responsefile.pct.NDmanagedProfile.txt

This topic describes the response file for creating a custom profile. Federate the custom node into a running deployment manager cell to make the node operational.

Create a custom node using the with an options response file after logging on as root on a Linux or UNIX platform, or as a user that belongs to the administrator group on a Windows platform. Some steps of the installation procedure on a Windows platform require the user to belong to the administrator group and to have the advanced user rights Act as part of the operating system and Log on as a service.

The response file is shipped with default values.

A common use for an options file is to run the Installation wizard in silent mode, which is referred to as installing silently. The wizard reads the options file to determine responses and does not display the graphical user interface. Issue the following command to use a copy of the options file named myresponsefile.txt for a silent installation

pctWindows.exe -options "myresponsefile.txt" -silent

 

Federating the custom profile

Several

directives in the file provide options for how the custom node is federated into the deployment manager cell:

  • -W pctfederationpanelInstallWizardBean.federateLater

    Set this value to true if the deployment manager is not running or is not accessible for any of the reasons in the following description of federation.

  • -W pctfederationpanelInstallWizardBean.hostname

    Specify a value that resolves to the system where the deployment manager is running. See the following description of host name considerations for more information.

  • -W pctfederationpanelInstallWizardBean.port

    Specify the value of the deployment manager SOAP port. You must specify the correct value. An incorrect value prevents node federation and results in a total failure with an INSTCONFFAILED indicator. The default SOAP port for the deployment manager is 8879.

Should you federate the node?

Federate the custom node if one can. However, if any of the parameters that you supply are faulty, you not only do not federate the node, you create a faulty custom profile. Federate the node at the time that you perform the silent creation of the node if, and only if, the deployment manager is running and is accessible at the host name that you specify and over the SOAP port that you specify.

If you are unsure whether the deployment manager is running, do not federate now. Federate the node later.

If security is enabled on the deployment manager node, federate later using the addNode command to enter a user ID and password on the command.

A possibility exists that the deployment manager is reconfigured to use the non-default remote method invocation (RMI) as the preferred Java Management Extensions (JMX) connector. (Click System Administration > Deployment manager > Administrative services in the administrative console of the deployment manager to verify the preferred connector type.)

If RMI is the preferred JMX connector, use the addNode command to federate the custom profile at a later time. Use the addNode command so that one can specify the JMX connector type and the RMI port.

If the deployment manager uses the default SOAP JMX connector type, specify the host name and SOAP port and federate the node now to create a functional node that one can customize.

Federating when the deployment manager is not available

If you federate a custom node when the deployment manager is not running or is not available because of security being enabled or for other reasons, the installation indicator in the logs is INSTCONFFAIL to indicate a complete failure. The resulting custom profile is unusable. You must move the custom profile directory out of the profile repository (the profiles installation root directory) before creating another custom profile with the same profile name.

 

Avoiding the use of the -silent option within

the options response file

A problem occurs when the -silent option exists in the file. The file works with the option during a direct call to the profile creation wizard, but fails when called from a silent product installation. See Customizing the options response file for Network Deployment for information about creating a profile silently during a silent product installation.

The option is unnecessary. Avoid using the option to avoid problems.

 

Response file locations

The example options response files are in two locations.

Example files:

Location:

Table 1. Option response file locations
Product disc location Installed location
/WAS directory install_root/bin/ProfileCreator directory

Use the file on the product disc to install the Network Deployment product silently and create a profile.

After installing the Network Deployment product, use the installed response file with the -options parameter on the Profile creation wizard command.

 

Required disk space

Profile Required disk space Required temp space
Deployment manager profile 30 MB 40 MB
Custom profile 10 MB 40 MB
Application server profile 200 MB 40 MB

 

Creating an operational environment during

product installation

V6 installation of the Network Deployment product is a two-step process:

  1. Installing the core product files and feature files.

  2. Creating a deployment manager profile, a custom profile, or an application server profile.

The sample options response file, responsefile.nd.txt, controls the first part of the installation and can also start the second part of the installation. To create a profile as part of installing the core product files, use the option in the responsefile.nd.txt file that identifies the response file for creating a profile. The profile response file lets you use the Profile creation wizard silently.

To edit and use the appropriate response file for creating a profile, perform the following procedure:

  1. Copy the appropriate file from the WAS directory on the product disc to a place that one can easily identify on your machine. The example files are:

    To create a: Copy the following response file:
    Deployment manager profile responsefile.pct.NDdmgrProfile.txt
    Custom profile responsefile.pct.NDmanagedProfile.txt
    Application server profile responsefile.pct.NDstandAloneProfile.txt

  2. Edit the file to customize the values for your installation.

  3. Verify that no -silent option exists in the response file for the Profile creation wizard. If the option exists, the profile is not created.

  4. Save the file.

  5. Edit the responsefile.nd.txt file to identify the location and name of the profile response file. Change the value of the -W pctresponsefilelocationqueryactionInstallWizardBean.fileLocation option to identify the file. For example

    -W pctresponsefilelocationqueryactionInstallWizardBean.fileLocation=
    "/opt/IBM/WebSphere/MyOptionFiles/customProfile.txt"
    

  6. Start the installation. For example

    install -options "myresponsefile.txt" -silent
    
    

  7. After the installation, examine the logs for success.

 

Creating a profile after installation

Version

6 installation of the Network Deployment product is a two-step process:

  1. Installing the core product files and feature files

  2. Creating a deployment manager profile, a custom profile, or an application server profile

When the core product files exist, create a profile at any time using the Profile creation wizard. Start the wizard from the First steps console or directly using the Profile creation wizard command.

We can also use one of the following sample options response files for profiles to create a profile silently using the Profile creation wizard in silent mode. To edit and use the appropriate response file for creating a profile, perform the following procedure:

  1. Copy the appropriate file from the install_root/bin/ProfileCreator directory to a place that one can easily identify on your machine. The example files are:

    To create a profile for a: Copy the following response file:
    Deployment manager responsefile.pct.NDdmgrProfile.txt
    Managed node responsefile.pct.NDmanagedProfile.txt
    Stand-alone application server responsefile.pct.NDstandAloneProfile.txt

    For example, copy the file as my_options_file.txt

  2. Edit the file to customize the values for your installation.

  3. Save the file.

  4. Start the installation.

    For example:

    • ./pctAIX.bin -options my_options_file.txt -silent

    • ./pctHPUX.bin -options my_options_file.txt -silent

    • 64-bit platforms: ./pctHPUXIA64.bin -options my_options_file.txt -silent

    • ./pctLinux.bin -options my_options_file.txt -silent

    • 64-bit platforms: ./pct.bin -options my_options_file.txt -silent

    • Power platforms: ./pctLinuxPPC.bin -options my_options_file.txt -silent

    • S/390 platforms: ./pctLinux390.bin -options my_options_file.txt -silent

    • ./pctSolaris.bin -options my_options_file.txt -silent

    • pctWindows.exe -options my_options_file.txt -silent

    • 64-bit platforms: pctWindowsIA64.exe -options my_options_file.txt -silent

  5. After using the Profile creation wizard, examine the logs for success.

 

Logging

The following

log files record information about profile creation:

  • The install_root/logs/log.txt file records installation status.

  • The install_rootprofiles/profile/logs/pctLog.txt file records installation events that occur when creating profiles with the Profile creation wizard.

  • The install_root/logs/wasprofile/wasprofile_create_profile.log file records installation events that occur when creating profiles.

  • The install_root/logs/wasprofile/wasprofile_delete_profile.log file records installation events that occur when deleting profiles.

See Troubleshooting installation for more information.

 

Usage notes

  • The file is not a read-only file.

  • Edit this file directly with your flat file editor of choice, such as WordPad on a Windows platform.

  • The file is updated when you specify the -options parameter when using the Profile creation wizard and the file does not yet exist.

  • The file must exist to perform a silent installation. The installation program reads this file to determine installation option values when you install silently.

  • Save the file in a location that one can identify when you specify the fully qualified path as part of the profile creation command.

 

Naming considerations

Consider the following recommendations when supplying names for the profile and other objects.

Naming the profile

Use the following guidelines when supplying a value for the profile name directive

-W profilenamepanelInstallWizardBean.profileName
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.

Avoiding reserved names

Avoid the following reserved folder names as values for the directives in the responsefile.pct.NDstandAloneProfile.txt file and in the responsefile.pct.NDmanagedProfile.txt file

-W nodehostnamepanelInstallWizardBean.nodeName=""
-W nodehostnamepanelInstallWizardBean.hostName=""
-W setnondmgrcellnameinglobalconstantsInstallWizardBean.value=""

Avoid the following reserved folder names as values for the directives in the responsefile.pct.NDdmgrProfile.txt file

-W nodehostandcellnamepanelInstallWizardBean.nodeName=""
-W nodehostandcellnamepanelInstallWizardBean.hostName=""
-W nodehostandcellnamepanelInstallWizardBean.cellName=
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:

Node and cell name considerations

The profiles directory path must be no longer than 80 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.

 

Example responsefile.pct.NDmanagedProfile.txt file

Tip: A custom profile must be added into a deployment manager cell to

become operational. Because of this strong dependency on being a managed node, the profile is often referred to as a managed profile or as a managed node.

Of course, until you federate the node into a cell, the node is not managed. Another thing to keep in mind is that any federated node is a managed node, including federated nodes within Application Server profiles.

The following response file refers to the term managed instead of the term custom in many directive names. Even so, all of the directives in this response file help to define a custom profile.

################################################################################
#
# Response file for WAS v6.0 custom profile creation
#
# This options file is located in the CD_ROOT\WAS\ directory and in the 
# install_root\bin\ProfileCreator directory. 
#
# To use the options file under CD_ROOT\WAS\ directory, follow the instructions 
# in CD_ROOT\WAS\responsefile.nd.txt. The WebSphere Application Server
# Network Deployment installer locates this file during silent installation
# and automatically runs the silent profile creation at the end of installation.
# 
# To use the options file under install_root\bin\ProfileCreator for silent profile
# creation,  change various values in the file and use the following command 
# line arguments:
# 
#    -options "responsefile.pct.NDmanagedProfile.txt" -silent
#
################################################################################


################################################################################
# 
# Profile name
#
# Set the name for this custom profile. The profile name must be unique for this 
# WAS installation. 
#
#
-W profilenamepanelInstallWizardBean.profileName="profileManaged"

################################################################################
# If you want to set this profile to be your default profile, set to "true".
# Otherwise set to "false". If this is the first profile being created, the profile  
# automatically is the default. 
#
-W profilenamepanelInstallWizardBean.isDefault="false"


################################################################################
# 
# Profile location
#
# Specify a directory to contain the files that define the run-time environment, 
# such as commands,configuration files, and log files. If the directory contains 
# spaces, enclose it in double-quotes as shown in the Windows example below. 
#
# Note that  spaces in the install location is only supported on Windows
# operating systems.
#
# Default Install Location:
#
#    -P installLocation="<WAS_HOME>\profiles\<PROFILE_NAME>"
#
-P installLocation="C:\Program Files\IBM\WebSphere\AppServer\profiles\profileManaged"


################################################################################
# 
# Node name
#
# Please select the node name for the Application Server. Node name under one cell 
# has to be unique. 
#
# If you plan to migrate a V5 deployment manager cell, the V5 managed nodes are also 
# migrated to the V6 cell. To incrementally migrate an individual V5 managed node 
# to V6,  use the same node name for the V6 Application Server profile.
#
# Replace YOUR_NODE_NAME with the actual node name. 
#
-W nodehostnamepanelInstallWizardBean.nodeName="YOUR_NODE_NAME"


################################################################################
#
# Host name
#
# Specify the host name for the Application Server. The host name is the domain 
# name system (DNS) name (short or long) or the IP address of this computer. 
# 
# Replace YOUR_HOST_NAME with the actual host name. Comment the line to use 
# the default value.
# 
-W nodehostnamepanelInstallWizardBean.hostName="YOUR_HOST_NAME"


################################################################################
#
# Cell name
#
# You should not Modify this, unless absolutely necessary
# 
# The Wizard would set this to short local host name + "Node##Cell" by default.
#
# If you would like to override the resolved cell name value, uncomment the line and
# replace YOUR_CELL_NAME with <YOUR_OWN_VALUE>
#
# -W setnondmgrcellnameinglobalconstantsInstallWizardBean.value="YOUR_CELL_NAME"


################################################################################
# 
# Ports value assignment
#
# The following entries are used to reset port numbers used in the configuration
#
# They are currently set to the defaults. 
# Please check to make sure there are no port conflicts.
# Port nubmers for each profile can be find in: 
# <profile>/config/cells/<cell name>/nodes/<node name>/serverindex.xml
#
# If you specify true for the value of 
# the -W pctfederationpanelInstallWizardBean.federateLater  
# directive, port numbers are assigned automatically when you federate the 
# node with the addNode command. The following port numbers do not apply.
#
-W pctmanagedprofileportspanelInstallWizardBean.BOOTSTRAP_ADDRESS="2809"
-W pctmanagedprofileportspanelInstallWizardBean.SOAP_CONNECTOR_ADDRESS="8878"
-W pctmanagedprofileportspanelInstallWizardBean.SAS_SSL_SERVERAUTH_LISTENER_ADDRESS="9901"
-W pctmanagedprofileportspanelInstallWizardBean.CSIV2_SSL_SERVERAUTH_LISTENER_ADDRESS="9201"
-W pctmanagedprofileportspanelInstallWizardBean.CSIV2_SSL_MUTUALAUTH_LISTENER_ADDRESS="9202"
-W pctmanagedprofileportspanelInstallWizardBean.ORB_LISTENER_ADDRESS="9100"
-W pctmanagedprofileportspanelInstallWizardBean.NODE_DISCOVERY_ADDRESS="7272"
-W pctmanagedprofileportspanelInstallWizardBean.NODE_MULTICAST_DISCOVERY_ADDRESS="5000"
-W pctmanagedprofileportspanelInstallWizardBean.NODE_IPV6_MULTICAST_DISCOVERY_ADDRESS="5001"
-W pctmanagedprofileportspanelInstallWizardBean.DCS_UNICAST_ADDRESS="9353"


################################################################################
# 
# Federation
#
# A custom profile contains an empty node that must be federated to a deployment 
# manager to become a functional managed node. Identify a running deployment
# manager that will administer the node or choose to federate the node later 
# using the addNode command.
#
# Set to "true" if you want to federate this custom node later using the addNode 
# command. You must federate this node later if the deployment manager :
#            - is not running. 
#            - has security enabled. 
#            - has the SOAP connector disabled
#
# If you want to federate it now, set to "" and fill in the entries for the host  
# and port of the deployment manager. 
#
-W pctfederationpanelInstallWizardBean.federateLater=""

################################################################################
# Specify the host name of the deployment manager for federation.
#
-W pctfederationpanelInstallWizardBean.hostname="YOUR_DEPLOYMENT_MANAGER_HOST_NAME"

################################################################################
# Specify the port number where the deployment manager (DMGR) is reachable on the 
# above host. The default port value is "8879".
#
-W pctfederationpanelInstallWizardBean.port="YOUR_DEPLOYMENT_MANAGER_PORT_NUMBER"





################################################################################
# 
# Profile type
#
# Must be set to "managed" for installing a custom profile. Do not change this!
# 
-W profiletypepanelInstallWizardBean.selection="managed"


 

Related Tasks


Customizing the options response file for Network Deployment