Network Deployment (Distributed operating systems), v8.0 > Set up intermediary services > Implement a web server plug-in

Set up a local web server

This topic describes how to install the web server and the web server plug-in on the machine where you installed WAS.

If the web server that you are setting up is an IBM HTTP Server, and you plan to manage that web server through a node agent that is running as a nonroot user, make sure that you adhere to the following requirements:

• The user ID that you designate as the user ID that owns the IBM HTTP Server directories and files, is the same user ID under which the nonroot node agent is running. We cannot run an IBM HTTP Server as a root user if the node agent that is managing that IBM HTTP Server is running as nonroot node agent because a node agent process that is running as a nonroot user cannot spawn off an IBM HTTP Server that is running as a root user.
• The value you specify for the listener port value must be greater than 1024. An IBM HTTP Server that is running under a nonroot user ID does not start if the port number for its listener port is 1024 or less.

We can ensure that the nonroot node agent and the IBM HTTP Server are using the same user ID if you specify the user ID that you used to install the product as the user ID for the IBM HTTP Server when you install the IBM HTTP Server. However, if, you decide to run the node agent as a nonroot user after you install the IBM HTTP Server and web server plug-in, you can take the following actions to enable both the node agent and the IBM HTTP Server to run as nonroot users:

1. Change the user ID for WAS to a nonroot user ID.

2. Configure the run-as setting for the node agent.

3. Use the admin console to create a new IBM HTTP Web Server, unless an already defined IBM HTTP Server has the required properties.
4. Change the ownership of the IBM HTTP Server directory and files to the nonroot user ID under which the nonroot node agent is running.

We can define a locally installed Web server on an unmanaged or managed node. If the web server is defined on an unmanaged node, the administrative functions are handled through the IBM HTTP Server administration server. If the web server is defined on a managed node, the administrative functions of the web server are handled through the WAS node agent, which is beneficial.

Web servers that are not provided with the WAS product do not provide an administration server. Web servers that do not provide an administration server must reside on a managed node to facilitate plug-in administration functions and generation and propagation of the plugin-cfg.xml file.

The following steps create a web server definition in the default profile.

Procedure

1. Install IBM Installation Manager.

2. Install your WAS product.

3. Install IBM HTTP Server or another supported web server.

4. Install the web server plug-ins.

5. Install the WebSphere Customization Toolbox.

6. Configure the web server plug-in using the Web Server Plug-ins Configuration Tool.

   The web server definition is automatically created and configured.

7. Complete the setup by creating the web server definition using the console, or run the plug-in configuration script. The creation of this object is exclusive of the web server installation.

   Create an application server profile or a custom profile and federate the node before you can use the admin console of the dmgr to create a web server definition. The same is true for running the configuration script that the Web Server Plug-ins Configuration Tool created. We must assign the web server to a managed node when you create it. The managed node must exist before running the Web Server Plug-ins Configuration Tool. Otherwise, the installation is considered a remote installation.

   Select one of the following options:

   • Use the admin console.

     Create a web server definition on an existing application server or unmanaged node:

     1. Click Servers > Server Types > Web servers > New and use the Create new web server definition tool to create the web server definition.

     2. Select the appropriate node.

     3. Select a template. Select a system template or a user-defined template for the web server to create.

     4. Enter the web server properties:
        • Type: The web server vendor type
        • Port: The existing web server port (default: 80)

        • Installation path: The web server installation path. This field is required for IBM HTTP Server only.
        • Service name (Windows operating systems): The Windows operating system service name of the web server. The default is IBMHTTPServer7.0.

        • Use secure protocol: Use the HTTPS protocol to communicate with the web server. The default is HTTP.
        • Plug-in installation location: The directory path in which the plug-in is installed.

     5. Confirm the creation of the new web server, and click Finish.

     After creating the web server, complete the following steps to verify that the plugin-key.kdb file is generated and to configure the web server plug-in with SSL:

     1. Click Security > SSL certificate and key management.

     2. Under Configuration settings, click Manage endpoint security configurations.

     3. Under Inbound or Outbound, expand cell_name > nodes > Web_server_node_name > servers and click server_name

        .

     4. Under Related Items, click Key stores and certificates. The admin console displays the CMSKeyStore configuration with the path to the plugin-key.kdb file.
     5. Export the default certificate from key.p12, and add it as a signer certificate to the plugin-key.kdb.

   • Run the plug-in configuration script.

     If you install the plug-in, save the plug-in configuration script to run after you create a managed node, otherwise an error occurs. Wait until the script runs successfully and creates the web server definition on the managed node and node synchronization occurs before starting the web server.

     Add the node starts the node agent process. If the node agent is not running, start the node.

     Tip: If you want the web server to handle requests for an application for multiple managed nodes, install the application on each managed node and on the web server definition. The script already contains all of the information that gather when using the admin console option.

     See the startNode command for more information.

What to do next

We can configure non-IBM HTTP Server Web servers as a remote web server on unmanaged nodes, or as a local Web server on managed nodes. For a non-IBM HTTP Server web server on a managed node, the following functions are supported:

• Generation of the plug-in configuration, based on WAS repository changes.
• Propagation of the plugin-cfg.xml file, based on using node synchronization with the WAS node. Node synchronization is necessary in order to propagate configuration changes to the affected node or nodes.

  The plugin-cfg.xml file is propagated to the application server node repository tree from the dmgr repository.

  The plugin-cfg.xml file is propagated to the application server node repository tree. This is not the default plugin-cfg.xml file installation location. Changes may have to be made to non-IBM HTTP Server web server configuration files to update the location of the plugin-cfg.xml file that is read by the plug-in module. For example, Internet Information Services (IIS) has a file name called plugin-cfg.loc, which is read by the IIS plug-in modules to determine the location of the plugin-cfg.xml file. The plugin-cfg.loc file has to be updated to reflect the plugin-cfg.xml file location in the application server node repository.

  Other non-IBM HTTP Server web servers have different methods to specify the location of the plugin-cfg.xml file for the plug-in module. However, in order for propagation to work, update the location to reflect the location in the application server node repository.

The following functions are not supported on a managed node for a non-IBM web server.

• Start and stop the web server.

• View and editing the configuration file.

• View the web server logs.

For a non-IBM HTTP Server web server on an unmanaged node, you can generate plug-in configuration, based on WAS repository changes. The following functions are not supported on an unmanaged node for a non-IBM HTTP Server web server:

• Start and stop the web server.

• View and editing the configuration file.

• View the web server logs.
• Propagation of the web server plugin-cfg.xml file.

Related

Web server collection
Web server configuration
Web server log file
Web server plug-in properties
Web server configuration file
Web server custom properties
Remote web server management
startNode command

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