The launchpad console is the starting point for installing IBM® WebSphere® Application Server Network Deployment.
About this task
The launchpad identifies components on the product disk
or image that you can install (launch).
WebSphere Application Server is an integrated
platform that contains an application server, a set of web development
tools, a web server, and additional supporting software and documentation.
The launchpad is a single point of reference for installing the entire
application server environment. If you click a link that points to
a product repository on another disk or image, you are prompted to
insert that disk or browse to that image. For example, IBM HTTP Server, Web Server Plug-ins for IBM WebSphere Application Server, Application
Client for IBM WebSphere Application Server, and the WebSphere Customization Toolbox
are on the supplements disk. If you click a link to launch those products,
you must insert the supplements disk in the disk drive or point the
installer to the product repositories to install the product from
the launchpad.
Procedure
- Start the launchpad.
The launchpad program
is available in the root directory of the product disk. You can start
the launchpad manually using a fully qualified command instead of
changing directories to the disk and running the command locally from
the root directory:
Avoid trouble: Some Windows operating systems such as Windows 2003, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, and Windows 7 have implemented a more restrictive
security policy that denies access to trusted files by non-trusted
files or applications. When the launchpad application is run as a
non-trusted program, you will receive JavaScript
"Access is denied" errors
that subsequently cause the application to hang. Because downloaded
images are automatically blocked, unblock the files so that the launchpad
can successfully access the files. Before you extract the image, right-click
the image file and select
Properties to open the Properties
panel and locate the security section and click the
Unblock button.
You can now extract the image and run the launchpad application.
gotcha
The
launchpad opens in the language of the locale setting of the machine.
- Use the launchpad to perform the following tasks.
- View the Welcome page, and access links to the IBM WebSphere Application
Server Information Center and the IBM Education
Assistant.
- Launch IBM Installation
Manager installation, and access the IBM Installation
Manager Information Center.
- Launch IBM Packaging Utility
installation, and access the Packaging Utility section of the IBM Installation Manager Information
Center.
- Launch Installation Manager to install WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment, and access the installation
instructions in the information center.
- Launch Installation Manager to install DMZ Secure
Proxy Server for IBM WebSphere Application Server,
and access the installation instructions in the information center.
- Launch Installation Manager to install IBM HTTP Server, and access the installation
instructions in the information center.
- Launch Installation Manager to install Web Server Plug-ins for IBM WebSphere Application Server, and access
the installation instructions in the information center.
- Launch Installation Manager to install the WebSphere Customization Toolbox, and access
the installation instructions in the information center.
- Launch Installation Manager to install the Application Client
for IBM WebSphere Application Server, and access
the installation instructions in the information center.
- Launch Installation Manager to install IBM WebSphere Edge Components: Load Balancer
for IPv4 and access the installation instructions in the information
center.
- Launch Installation Manager to install IBM WebSphere Edge Components: Load Balancer
for IPv4 and IPv6 and access the installation instructions in the
information center.
- Launch Installation Manager to install IBM WebSphere Edge Components: Caching Proxy
and access the installation instructions in the information center.
- Access the latest version of IBM Support
Assistant.
- Access the latest version of the IBM Tivoli® Composite Application
Manager for WebSphere Application
Server.
- Access the latest version of the IBM Tivoli Federated
Identity Manager.
- Launch Installation Manager to install IBM WebSphere SDK Java Technology Edition Version
7.0, and access the installation instructions in the information center.
- Launch Installation Manager to install the Web 2.0 and Mobile
Toolkit, and access the installation instructions in the information
center.
- Launch Installation Manager to install IBM WebSphere Adapters.
Results
This procedure results in using the launchpad to start the
installation and to access information through a browser.
Troubleshooting
If
you can start the launchpad but clicking a link does not resolve to
a page in the launchpad, you might have the wrong media in the disk
drive. Check the validity of the media.
If the launchpad links still do not work after following
this procedure, launch Installation Manager and point it at the appropriate
repositories to install the offerings.
What to do next
Go to Installing and uninstalling the product on distributed operating systems to continue
installing your application serving environment.