Install IBM HTTP Server using the GUI

We can use the Installation Manager GUI to install IBM HTTP Server.


Before you begin

  1. Install IBM Installation Manager on each of the systems where you want to install the product.

    IBM Installation Manager Version 1.8.5 or later is required to install the product.

    We can download the most current version of Installation Manager from the IBM Installation Manager download website.

    To install Installation Manager, change to the location containing the Installation Manager installation files, and run one of the following commands:

    Administrative installation:

    • installc.exe -acceptLicense -log log_file_path_and_name

    • ./installc -acceptLicense -log log_file_path_and_name

    Non-administrative installation:

    • userinstc.exe -acceptLicense -log log_file_path_and_name

    • ./userinstc -acceptLicense -log log_file_path_and_name

    Group-mode installation:
    ./groupinstc -acceptLicense -dataLocation application_data_location -log log_file_path_and_name -installationDirectory Installation_Manager_homeNotes on group mode:

    • Group mode allows multiple users to use a single instance of IBM Installation Manager to manage software packages.

    • Group mode is not available on Windows operating systems.

    • If you do not install Installation Manager using group mode, you will not be able to use group mode to manage any of the products that you install later using this Installation Manager.

    • Make sure that you change the installation location from the default location in the current user's home directory to a location that is accessible by all users in the group.

    • Set up your groups, permissions, and environment variables as described in the Group mode road maps in the IBM Installation Manager documentation before installing in group mode.

    For more information about installing Installation Manager, see the IBM Installation Manager documentation.

  2. Obtain the product repositories that contain the Web Server Plug-in installation files.There are three basic options for obtaining and installing Installation Manager and the product.

    • Access the physical media, and use local installation

      We can access the product repositories on the product media.

    • Download the files from the Passport Advantage® site, and use local installation Licensed customers with a Passport Advantage ID and password can download the necessary product repositories from the Passport Advantage site. Tip: See Download WebSphere Application Server from Passport Advantage Online for a list of the IBM WebSphere Application Server installation images downloadable from the IBM Passport Advantage Online website and other information.

      Use Installation Manager to install the product from the downloaded repositories.

    • Access the live repositories, and use web-based installation

      If you have a Passport Advantage ID and password, we can install the product from the web-based repositories.

      Use Installation Manager to install the product from the web-based repository located at
      http://www.ibm.com/software/repositorymanager/com.ibm.websphere.IHS.v90

      Note: This location does not contain a web page that we can access using a web browser. This is a remote web-based repository location that you must specify for the value of the -repositories parameter so that the imcl command can access the files in this repository to install the product.

      Whenever possible, you should use the remote web-based repositories so that you are accessing the most up-to-date installation files.

    Notes:

    • If you do not have a Passport Advantage ID and password, you must install the product from the product repositories on the media or local repositories.

    • With the Packaging Utility, we can create and manage packages for installation repositories. We can copy multiple packages into one repository or copy multiple disks for one product into a repository. We can copy packages from Passport Advantage or a web-based repository into a local repository for example. For more information on the Packaging Utility, go to the IBM Installation Manager documentation.


About this task

For transitioning users: IBM SDK, Java™ Technology Edition, Version 8 is the Java SDK version for WebSphere® Application Server Version 9.0. IBM SDK, Java Technology Edition is no longer embedded with IBM HTTP Server for WebSphere Application Server. The Java SDK is available as a separate offering that must be installed when you install IBM HTTP Server.


Procedure

  1. Start Installation Manager.

  2. Click Install. Note: If you are prompted to authenticate, use the IBM ID and password that you registered with on the program website.

    Installation Manager searches its defined repositories for available packages.

  3. In the Install Packages window, complete the appropriate actions.

    1. Select IBM HTTP Server for WebSphere Application Server and the appropriate version. Note: If you are installing the trial version of this product, select IBM HTTP Server Trial.

      If you already have IBM HTTP Server installed on your system, a message displays indicating that IBM HTTP Server is already installed. To create another installation of IBM HTTP Server in another location, click Continue.

    2. Select a version of IBM SDK Java Technology Edition.

    3. Click Next.

    Note: If you try to install a newer level of IBM HTTP Server with a previous version of Installation Manager, Installation Manager might prompt you to update to the latest level of Installation Manager when it connects to the repository. Update to the newer version before you continue if you are prompted to do so. Read Install updates in the Installation Manager documentation for information about automatic updates.

  4. Accept the terms in the license agreements, and click Next.

  5. Select a shared resources directory, which contains resources that can be shared by multiple installation packages, and click Next. Important: We can select the shared resources directory only the first time you install a package with Installation Manager. For best results, select a location with enough available space for the shared resources of future packages. We cannot change the directory location until after you uninstall all packages.

  6. Specify the installation root directory for the product binaries, which are also referred to as the core product files or system files.

    The panel also displays the shared resources directory and disk-space information.

    The core product files do not change unless you install maintenance.Restrictions:

    • The only supported architecture is 64-bit.

    • Deleting the default target location and leaving an installation-directory field empty prevents you from continuing.

    • Do not use symbolic links as the destination directory.

      Symbolic links are not supported.

    • Be careful when using spaces in the name of the installation directory. Some operating systems allow spaces in the specification of the installation directory. Other operating systems do not allow spaces. For example:
      C:\Program Files    Windows supported
      /opt/IBM/HTTP Server      Unix NOT supported
      /opt/IBM/HTTPServer       Unix supported

    • Do not use a semicolon in the directory name.

      IBM HTTP Server cannot install properly if the target directory includes a semicolon.

      A semicolon is the character used to construct the class path on Windows systems.

    • The maximum path length on the Windows operating system is 260 characters.

  7. Click Next.

  8. Click Next to display the Configuration for IBM HTTP Server panel.

  9. On the Configuration for IBM HTTP Server panel, specify your Web server configuration.

    • Specify a port number on which IBM HTTP Server will communicate. The default port is 80.

    • Choose whether to use a Windows service to run IBM HTTP Server.Note: You have the option to create a Windows service for IBM HTTP Server on this panel. We can configure the services to run as local system account or a user ID that you specify. The user ID requires the following advanced user rights:

      • Act as part of the operating system

      • Log on as a service

      Important: If you do not select Run IBM HTTP Server as a Windows Service, this instance of IBM HTTP Server cannot be stopped or started by the WebSphere Application Server administrative console. At any time after installation, we can create a new service by running the following command:

      ihs_root/bin/httpd.exe -n new_service_name -k install 

      and then updating the web server definition in the administrative console to reflect the new service name.

    • Determine if your startup type will be automatic or manual.

  10. [AIX HP-UX Solaris] On the Configuration for IBM HTTP Server panel, specify your Web server configuration.

    Specify a port number on which IBM HTTP Server will communicate. The default port is 80.

  11. Click Next.

  12. Review the summary information, and click Install.

    • If the installation is successful, the program displays a message indicating that installation is successful.Note: The program might also display important post-installation instructions as well.

    • If the installation is not successful, click View Log File to troubleshoot the problem.

  13. Click Finish.

  14. Click File > Exit to close Installation Manager.


Results

If the installation is successful, the IBM HTTP Server product is installed and the log file is located in the /logs/install/ directory. However, if the product installation fails, see the log.txt file in either the /logs/install/ directory or the $USER/ihslogs/ directory.


What to do next

Set up IBM HTTP Server administration authentication, using the htpasswd utility.

We can get started using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) connections by making only a few configuration changes, as described in Securing with SSL communications.

We can configure the Fast Response Cache Accelerator to boost performance.

We can also make other configuration changes with Apache directives.


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