Deploying WebFacing applications to WebSphere Application Server

After you have created and converted a WebFacing project with the WebFacing Tool, you will need to deploy it to an application server. WebSphere Application Server deployment involves three general tasks:

  1. Export your WebFacing project as an EAR file. An EAR file is a compressed Enterprise Application Archive.
  2. Use the WebSphere administration console to install the exported EAR file.
  3. Start the Web application
Related concepts
Deployment descriptor

The WebSphere Test Environment

During your development phase, it can be convenient to use the WebSphere Test Environment as a deployment alternative to the WebSphere Application Server on your iSeries server. The test environment is a feature of the Development Studio Client IDE. For more information on the test environment, see the document The WebSphere Test Environment.

Deploying to WebSphere Application Server 5.0 and later (Standard and Express)

  1. Export your WebFacing project as an EAR file.
    1. From the WebFacing Tool IDE, select File > Export. The Export wizard is launched.
    2. In the Export wizard, under Select an export destination, select EAR file. Click Next.
    3. In the EAR Export screen, select the WebFacing project that you would like to export in the field EAR project.
    4. Next to the Destination field, click Browse to select the directory that you would like to export the EAR file to and to choose a name for the EAR file. The browser-based Administrative Console enables you to install EAR files that are either on your workstation or that are already in the IFS on your iSeries server. If you would like to first transfer your files to IFS you can do so by using Remote System Explorer in the workbench, FTP, or by creating a file share on your server and mapping a network drive on your workstation to that file share.
    5. Click Finish to create the EAR file.
  2. Use the application installation wizard to install the EAR file.
    1. Log on to the browser based Administrative Console. Generally, after you have installed WebSphere Application Server on your server, the URL for the Administrative Console is http://server_name:9090/admin/ for WebSphere Application Server V5, or http://server_name:9060/admin/ for WebSphere Application Server V6.
    2. In the navigation on the left side of the Administrative Console, select Applications > Install New Application.
    3. If you want to install the WAR file from your workstation, select the Local path button and browse to where you have exported the WAR file to. If you have transferred the WAR file to the IFS on your server, select the Server path button and enter the path where the file is located.
    4. In the Context Root field, specify the name by which users will be able to access your application. The default is the project name. For example, if you used the same name as you did for your WebFacing project, such as webfacing1, users will be able to access your application through a browser with an address like: http://<myservername>/webfacing1 .
    5. Click Next and complete the steps of the application installation program.
    6. After you have completed the installation steps, the console displays a link Save to Master Configuration. Follow this link then click the Save button.
  3. Start the Web application.
    1. In the Administrative Console, select Applications > Enterprise Applications.
    2. Check the box next to the application that you have just installed.
    3. Click the Start button.