Install Liberty

We can install WebSphere Application Server Liberty using methods:

  • Installation Manager
  • Downloaded archive files
  • WebSphere Application Server Developer Tools for Eclipse

With all methods, we can also download and install assets from the Liberty Repository.

When planning an installation, review the list of supported operating systems, detailed system requirements, and hardware requirements. To get this information, we can view a software product compatibility report.

  1. Go to the Software Product Compatibility Reports page.

  2. Click Create a report for the type of report we want to create.

  3. For the Full or partial product name field, enter WebSphere Application Server Liberty and click the Search product icon.

  4. In the search results, select a Liberty version in the Version list and click Submit.

Learn the steps to quickly and easily generate custom Liberty software product compatibility reports.

Each installation method offers different benefits.

  • Installation Manager provides managed installations, allows for in-place updates, and is the same tool used to install many other IBM products.
  • Archive files are lightweight, easily customizable, and are better suited for cloud deployments.

The following table compares the available installation methods for WebSphere Application Server Liberty.

    Installation method Installation Manager Archive
    Agent-less installation No Yes
    Install directly to any fix pack level. Yes Yes
    Apply fix packs in place. Yes No
    Apply interim fixes in place. Yes Yes
    Automated rollback of fix packs and interim fixes Yes No
    Upgrade product editions. Yes Yes
    Pluggable Java SDK provided Yes No, to download an IBM SDK for use with archive installs, see IBM Java SDKs for WebSphere Liberty.
    Integrated with developer tools No Yes
    Add features in place. Yes Yes
    Liberty Repository integration Yes Yes
    z/OS packaging provided Yes No
    Minification supported Yes, but the output of the minify command is a new image that can be serviced only with archive procedures. Yes, the output of the minify command is a new image.

Install Liberty using one of the following methods:

  1. Install Liberty using Installation Manager.

    Install or updating to Liberty fix pack 16.0.0.2 or later requires IBM Installation Manager Version 1.8.5 or later. Through version 19.0.0.8, the minimum acceptable version of IBM Installation Manager is 1.8.5. The minimum acceptable version of IBM Installation Manager for installing Liberty is 1.9.0 or later.

  2. Install Liberty using the downloaded files and archives.

  3. Install Liberty developer tools and optionally the Liberty server.

After installing Liberty we can add or remove Liberty assets

See