Installing WebSphere Application Server

Install IBM® WebSphere® Application Server using the Installation wizard on distributed operating system platforms. You can install from the installation image on the product media, or the downloaded Passport Advantage® image.

Before you begin

This topic describes how to install the application server product using the Installation wizard graphical user interface. Other available installation procedures include:

Knowing which components to install and in what order to install them is important. Before starting this installation, see Planning the WebSphere Application Server product installation. The planning diagrams show typical topologies for the product. The solutions are also available through the Installation solution diagrams link in the launchpad. See Using the launchpad to start installations. You cannot run the launchpad remotely to install a product. Only local use of the launchpad is supported.

Make sure that your operating system is ready for product installation. Read the Preparing the operating system for product installation topic for more information.

Avoid trouble: If you are installing remotely and want to use the installation wizard, then you must use a connection mechanism that supports the use of graphics. If your connection does not support the use of graphics, then install the product silently.gotcha

About this task

Perform the following installation procedure to select available features for the base WebSphere Application Server product and to select characteristics for the application server profile.

Procedure

  1. Log on to the operating system. If you are installing as a non-root or non-administrative user, then there are certain limitations.
    [AIX] [HP-UX] [Linux] [Solaris] In addition, select a umask that allows the owner to read/write to the files, and allows others to access them according to the prevailing system policy. For root, a umask of 022 is recommended. For non-root users, a umask of 002 or 022 could be used, depending on whether or not the users share the group. To verify the umask setting, issue the following command:
    umask
    To set the umask setting to 022, issue the following command:
    umask 022
    [Windows] When installing as an administrative user on a Windows® operating system, a Windows service is automatically created to autostart the application server. The installer user account must have the following advanced user rights:
    • Act as part of the operating system
    • Log on as a service
    For example, on some Windows operating systems, click Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Local Security Policy > Local Policies > User Rights Assignments to set the advanced options. See your Windows operating system documentation for more information.

    [Windows] If you plan to run the application server as a Windows service, do not install from 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 restriction, install with a user ID that does not contain spaces.

  2. Access the root directory of your installation image on your hard disk, or insert the disk labeled WebSphere Application Server into the disk drive.
    The application server product installer is spanned across multiple CDs. If you are installing the product from CD, you will be prompted during the installation for the next CD.
    Best practice: Use the following procedure to avoid being prompted for subsequent CDs:
    1. Copy both installation CDs into the same parent directory (for example, WebSphere7) on your hard disk
    2. Name the directories DISC1 and DISC2 (for example, WebSphere7/DISC1 and WebSphere7/DISC2)
    3. If your system's language is not set to English, set the language to English for the duration of the installation.
      Note: If your language is set to something other than English, the installer will still prompt you to enter the second CD.
    4. Run the installer from the DISC1 directory after following the remaining instructions in this document.
    5. After you have completed the installation, reset your system's language to its previous setting if you had changed it during the installation.
    You will not be prompted for the next CD during installation if you have followed this naming convention. If you are installing silently, then you must follow this procedure or the installation will not proceed. If you are installing from a DVD or a downloaded image, then you do not need to take any action because these images are not spanned.bprac
    [AIX] [HP-UX] [Linux] [Solaris] Mount the drive if necessary as described in Mounting disk drives on operating systems such as AIX and Linux.
    [Linux] Avoid trouble: If you attempt to install the application Server from a CD or DVD that has been burned from an ISO image on Red Hat Linux®, the launchpad and installer applications might fail to run. When Red Hat Linux automatically mounts a CD or DVD, you cannot run the disk. The installation scripts and the launchpad script are unable to run properly. To resolve this issue, unmount the disk and then remount it with the relevant read and execute levels.gotcha
  3. Start the installation.
    Start the installation of a product image with the launchpad script.
    • [AIX] [HP-UX] [Linux] [Solaris] launchpad.sh
    • [Windows] launchpad.bat or launchpad.exe

    Or you can start the installation directly with the install command.

    • [AIX] [HP-UX] [Linux] [Solaris] /WAS/install
    • [Windows] \WAS\install
    [Windows] Avoid trouble: There might be certain operating system policy restrictions if you are installing as a non-administrator on Windows 2003 on an AMD processor. You might not be able to run the install command by double-clicking the file in Windows Explorer. Run the command from a command prompt or rename the command to something other than install.exe or setup.exe and run the command.gotcha
    If an error occurs with the Java™ SE Runtime Environment 6 (JRE 6), force the installation to use the correct runtime environment with the following command, where downloaded_directory is the name of the directory in which you downloaded the image:
    • [AIX] [HP-UX] [Linux] [Solaris] ./install -is:javahome disk_mount_point/downloaded_directory/JDK/jre.pak/repository/package.java.jre/java/jre
    • [Windows] install -is:javahome disk_drive:\downloaded_directory\JDK\jre.pak\repository\package.java.jre\java\jre

    If you cannot start the launchpad, use the troubleshooting information in Using the launchpad to start installations to correct the problem.

    When using the launchpad, launch the installation wizard for WebSphere Application Server.

  4. The installation wizard initializes and then displays the Welcome panel.

    Click Next to continue.

  5. The license agreement panel is displayed. Read the license agreement and accept its terms. After you accept the licensing terms, the installation wizard checks for a supported operating system and prerequisite patches.

    Although the installation wizard automatically checks for prerequisite operating system patches with the prereqChecker application, review the prerequisites on the WebSphere Application Server detailed system requirements Web site if you have not already done so. The Web site lists all supported operating systems and the operating system fixes and patches that you must install to have a compliant operating system.

    The installation process verifies that the minimum required version of a supported operating system is available. If you meet the minimum release requirements or are at a higher minor release of a supported operating system, then you will not encounter a prerequisite error. If you are not at the minimum version of a supported operating system, you can continue with the installation, but the installation or product operation might not succeed without applying maintenance. If you are at a higher major release of a supported operating system, or the operating system itself is not on the supported list, you might encounter the following warning:
    Warning: A supported operating system was not detected.
    
    Support for your operating system might have been added after the release of the product.
    See the WebSphere Application Server detailed system requirements Web pages for more information
    about supported operating systems. You can continue with the installation, but the installation
    or product operation might not succeed without applying maintenance. Go to the product support Web pages 
    to obtain the latest maintenance packages to apply after installation.

    Refer to the documentation for non-IBM prerequisite and corequisite products to learn how to migrate to their supported versions.

    Click the radio button beside the message I accept both the IBM and the non-IBM terms to agree to the license agreement and click Next to continue.

  6. The systems prerequisite check panel is displayed. After confirming that your operating system is supported and that you have installed all necessary patches, click Next to continue. The Installation wizard checks for a previous application server installation at the same product level.
  7. If you are installing the product as a non-root user (or a non Administrator on Windows operating systems), then a panel is displayed indicating that a non-root user has been detected. This panel contains important information about installing as a non-root user. See Non-root installations for more information. Click Next.
  8. If the wizard detects a previous installation, the product-detection panel is displayed.
    Perform one of the following actions:
  9. The optional features panel is displayed.
    There are several features available. If you choose not to install a feature at this time, then you can run the installer later and add features to this installation. Choose from the following features:
    • Install the sample applications

      Installs the samples applications for learning and demonstration environments. The samples are not recommended for installation on production environments.

    • Install non-English language packages for the administrative console

      Installs all the non-English language files for using the administrative console from machines with non-English locales. If you do not select this option then only the English language pack is installed.

    • Install non-English language packages for the application server runtime environment

      Installs all the non-English language files that support the application server runtime environment such as the wsadmin tool and logging. If you do not select this option then only the English language pack is installed.

    New feature: Language support has been modularized into language packs for the administrative console and application server runtime components. This allows you to update your current language packs or add new language packs released by IBM using the Update Installer. The language pack design also allows you to defer installing non-English language packs for these two components if you want to save disk space.newfeat
    Avoid trouble: You might want to defer installing features, such as language packs and samples, to save disk space. However, consider installing the features if there is a chance you might use them in the future. If you choose not to install the features and then later install maintenance, you will have to uninstall all maintenance, install the features, and then reapply all maintenance or the features might be corrupted.gotcha

    Select the features you want to install and click Next.

  10. The installation directory panel is displayed. Specify the destination of the installation root directory and click Next.

    Specify the location of the installation root directory for the product binaries, which are also known as the core product files or system files.

    The core product files do not change unless you:
    • Add a feature
    • Install maintenance, such as refresh packs, fix packs, or interim fixes
    • Install another product that extends the base product.

    The system-owned default app_server_root directories for installing as a root user or an administrator are different than the user-owned default app_server_root directories when installing as a non-root installer.

    Restriction:
    • Deleting the default target location and leaving an installation directory field empty prevents you from continuing.
    • [AIX] [HP-UX] [Linux] [Solaris] Do not use symbolic links as the destination directory. Symbolic links are not supported.
    • [AIX] [HP-UX] [Linux] [Solaris] Do not use spaces in the name of the installation directory. These spaces are not supported.
    • [Windows] Do not use a semicolon in the directory name. WebSphere Application Server cannot install properly if the target directory includes a semicolon. A semicolon is the character used to construct the class path on Windows systems.
    • [Windows] Do not use parenthesis characters in your installation path because they are not supported. If you use these characters, profile creation and other high-impact failures will occur.
      Avoid trouble: When you attempt to install the 32-bit product on a 64-bit Windows system, the default installation path contains parenthesis characters. To successfully install and configure the product, you must change the installation path so that it does not contain these characters. However, if you use a Customized Installation Package (CIP) that contains Fix Pack 7.0.0.1 or a later, you can use the default installation path when you install 32-bit WebSphere Application Server Version 7 on a 64-bit Windows system.gotcha
    • [Windows] The maximum path length on the Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7 operating systems is 60 characters.

    The installer program checks for required space before calling the Installation wizard. If you do not have enough space, stop the installation program, free space by deleting unused files and emptying the recycle bin, then restart the installation.

  11. Select an initial server environment on the WebSphere Application Server environments panel.
    The following values are valid:
    Table 1. Profile types
    Profile Type Description
    Management
    Create a management profile that provides the servers and services necessary to manage your WebSphere environment. You can select one of the following management profile types on the following panel:
    • Administrative agent

      The basic function of the administrative agent is to provide a single interface to administer multiple application servers.

    Application server Create a standalone application server profile.
    None Do not create a profile during installation. However, if you do not create a profile during installation, then you must create a profile after installation to have an operational product.
  12. The administrative security panel is displayed. Choose whether to enable administrative security and click Next.

    The default setting is to enable administrative security. Clear the check box to disable security or supply an administrative ID and password. If you are installing the samples on an application server profile, you must specify the samples security information in the samples section below the administrative security section.

    Tip:
    • In environments where you plan to have multiple standalone application servers, the security policy of each application server profile is independent of the others. Changes to the security policies in one application server profile are not synchronized with the other profiles.
    • Write down the user name and password. You cannot log onto the administrative console without it. You cannot use the product at all unless you know the ID and password.
  13. The installation summary panel is displayed.
    • [AIX] [HP-UX] [Linux] [Solaris] If you are installing as a non-root user, you can choose to verify whether you have the correct permissions to install the product successfully. Select the Verify my permissions to perform the installation check box if you wish to verify your permissions to install the product. If the permission check fails, then review your user permissions and retry the installation.
    • [Windows] The verify permissions function is currently not available on Windows operating systems.

    Review the summary information. Click Next to install the product code or Back to change your specifications.

    The installation wizard creates the uninstaller program and then displays a progress panel that shows which components are being installed.

  14. The Installation results panel is displayed. Verify the success of the installer program by examining the completion panel and the app_server_root/logs/install/log.txt file to verify that there were no file system or other unusual errors while installing. If there are problems, correct them, and reinstall the product. Important information about the profile you created is also available in profile_root/logs/AboutThisProfile.txt. See Troubleshooting installation for more information on other installation logs and log locations.

    Select the Launch the First steps console checkbox if you wish to launch the First steps application. Use the First steps console to verify the installation, start the Profile Management Tool, start the application server, or open the administrative console, where you can deploy sample applications. See the First steps documentation for more information.

    If you did not create a profile during the installation, the option to launch the Profile Management Tool is displayed. Use the Profile Management Tool to create an operational environment that includes a profile.

    If the installation of the core product files fails, fix the error and reinstall.

    If the creation of a profile fails, fix the error and run the Profile Management Tool to recreate the profile.

    Troubleshoot the installation if the app_server_root/logs/install/log.txt file or the app_server_root/logs/manageprofiles/profile_name_create.log file does not contain a record of any errors, but errors exist.

    [Windows] Examine the Start menu entry. The menu is an indication of a successful installation:
    • [All] Programs > IBM WebSphere > Application Server V7.0
    [Windows] Note: [aug2010] Generally, WebSphere Application Server creates its shortcut under the user who installs WebSphere Application Server. Windows security governs whether another user who is in the same user group as the installing user can see this shortcut. [aug2010]
    aug2010

    If problems exist that cause you to reinstall the product, correct the errors, uninstall the product as described in the uninstallation topics, reboot a Windows machine or log off and back on as root on a machine with an operating system such as AIX® or Linux, and reinstall.

  15. Click Finish to close the installation wizard.

    If you did not create a profile during the installation, the option to launch the Profile Management Tool is displayed. Use the Profile Management Tool to create an operational environment that includes a profile.

    See the profiles documentation for more information.

    If you did create a profile, select the check box to open the First Steps console then click Finish.

Results

This procedure results in the installation wizard installing WebSphere Application Server into the installation root directory. The installation wizard creates a profile named default that provides the runtime environment for the server1 application server.

Further configuration is not necessary at this time. However, you can create additional standalone application servers with the Profile Management Tool. Each profile is created in the profile_root directory by default.

See the documentation on profiles for more information.

What to do next

After installing the product from the installation image, the next step is to check for available updates before you alter the configuration of the product. Read the "Installing maintenance packages" topic for more information.

After creating an application server profile, you can deploy an application. See Fast paths for WebSphere Application Server to get started deploying applications.




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Last updated: Oct 21, 2010 12:05:26 PM CDT
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