start the console:
./firststeps.sh
firststeps.bat
- Select the Profile Creation wizard option
on the console.
The Profile Creation wizard is
an InstallShield for Multiplatforms application. The wizard loads the Java
2 SDK and then displays its Welcome panel.
See the description of the firststeps command
for
more information.
- Click Next on the Welcome panel.
The wizard displays the Profile type selection panel.
- Select Create a custom profile and
click Next.
The wizard displays the Custom-profile federation
panel.
- Specify the host name and SOAP port of the
deployment manager and click Next.
After federation, the process in the custom profile is
the node agent process. The node agent process is the agent of the deployment
manager for the custom node. The node agent responds to commands from the
deployment manager to perform tasks that include the following actions:
- Creating application server processes, clusters, and cluster members
- Starting and stopping application server processes
- Synchronizing configurations between the current edition on the deployment
manager and the copy that exists on the node
- Deleting application server processes
See the system administration section of the information center for more
information about node agents and their tasks.
Should
you federate the node?
The recommendation is that
you federate the custom node at this time. The deployment manager must be
running and accessible when you click Next on the Federation panel
to federate the custom node. If the custom profile is on a machine that does
not have a deployment manager, the deployment manager must be running and
accessible over the network to allow the federation of the node. If the deployment
manager is not running or not accessible before you click Next, but
you can start it and make it accessible at this time, do so. Otherwise, select
the check box to federate the node later.
If you are
unsure whether the deployment manager is running or accessible, do not federate
now. Federate the node later.
If
security is enabled on the deployment manager node, you must federate later
using the addNode command to enter a user ID and password on the command.
A possibility exists that the deployment manager is reconfigured
to use the non-default remote method invocation (RMI) as the preferred Java
Management Extensions (JMX) connector. Click System Administration > Deployment
manager > Administrative services in the administrative console of the
deployment manager to verify the preferred connector type.
If
RMI is the preferred JMX connector, you must use the addNode command
to federate the custom profile later. Use the addNode command so that
you can specify the JMX connector type and the RMI port.
If
the deployment manager uses the default SOAP JMX connector type, specify the
host name and SOAP port and federate the node now to create a functional node
that you can customize.
Federating when the deployment
manager is not available
If
you federate a custom node when the deployment manager is not running or is
not available because of security being enabled or for other reasons, the
installation indicator in the logs is INSTCONFFAIL to indicate a complete
failure. The resulting custom profile is unusable. You must move the custom
profile directory out of the profile repository (the profiles installation
root directory) before creating another custom profile with the same profile
name.
If the deployment
manager is unavailable, an immediate failure occurs prior to profile creation.
You must restart the profile creation and either ensure the deployment manager
is active and the connection information specified is correct, or select the
federate later option.
Click Next to
display the Profile name panel.
- Specify a name for the
profile, or accept the default: click Next.
Profile
naming guidelines: Double-byte characters are supported. The profile name
can be any unique name with the following restrictions. Do not use any of
the following characters when naming your profile:
- Spaces
- Illegal special characters that are not supported within the name of a
directory on your operating system, such as *&?
- Slashes (/) or (\)
The default profile
The first
profile that you create on a machine is the default profile. The default profile
is the default target for commands that are issued from the bin directory
in the product installation root. When only one profile exists on a machine,
every command works on the only server process in the configuration.
Addressing
a profile in a multiprofile environment
When two or
more profiles exist on a machine, certain commands require that you specify
the profile to which the command applies. These commands use the -profileName
parameter to identify which profile to address. You might find it easier to
use the commands that are in the bin directory of each profile.
The commands are found in the:
A command has two lines. The first line sets the WAS_USER_SCRIPT environment
variable for the command window. The variable sets up the command environment
to address the profile. The second line calls the actual command in the
The actual command queries the command shell to determine
the calling profile and to autonomically address the command to the calling
profile.
The
wizard then displays the Profile directory panel.
- Specify a location for the profile and click Next.
If you click Back and change the name of the profile, you
must manually change the name on this panel when it displays again.
The
wizard displays the Node and host names panel.
- Specify the node and host characteristics for the
custom profile and click Next.
Migration considerations
If
you plan to migrate an installation of V5.x Network Deployment to V6, use
the same cell name for the V6 deployment manager that you used for the V5.x
cell. A cell name must be unique in any circumstance in which the product is running on the same physical machine or cluster of machines, such as a sysplex. Additionally, a cell name must be unique in any circumstance in which network connectivity between entities is required either between the cells or from a client that must communicate with each of the cells. Cell names also must be unique if their name spaces are going to be federated. Otherwise, you might encounter symptoms such as a javax.naming.NameNotFoundException exception, in which case, you need to create uniquely named cells.
After
migrating the cell, the V5 managed nodes are now managed by the V6 deployment
manager in compatibility mode. You can migrate individual V5 managed nodes
in the cell to V6. To do so, you must create a V6 profile with the same node
name as the V5 managed node.
Reserved
names: Avoid using reserved folder names as field values. The use of reserved
folder names can cause unpredictable results. The following words are reserved:
- cells
- nodes
- servers
- clusters
- applications
- deployments
The
custom profile has the following characteristics:
Field name |
Default value |
Constraints |
Description |
Node name |
|
Avoid using the reserved words. Use a unique name
within the deployment manager cell.
If you plan to migrate a V5 managed
node, use the same node name for this V6 custom profile.
|
The name is used for administration within the deployment
manager cell to which the custom profile is added. Use a unique name within
the deployment manager cell. After migrating a V5 deployment manager cell
to a V6 deployment manager, you can migrate the V5 custom profiles that are
running in compatibility mode in the V6 deployment manager.
|
Host name |
|
The host name must be addressable through your network. |
Use the actual DNS name or IP address of your machine
to enable communication with your machine. See additional information about
the host name that follows this table. |
Directory path considerations
The
number of characters in the profiles_directory_path\profile_name directory
must be less than or equal to 80 characters.
Host
name considerations
The host name is the network name
for the physical machine on which the node is installed. The host name must
resolve to a physical network node on the server. When multiple network cards
exist in the server, the host name or IP address must resolve to one of the
network cards. Remote nodes use the host name to connect to and communicate
with this node. Selecting a host name that other machines can reach within
your network is extremely important. Do not use the generic identifier, localhost,
for this value. Also, do not attempt to install WebSphere Application Server
products on a machine with a host name that uses characters from the double-byte
character set (DBCS). DBCS characters are not supported when used in the host
name.
If you define coexisting nodes on the same computer
with unique IP addresses, define each IP address in a domain name server (DNS)
look-up table. Configuration files for stand-alone Application Servers do
not provide domain name resolution for multiple IP addresses on a machine
with a single network address.
The value that you specify
for the host name is used as the value of the hostName property in configuration
documents for the stand-alone Application Server. Specify the host name value
in one of the following formats:
- Fully qualified domain name server (DNS) host name string, such as xmachine.manhattan.ibm.com
- The default short DNS host name string, such as xmachine
- Numeric IP address, such as 127.1.255.3
The fully qualified DNS host name has the advantages
of being totally unambiguous and flexible. You have the flexibility of changing
the actual IP address for the host system without having to change the Application
Server configuration. This value for the host name is particularly useful
if you plan to change the IP address frequently when using Dynamic Host Configuration
Protocol (DHCP) to assign IP addresses. A format disadvantage is a dependency
on DNS. If DNS is not available, then connectivity is compromised.
The short host name is also dynamically resolvable. A short name
format has the added ability of being redefined in the local hosts file so
that the system can run the Application Server, even when disconnected from
the network. Define the short name to 127.0.0.1 (local loopback) in the hosts
file to run disconnected. A format disadvantage is a dependency on DNS for
remote access. If DNS is not available, then connectivity is compromised.
A numeric IP address has the advantage of not requiring name resolution
through DNS. A remote node can connect to the node that you name with a numeric
IP address without DNS being available. A format disadvantage is that the
numeric IP address is fixed. You must change the setting of the hostName property
in Express configuration documents whenever you change the machine IP address.
Therefore, do not use a numeric IP address if you use DHCP, or if you change
IP addresses regularly. Another format disadvantage is that you cannot use
the node if the host is disconnected from the network.
After
specifying custom profile characteristics, the wizard displays the Port value
assignment panel.
- Specify port assignments that do not conflict
for the custom profile and click Next.
When federating
a custom profile, the addNode command uses non-conflicting ports. This
means that you can take the default port assignments as you create the profile,
and let the addNode command specify non-conflicting ports as you federate
the node. Port assignments must be unique on a machine. application server
processes on different machines can use the same port assignments without
conflict.
After specifying non-conflicting port assignments, the wizard
displays the Profile summary panel.
- Verify that the ports specified are unique and click Next.
The
Profile Creation Summary panel displays.
The
deployment manager must be running and accessible when you click Next so
that the profile creation succeeds. Since the deployment manager had to be
running and accessible when you clicked on the previous panel, it is most
likely still running and accessible. If you think the deployment manager might
not be running or might be inaccessible, follow the recommendations in this
step to start and make accessible the deployment manager.
- Click Next to create
the custom profile or click Back to change the characteristics of the
custom profile.
The wizard displays a Status
panel as the wizard creates the custom profile. At the end of the installation,
the wizard displays the Profile creation is complete panel.
- Click Finish to exit the Profile Creation wizard.
Results
You created a custom profile. The node within the profile is empty
until you federate the node and use the deployment manager to customize the
node.
The directory structure shows the new profile
folder within the profiles directory. The profile folder has the
same name as the profile that you create.
Refer to the
description of the wasprofile command
to
learn about creating a profile using a command instead of a wizard.
The Profile Creation wizard creates a log during profile
creation. The logs are in the install_dir/logs/wasprofile directory. The files are named in this pattern: wasprofile_create_profile_name.log.
One
known problem in the log for a custom profile is that the -federateLater option
is displayed in the log, regardless of whether the option is used.