Install Liberty by extracting a Java archive file

We can install Liberty by running a self-extracting Java archive (JAR) file.

The system must meet the operating system and Java requirements for using Liberty.

The wlp-<edition>-all-<fix_pack>.jar files install the Liberty runtime environment and any Liberty features that apply.

Note: A removal notice was issued for the Liberty runtime, extended programming model, and extras JAR files.


Steps

  1. Download the JAR file for your edition.

    For a list of the available archives, see List of installation Java archive files.

  2. Extract the distribution image to your preferred directory.

      java -jar wlp-<edition>-all-<fix_pack>.jar

    All application server files are stored in subdirectories of the wlp directory.

    For a list of the available extraction options, see Java archive file extraction options.

  3. Optional: Set the JAVA_HOME property for the environment.

    Liberty requires a Java runtime environment (JRE) or Java SDK in which to run. We can specify the Java SDK or JRE location using the JAVA_HOME property in the server.env file, as described in Liberty environment variables. When setting the JAVA_HOME property in the server.env file, Liberty uses the same Java runtime location regardless of the user profile that the Liberty server runs under. To download an IBM Java SDK, see IBM Java SDKs for WebSphere Liberty.

    On Linux or UNIX systems, we can instead set JAVA_HOME in the user .bashrc file, or append the JDK or JRE path to the PATH environment variable. On Windows systems, we can instead set JAVA_HOME as a system environment variable, or append the JDK or JRE path to the PATH system variable. For example, on Windows systems we can use the following commands to set the JAVA_HOME property, and to add the Java /bin directory to the path: 

      set JAVA_HOME=C:\Progra~1\Java\JDK8
set PATH=%JAVA_HOME%\bin;%PATH%

    Note that the Liberty runtime environment searches for the java command in this order: JAVA_HOME property, JRE_HOME property, and system PATH property.

    For more information about supported Java environments and where to get them, see Minimum supported Java levels.

  4. Optional: Upgrade the Liberty installation to a more advanced supported edition. For example, we can upgrade from WebSphere Application Server Liberty Core to WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment.

    See Apply a license to Liberty installations.


What to do next

After we install Liberty, we can further customize the environment by installing additional assets; see Install Liberty Repository assets.


Parent topic: Install Liberty using downloaded archives


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