Use the Profile creation wizard to create an application server

 

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Before you begin

The Profile creation wizard is the wizard interface to the profile creation tool, wasprofile.

Core product files need to be present to use the Profile creation wizard

 

Disk space requirements

An error can occur when you have not provided enough system temporary space to create a profile. Verify that you have a minimum of 40 MB of temp space available before creating a profile.

You must have 200 MB of available disk space in the directory where you create an Application Server profile.

You must have 30 MB of available disk space in the directory where you create a deployment manager profile.

You must have 10 MB of available disk space in the directory where you create a custom profile.

Manually verify that the required space for creating a profile is available on AIX. A known problem in the underlying InstallShield for Multiplatforms (ISMP) code prevents proper space checking on AIX systems at the time that the product disc was created.

 

Overview

The Profile creation wizard can create an application server profile on any machine where the core product files exist.

After installing the core product files, create one of the following profiles to have an operational run-time environment:

  • An application server that is described in this topic.

    An application server profile has a default server (which is server1), the default application that includes the snoop servlet and the hitcount servlet, and application Samples. We can federate the application server or use it as a stand-alone application server.

  • A deployment manager.

    The deployment manager provides a single administrative interface to a logical group of application servers on one or more machines.

  • A custom profile that federate to make operational.

    A custom profile is an empty node that one can customize to include application servers, clusters, or other Java processes, such as a messaging server.

This procedure describes creating an application server profile using the graphical user interface provided by the Profile creation wizard.

We can use the Profile creation wizard in silent mode with a response file instead of a graphical user interface. responsefile.pct.NDstandAloneProfile.txt for examples of using the Profile creation wizard in silent mode.

We can also use the wasprofile command to create an application server profile. more information.

 

Procedure

  1. Start the Profile creation wizard to create a new run-time environment.

    Several ways exist to start the wizard. The initial way to start the wizard is at the end of installation by selecting the check box to launch the Profile creation wizard.

    One way to start the wizard is to issue the command directly from a command line.

    The command is in the install_root/bin/ProfileCreator directory. The name of the command varies per platform:

    • pctAIX.bin
    • pctHPUX.bin
    • 64-bit platforms: pctHPUXIA64.bin
    • pctLinux.bin
    • 64-bit platforms: pct.bin S/390 platforms: pctLinux390.bin
    • Power platforms: pctLinuxPPC.bin
    • pctSolaris.bin
    • pctWindows.exe
    • 64-bit platforms: pctWindowsIA64.exe

    Another way to start the Profile creation wizard is to select the wizard from the First steps console.

    1. Open a command window.

    2. Change directories to the firststeps directory in the installation root directory:

      The installation root varies by platform:

        /usr/IBM/WebSphere/AppServer/firststeps
        /opt/IBM/WebSphere/AppServer/firststeps
        C:\Program Files\IBM\WebSphere\AppServer\firststeps

    3. Issue the firststeps command to start the console:

    4. Select the Profile creation wizard option on the console.

      The Profile creation wizard is an InstallShield for Multiplatforms application. The wizard loads the Java 2 SDK and then displays its Welcome panel.

  2. Click Next on the Welcome panel.

    The wizard displays the Profile type selection panel.

  3. Select the application server profile, then click Next.

    The wizard displays the Profile directory panel.

  4. Specify a name for the profile, then click Next.

    Profile naming guidelines: The profile name can be any unique name with the following restrictions. Do not use any of the following characters when naming your profile:

    • Spaces

    • Illegal special characters that are not allowed within the name of a directory on your operating system, such as *&?

    • Slashes (/) or (\)

    Double-byte characters are allowed.

    The default profile

    The first profile that you create on a machine is the default profile. The default profile is the default target for commands issued from the bin directory in the product installation root. When only one profile exists on a machine, every command works on the only server process in the configuration.

    Addressing a profile in a multi-profile environment

    When two or more profiles exist on a machine, certain commands require that you specify the profile to which the command applies. These commands use the -profileName parameter to identify which profile to address. You might find it easier to use the commands that in the bin directory of each profile.

    A command in the profiles/profile/bin directory has two lines. The first line sets the WAS_USER_SCRIPT environment variable for the command window. The variable sets up the command environment to address the profile. The second line calls the actual command in the install_root/bin directory.

    The actual command queries the command shell to determine the calling profile and to autonomically address the command to the calling profile.

    The wizard then displays the Profile directory panel.

  5. Accept the default directory or specify a non-default location, then click Next. Or click Browse to select a different location.

    If you click Back and change the name of the profile, you must manually change the name on this panel when it displays again.

    The wizard displays the Node and host name panel.

  6. Specify the characteristics for the application server, then click Next.

    Use unique names for each application server that you create.

    Reserved names: Avoid using reserved folder names as field values. The use of reserved folder names can cause unpredictable results. The following words are reserved:

    Field name Default value Constraints Description
    Node name Name of your machine Avoid using the reserved words. Pick any name you want. To help organize your installation, use a unique name if you plan to create more than one application server on the machine.
    Host name DNS name of your machine Addressable through your network. Use the actual DNS name or IP address of your machine to enable communication with your machine. See additional information about the host name following this table.

    Node name considerations: If you plan to migrate an installation of V5.x Network Deployment to V6 and migrate one of the managed nodes in the cell, use the same node name for the V6 application server as you used for the V5.x managed node.

    The installation directory path must be no longer than 60 characters.

    Host name considerations:

    The host name is the network name for the physical machine on which the node is installed. The host name must resolve to a physical network node on the server. When multiple network cards exist in the server, the host name or IP address must resolve to one of the network cards. Remote nodes use the host name to connect to and to communicate with this node. Selecting a host name that other machines can reach within your network is extremely important. Do not use the generic localhost identifier for this value.

    If you define coexisting nodes on the same computer with unique IP addresses, define each IP address in a domain name server (DNS) look-up table. Configuration files for stand-alone Application Servers do not provide domain name resolution for multiple IP addresses on a machine with a single network address.

    The value that you specify for the host name is used as the value of the hostName property in configuration documents for the stand-alone Application Server. Specify the host name value in one of the following formats:

    • Fully qualified domain name servers (DNS) host name string, such as xmachine.manhattan.ibm.com

    • The default short DNS host name string, such as xmachine

    • Numeric IP address, such as 127.1.255.3

    The fully qualified DNS host name has the advantage of being totally unambiguous and also flexible. You have the flexibility of changing the actual IP address for the host system without having to change the Application Server configuration. This value for host name is particularly useful if you plan to change the IP address frequently when using Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) to assign IP addresses. A format disadvantage is being dependent on DNS. If DNS is not available, then connectivity is compromised.

    The short host name is also dynamically resolvable. A short name format has the added ability of being redefined in the local hosts file so that the system can run the Application Server even when disconnected from the network. Define the short name to 127.0.0.1 (local loopback) in the hosts file to run disconnected. A format disadvantage is being dependent on DNS for remote access. If DNS is not available, then connectivity is compromised.

    A numeric IP address has the advantage of not requiring name resolution through DNS. A remote node can connect to the node you name with a numeric IP address without DNS being available. A format disadvantage is that the numeric IP address is fixed. You must change the setting of the hostName property in Express configuration documents whenever you change the machine IP address. Therefore, do not use a numeric IP address if you use DHCP, or if you change IP addresses regularly. Another format disadvantage is that one cannot use the node if the host is disconnected from the network.

    After specifying application server characteristics, the wizard displays the Port value assignment panel.

  7. Verify that the ports specified for the stand-alone application server are unique, then click Next.

    After specifying port assignments, the wizard displays the Windows service definition panel, if you are installing on a Windows platform.

  8. Choose whether to run the application server as a Windows service on a Windows platform and click Next.

    V6 attempts to start Windows services for application server processes started by a startServer command. For example, if you configure an application server as a Windows service and issue the startServer command, the wasservice command attempts to start the defined service.

    If you chose to install a local system service, you do not have to specify your user ID or password. If you create a specified user type of service, specify the user ID and the password for the user who is to run the service. The user must have Log on as a service authority for the service to run properly.

    To perform this installation task, the user ID must not have spaces in its name. The ID must also belong to the administrator group and must have the advanced user rights Act as part of the operating system and Log on as a service. The Installation wizard grants the user ID the advanced user rights if it does not already have them, if the user ID belongs to the administrator group.

    We can also create other Windows services after the installation is complete, to start other server processes.

    The installation wizard shows which components are selected for installation in a pre-installation summary panel.

  9. Click Next to create the application server or click Back to change the characteristics of the application server.

    The wizard displays the Installation status panel that shows which components are installing.

    When the installation is complete, the wizard displays the Profile creation is complete panel.

  10. Click Finish to exit, then click Profile creation wizard on the First steps console to start the wizard again to create other application servers.

 

Result

We can create an application server profile. The node within the profile has an application server named server1.

Refer to the description of the wasprofile command to learn about creating this type of profile using a command instead of a wizard.

 

What to do next

Deploy an application to get started!

See Fast paths for WebSphere Application Server to get started deploying applications.

 

See also


responsefile.pct.NDstandAloneProfile.txt

 

Related Tasks


wasprofile command