For up-to-date product documentation, see the IBM MobileFirst Foundation Developer Center.

Run the Server Configuration Tool

Before you begin

Before running the Server Configuration Tool, make sure that the following requirements are fulfilled:

• The databases and the tables for the components are prepared and ready to use.
• The server topology to install the components is decided.
• The application server is configured.
• The user that runs the tool has the specific file system privileges.

Procedure

1. Start the Server Configuration Tool.

   • On Linux, from application shortcuts Applications > IBM MobileFirst Platform Server > Server Configuration Tool.

   • On Windows, click Start > Programs > IBM MobileFirst Platform Server > Server Configuration Tool.

   • On Mac OS, open a shell console. Go to mfp_server_install_dir/shortcuts and type ./configuration-tool.sh.

     The mfp_server_install_dir directory is where you installed MobileFirst Server.

2. Select File > New Configuration to create a MobileFirst Server Configuration.
   1. In the Configuration Details panel, enter the context root of the administration service and the runtime component. You might want to enter an environment ID.

      An environment ID is used in advanced use cases, for example when multiple installations of MobileFirst Server are made on the same application server or same WebSphere® Application Server cell. See Multiple instances of MobileFirst Server on the same server or WebSphere Application Server cell.

   2. In the Console Settings panel, select whether to install MobileFirst Operations Console or not.

      If the console is not installed, you need to use command line tools (mfpdev or mfpadm) or the REST API to interact with the MobileFirst Server administration service.

   3. In the Database Selection panel, select the database management system that you plan to use.

      All the components use the same database type and the same database instance. See Create the database tables with the Server Configuration Tool.

   4. In the Application Server Selection panel, select the type of application server where we want to deploy MobileFirst Server.

3. In the Application Server Settings panel, choose the application server and do the following steps:
   • For an installation on WebSphere Application Server Liberty:
     • Enter the installation directory of Liberty and the name of the server where we want to install MobileFirst Server.

     • We can create a default user to log in the console. This user is created in the Liberty Basic registry. For a production installation, you might want to clear the Create a default user option and to configure the user access after the installation. See Configure user authentication for MobileFirst Server administration.

     • Select the deployment type: Standalone deployment (default), Server farm deployment, or Liberty collective deployment.

     If the Liberty collective deployment option is selected, do the following steps:

     1. Specify the Liberty collective server:
        • Where the administration service, MobileFirst Operations Console and the live update service are installed. The server must be a Liberty collective controller.
        • Where the runtime is installed. The server must be a Liberty collective member.
        • Where the push service is installed. The server must be a Liberty collective member.

     2. Enter the server ID of the member. This identifier must be different for each member in the collective.

     3. Enter the cluster name of the collective members.

     4. Enter the controller host name and HTTPS port number. The values must be the same as the one that is defined in the <variable> element inside the server.xml file of the Liberty collective controller.

     5. Enter the controller administrator user name and password.

   • For an installation on WebSphere Application Server or WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment:
     • Enter the installation directory of WebSphere Application Server.

     • Select the WebSphere Application Server profile where we want to install MobileFirst Server. If you install on WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment, select the profile of the deployment manager. On the deployment manager profile, we can select a scope (Server or Cluster). If you select Cluster, we must specify the cluster:
       • Where the runtime is installed.

       • Where the administration service, MobileFirst Operations Console and the live update service are installed.

       • Where the push service is installed.

     • Enter an administrator login ID and password. The administrator user must have an administrator role.

     • If you select the Declare the WebSphere Administrator as an administrator user in IBM MobileFirst Platform Operations Console option, then the user used to install MobileFirst Server is mapped to the administration security role of the console and can log in to the console with administrator privileges. This user is also mapped to the security role of the live update service. The user name and password are set as JNDI properties (mfp.config.service.user and mfp.config.service.password) of the administration service.

     • If you do not select the Declare the WebSphere Administrator as an administrator user in IBM MobileFirst Platform Operations Console option, then before we can use MobileFirst Server, we must do the following tasks:

       • Enable the communication between the administration service and the live update service by:
         • Mapping a user to the security role configadmin of the live update service.

         • Add the login ID and password of this user in the JNDI properties (mfp.config.service.user and mfp.config.service.password) of the administration service.

         • Map one or more users to the security roles of the administration service and MobileFirst Operations Console. See Configure user authentication for MobileFirst Server administration.

   • For an installation on Apache Tomcat:
     • Enter the installation directory of Apache Tomcat.

     • Enter the port that is used for the JMX communication with RMI. By default, the value is 8686. The Server Configuration Tool modifies the tomcat_install_dir/bin/setenv.bat or tomcat_install_dir/bin/setenv.sh file to open this port. If we want to open the port manually, or have already some code that opens the port in setenv.bat or setenv.sh, do not use the tool. Install with Ant tasks instead. An option to open the RMI port manually is provided for an installation with Ant tasks.

     • Create a default user to log in the console. This user is also created in the tomcat-users.xml configuration file. For a production installation, you might want to clear the Create a default user option and to configure the user access after the installation. For more information, see Configure user authentication for MobileFirst Server administration.

4. In the Push Service Settings panel, select the Install the Push service option if you want the push service to be installed in the application server. The context root is imfpush. To enable the communication between the push service and the administration service, you need to define the following parameters:
   1. Enter the URL of the push service and the URL of the runtime. This URL can be computed automatically if you install on Liberty, Apache Tomcat, or stand-alone WebSphere Application Server. It uses the URL of the component (the runtime or the push service) on the local server. If you install on WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment or the communications go through a web proxy or load balancer, we must enter the URL manually.

   2. Enter the confidential client IDs and secret for the OAuth communication between the services. Otherwise, the tool generates default values and random passwords.

5. In the Analytics Settings panel, select the Enable the connection to the Analytics server if MobileFirst Analytics is installed. Enter the following connection settings:
   • The URL of the Analytics console.
   • The URL of the Analytics server (the Analytics data service).
   • The user login ID and password that is allowed to publish data to the Analytics server.

   The tool configures the runtime and the push service to send data to the Analytics server.

6. Click Deploy to proceed with the installation.

What to do next

After the installation is completed successfully, restart the application server in the case of Apache Tomcat or Liberty profile.

If Apache Tomcat is launched as a service, the setenv.bat or setenv.sh file that contains the statement to open the RMI might not be read. As a result, MobileFirst Server might not be able to work correctly. To set the required variables, see Configure JMX connection for Apache Tomcat.

On WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment, the applications are installed but not started. We need to start them manually. We can do that from the WebSphere Application Server administration console.

Keep the configuration file in the Server Configuration Tool. You might reuse it to install the interim fixes. The menu to apply an interim fix is Configurations > Replace the deployed WAR files.

Parent topic: Install with the Server Configuration Tool