Creating multiple V5 configuration instances

Multiple configuration instances, as it applies to WebSphere Application Server products, is the ability to install the base WebSphere Application Server product or the Network Deployment product once, and to use the wsinstance command to create multiple instances of the initial installation, all running on the same machine at the same time.

 

Overview

In contrast to multiple configuration instances is coexistence, which refers to multiple installations of WebSphere Application Server, running on the same machine at the same time. Both coexistence and multiple configuration instances of the base WebSphere Application Server product imply various combinations of Web server interaction.

You can find a description of coexistence in Migrating and coexisting.

 

Overview

You can install the base WebSphere Application Server product or the Network Deployment product one time and use the wsinstance tool in the install_root\bin\wsinstance folder to create multiple configuration instances. Each WebSphere Application Server configuration instance is a stand-alone instance with a unique name, and its own set of configuration files and user data folders. Configuration folders include config, etc and properties. User data folders include installedApps, installableApps, temp, logs, tranlog and wstemp. Each instance has the administrative console application to manage the configuration instance. The configuration instance shares all run-time scripts, libraries, the Software Development Kit, and other files with the initial Application Server.

Each configuration instance of the Network Deployment product is a stand-alone deployment manager (dmgr) with its own set of unique configuration files and user data folders for the cell. Configuration folders include config, etc and properties. User data folders include installedApps, installableApps, temp, logs, tranlog and wstemp. The dmgr configuration instance also includes the administrative console and the file transfer applications to manage the configuration instance.

You can configure and operate each configuration instance independently of other instances.

These limitations apply to multiple configuration instances:

• You cannot federate a configuration instance of the base product into a deployment manager cell. A deployment manager cannot manage a configuration instance.

• You cannot use the Uninstall.exe or uninstall command to remove a configuration instance. You must remove configuration instances with the -delete option of the wsinstance command, before uninstalling the installation instance.

• You cannot migrate the configuration and applications from an earlier release to a V5 configuration instance.

Reasons to use configuration instances include:

• You install the product only once.

• You can have stand-alone environments without the space or procedural constraints of multiple, full product installations. (Configuration instances use a minimal amount of space.)

• You can have a centralized development environment that is easy to maintain, where multiple developers and testers share one machine.

• You can create identical environments, where everyone is developing, testing, or performing in an identical workspace.

One reason to not use configuration instances is that you cannot federate a configuration instance of the base product into a deployment manager cell. A deployment manager cannot manage a configuration instance.

Use the following procedure to create and configure multiple V5 instances:

1. Install the Network Deployment product.

2. Back up the install_root/bin/wsinstance/configdefaults directory. In certain situations, it might become necessary to restore the following files from the backup to the install_root/bin/wsinstance/configdefaults directory:

   • ./security.xml

   • ./nodes/$NODE_NAME/resources.xml

   • ./nodes/$NODE_NAME/serverindex.xml

   • ./nodes/$NODE_NAME/servers/$SERVER_NAME/resources.xml
   See the description of a possible error that can occur in Backing up required files before installing additional features or before installing the V5.0.x Enterprise product.

3. Use the wsinstance command in the WAS_HOME\bin\wsinstance folder, to create a configuration instance of the server you installed in step 1. Refer to the description of the wsinstance command to learn more about the command, and to see examples of use.

   You must specify a unique directory path and a unique node name for each configuration instance.

   You must also specify unique port numbers for each configuration instance. For example, on a Windows platform, specify ports beginning at 20002, for node shasti, in configuration instance_root G:\shasti\WebSphere, on the planetjava machine, by issuing this command:

   wsinstance.bat -name shasti 
                     -path G:\shasti\WebSphere  
                     -host planetjava  
                     -startingPort 20002 
                     -create
   

   This command creates a separate set of configuration and other data files.

4. Source the setupCmdLine.sh (or run the setupCmdLine.bat) script in the bin directory of the instance_root folder to set the WebSphere Application Server environment to the configuration instance.

   Or you can set WAS_USER_SCRIPT to instance_root\bin\setupCmdLine.bat, which has the same effect as sourcing the setupCmdLine.sh script or running the setupCmdLine.bat script.

   On Linux and UNIX-based platforms, sourcing the script to the parent shell allows child processes to inherit the exported variables. Source the command by using the following format:

   # . /setupCmdLine.sh (there is a space between the period and the slash)

   The format varies per platform:

   • . install_root/bin/setupCmdLine.sh (source the command on UNIX platforms - There is a space between the period and the installation root directory.)

   • source install_root/bin/setupCmdLine.sh (source the command on Linux platforms )

   • install_root\bin\setupCmdLine.bat (Windows platforms only)

   Or, you can set WAS_USER_SCRIPT to instance_root/bin/setupCmdLine.sh, which has the same effect as sourcing the setupCmdLine command. For example:

   # export WAS_USER_SCRIPT=/opt/inst1/bin/setupCmdLine.sh 

   After completing this step, you can start the appserver configuration instance with the startManager or startServer command.

   If you are using the embedded messaging feature, and you are logging on as a non-root user on a UNIX-based or Linux platform, add the mqm user and the root user to the mqm and mqbrkrs operating system groups, as described in Installing WebSphere embedded messaging as the JMS provider.

   You must download and apply any interim fixes for the embedded messaging feature to each configuration instance:

   • Download interim fixes for the embedded messaging feature from the WebSphere MQ Service download site . The readme file that is bundled with the interim fix describes how to install the interim fix.

   • Download any fix packs for the product from the IBM Support site for WebSphere Application Server . The readme file that is bundled with the fix pack describes how to use the update installer (also known as the updateInstaller program or the update installation wizard) for WebSphere Application Server products to install the fix pack. Installing a fix pack removes all interim fixes. You might have to reinstall interim fixes that are not in the fix pack to bring the embedded messaging feature back to the fix level you require.

5. Federate multiple installation instances into a deployment manager cell, as described in Federating multiple V5 installation instances

6. Create additional servers in a multiple instance or coexistence environment, as described in Creating servers in coexistence or multiple instance environments

7. Change port assignments in configuration files, as described in Changing HTTP transport ports, if you have a node that you cannot start because of port conflicts.

 

What to do next

Refer to the description of the wsinstance command to learn more about the command, and to see examples of use.

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Installing WebSphere Application Server products
Coexistence support
Federating multiple V5 installation instances
    

 

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