Installing WebSphere Application Server 4.0

This article describes how to install WebSphere Application Server on an AIX machine by using the Custom Installation option.

These instructions assume the following:

  • The machine has enough memory and disk space for your installation. See the WebSphere Application Server Supported Hardware, Software, and APIs Web site at www.ibm.com/software/webservers/appserv/doc/latest/prereq.html for the requirements.
  • If you plan to use IBM HTTP Server, you will select it for installation during the WebSphere Application Server installation process. If you plan to use a different supported Web server with WebSphere, you have already installed it on the same machine that will contain WebSphere Application Server.
  • You have installed and configured a supported database for use with WebSphere Application Server.
  • You do not have a previous version of WebSphere Application Server already installed on this machine. If you do have a previous version of WebSphere Application Server already installed, do not follow these instructions. Instead, see the article Migration overview.

Note: IBM HTTP Server is provided with WebSphere Application Server. If you want to install and use a different supported Web server, you must purchase and install it separately.

Perform the following steps to install WebSphere Application Server:

  1. Ensure that you are logged into the machine with superuser (root) privileges.
  2. If IBM HTTP Server or another Web server is running on your system, stop the Web server.
  3. If you have a version of IBM HTTP Server older than version 1.3.19 installed on your machine, you must uninstall it before using the WebSphere Application Server installation program to install IBM HTTP Server 1.3.19.
  4. Insert the WebSphere Application Server CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive.
  5. If necessary, use the mkdir command to create a mount point for the CD-ROM. The following command creates a mount point at the directory /cdrom; you can mount the CD-ROM at any location on the machine's local file system.
    # mkdir /cdrom

    The commands in these steps assume the CD-ROM is mounted at /cdrom. If you mount the CD-ROM at a different location, use that location when issuing commands.

  6. Mount the CD-ROM drive by entering the following command:
    # mount -o ro -v cdrfs /dev/cdnumber /cdrom

    In this command, number is the CD-ROM number for your system, usually 0 (zero). Note that this command assumes that the CD-ROM is mounted at /cdrom.

  7. Ensure that your DISPLAY and TERM environment variables are set properly.
  8. If the supported Web server or database you plan to use with WebSphere is newer than the version currently required by WebSphere Application Server, you must update the prereq.properties file or disable the prerequisite checking functionality before installing WebSphere Application Server.

    To obtain an updated prereq.properties file, download the latest version from the WebSphere Application Server Tools Web site at www.ibm.com/software/webservers/appserv/tools.html. Ensure that the updated prereq.properties file is downloaded or copied into the local /tmp directory.

    To disable prerequisite checking functionality, perform the following steps:

    1. Copy the prereq.properties file from the /cdrom directory to the /tmp directory on the machine on which you plan to install WebSphere Application Server.
    2. Open the prereq.properties file in a text editor and disable prerequisite checking for an individual component by changing the value of the specific key from 1 to 0.
    3. Save the edited prereq.properties file.

  9. Navigate to the /cdrom/aix directory.
  10. If you have not downloaded an updated prereq.properties file or disabled the prerequisite checking functionality, start the WebSphere Application Server installation program by using the install.sh command, as follows:
    # ./install.sh

    If you have downloaded an updated prereq.properties file or disabled the prerequisite checking functionality as detailed in Step 8, start the WebSphere Application Server installation program by using the install.sh command, as follows:

    # ./install.sh -prereqfile /tmp/prereq.properties

  11. The Welcome to the IBM WebSphere Application Server Setup program dialog box opens. Click Next to continue.
  12. The Install Options dialog box opens. Select Custom Installation, and click Next.
  13. The Choose Application Server Components dialog box opens. Select the components you want to install and deselect the components you do not want to install. Note the following information:
    • The Java 2 Software Developer's Kit (SDK) is installed by default.
    • The Server, Admin, Samples, Application Assembly and Deployment Tools, IBM HTTP Server 1.3.19, and WebServer Plugins components are selected for installation by default.
    • If you plan to use WebSphere Application Server with IBM HTTP Server, ensure that the IBM HTTP Server 1.3.19 and Web Server Plugins options are selected.
    • If you plan to use WebSphere Application Server with a different supported Web server, ensure that the Web Server Plugins option is selected.

      Note: No plug-ins are required to launch the Application Server or the administrative console. However, for production applications, you will not be able to serve servlets without having installed a supported Web server and corresponding Web server plug-in.

      For non-production applications, you can use the internal HTTP transport system to serve servlets without installing a Web server plug-in by using the internal HTTP transport port 9080. For example, to serve the sample snoop servlet by using the internal HTTP transport, enter the URL http://local_host:9080/servlet/snoop. The internal HTTP transport mechanism is not designed for use in a production environment.

    • If you plan to install the Web server plug-in for IBM HTTP Server, you must select the IBM HTTP Server 1.3.19 option, or have it already installed on the machine.
    • These instructions assume that you are installing all of the components.

    Click Next to continue.

  14. If you selected the Web Server Plugins option, the Choose Application Server Components dialog box opens. Select the appropriate plug-in for your Web server, and click Next.
  15. The Database Options dialog opens. Depending on the database you have installed, complete one of the following set of instructions:
    • If you are using DB2, perform the following steps in the Database Options dialog:

      1. In the Database Type field, select DB2 from the pull-down menu.
      2. Ensure that Remote DB is not selected. For this example, the database and WebSphere Application Server are installed on the same node.
      3. In the Database Name (Database SID) field, type the name of the database, was40.
      4. In the DB Home field, type the full pathname of the home directory of the DB2 instance owner, /home/db2inst1, or specify the full pathname of the home directory by using the Browse button.
      5. The DB URL field cannot be edited.
      6. The Server Name field cannot be edited.
      7. The Port Number field cannot be edited.
      8. In the Database User ID field, type the name of the database instance owner, db2inst1.
      9. In the Database Password field, type the current password for the database instance owner.
      10. Click Next to continue.
    • If you are using Oracle, perform the following steps in the Database Options dialog:

      1. In the Database Type field, select Oracle from the pull-down menu.
      2. Ensure that Remote DB is not selected. For this example, the database and WebSphere Application Server are installed on the same node.
      3. In the Database Name (Database SID) field, type the name of the Oracle database you created. For example, ORA817.machine_name.
      4. In the DB Home field, type the full pathname of the directory you created to contain the Oracle software and to be the home directory of the user named oracle, or specify the full path name of the directory by using the Browse button. This path should also be the value of the ORACLE_HOME environment variable.
      5. In the DB URL field, accept the default value jdbc:oracle:thin:@fully_qualified_domain_name:port_number:database_name, or specify a different URL for accessing the database.
      6. In the Server Name field, type the name of the machine on which the database is installed.
      7. In the Port Number field, type the port number used to access the database.
      8. In the Database User ID field, type the name of the database owner, EJSADMIN.
      9. In the Database Password field, type the current password for the database owner.
      10. Click Next to continue.
    • If you are using Sybase, perform the following steps in the Database Options dialog:

      1. In the Database Type field, select Sybase from the pull-down menu.
      2. Ensure that Remote DB is not selected. For this example, the database and WebSphere Application Server are installed on the same node.
      3. In the Database Name (Database SID) field, type the name of the database, was40.
      4. In the DB Home field, type the path of the Sybase installation directory, or specify the full pathname of the directory by using the Browse button.
      5. The DB URL field cannot be edited.
      6. In the Server Name field, type the name of the machine on which the database is installed.
      7. In the Port Number field, type the port number used to access the database.
      8. In the Database User ID field, type the name of the database user for example, EJSADMIN.
      9. In the Database Password field, type the current password for the database user.
      10. Click Next to continue.
  16. The Select Destination Directory dialog opens. Specify the directory in which you want to install WebSphere Application Server. You can either accept the default destination directory or specify a different one by typing the full pathname or by clicking Browse. Note that if you've selected IBM HTTP Server for installation, you cannot modify the destination directory. Click Next to continue.
  17. The Install Options Selected dialog box opens. Verify that the information is correct and click Install to complete the installation.
  18. Depending on the machine's configuration, the Location of Configuration files dialog box can open. It prompts you to enter the full pathname of the directory in which you want to store the specified Web server configuration file. Specify the full pathname of the file by typing it in the field or by clicking Browse.
  19. The Setup Complete dialog box opens. To view the ReadMe file, ensure that Yes, I want to view the ReadMe File is selected and click Finish; the ReadMe file is displayed in a default browser window. To view the ReadMe file at a later time, deselect Yes, I want to view the ReadMe File and click Finish to exit from the WebSphere Application Server installation program.
  20. The WebSphere Application Server - First Steps dialog box opens. You can use this GUI to access product information in the InfoCenter, start the administrative server, launch the administrative console, or launch the application assembly tool. Because you must first start and possibly configure the Web server before using WebSphere, close this dialog for now. You can launch the First Steps GUI at a later time by running the firststeps.sh script located in the /usr/WebSphere/AppServer/bin directory.
  21. Unmount the CD-ROM before removing it from the CD-ROM drive by using the umount command, as follows:
    # umount /cdrom
  22. If you are using a Web server other than IBM HTTP Server, start the server. If you are using IBM HTTP Server and have installed it during the WebSphere Application Server installation, you may need to configure the Web Server to run it successfully.

    Perform the following steps to verify that IBM HTTP Server is installed and configured correctly:

    1. Ensure that the Web server is running. If not, start it by entering the following command:
      # /usr/HTTPServer/bin/apachectl start
    2. Start a browser and enter the name of the local machine as the URL. If you see the IBM HTTP Server Web page, the server is installed and configured correctly.
    See the IBM HTTP Server documentation Web site at www.ibm.com/software/webservers/httpservers/library.html for more information about configuring IBM HTTP Server.

    To enable the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) for IBM HTTP Server, see the IBM HTTP Server documentation Web site at www.ibm.com/software/webservers/httpservers/doc/v1319/index.html for more information.

  23. Proceed to the article Testing the installation.