Install Application Client for WebSphere Application Server

 

Before you begin

Run J2EE and Thin application clients that communicate with WAS requires that elements of the Application Server are installed on the machine on which the client runs. However, if the system does not have the Application Server installed, install Application Clients, which provide a stand-alone client run-time environment for your client applications. See the Supported Prerequisites page for more information on supported product platforms.

This article describes how to install the Application Client for WAS using the installation image on the product CD-ROM. The steps that follow provide enough detail to guide you through preparing for, choosing, and installing the variety of options and features provided. To prepare for installation and to make yourself familiar with installation options, complete the steps in this article and read the related topics, before you start to use the installation tools. Specifically, read these topics before installing the product:

As a general rule, if you launch an installation and there is a problem such as not having enough temporary space or not having the right packages on your Linux or UNIX systems, then cancel the installation, and make the required changes. Restart the installation to initiate your changes.

Although it is not supported or recommended, install this product as a non-root user on a UNIX operating system. However, use a user ID that is part of the administrator group on Windows platforms.

In V6, the Application Server for WAS is installable on a machine with a previous version of Application Clients. However, one cannot install a Version 6 Application Client on top of a previous version of the Application Client. For example, if a V5 Application Clients install under the C:\WebSphere\AppClient directory, one can not choose the same install location for your V6 Application Clients installation.

Note: For Application Client coexisting, there is a limitation on Applet client and ActiveX client on Windows that can not be coexisted with V5.0.x and V4.x of the clients. For example, the Applet client feature in V6 cannot coexist with the Applet client feature in any previous release. This coexistence is not available because the installation of Applet client feature in V6 sets the browser default Java Virtual Machine (JVM) using the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) from the V6 installation, which is Java Runtime Environment V1.4.2. Similarly, the ActiveX to EJB Bridge feature in V6 sets the Windows system path to use the JRE from the V6 installation.

 

Procedure

  1. Install Application Client for WebSphere Application Server using the launchpad. The launchpad program is available on the root directory of the product CD in the program, launchpad.sh, on Linux and UNIX platforms and launchpad.bat on Windows platforms.

    Note: The free download Application Client installation is not packaged with the launchPad program.

    1. Click Launch the installation wizard for Application Client for WAS from the launchpad tool to launch the InstallShield for MultiPlatforms installation wizard. This action launches the installation wizard.

      The Readme documentation to which the launchpad links is the readme.html file in the CD root directory. The readme directory off the root of the CD has more detailed Readme files. The Installation Guide is in the /docs directory of the CD root directory.

      Note: Readme file names are based on product offerings.

      When you install application clients, the current working directory must be the directory where the installer binary program is located. This placement is important because the resolution of the class files location is done in the current working directory. For example 

      cd /install_root/AppClient

./install
      or 

       cd <CD mount point>/AppClient

     ./install
      Failing to use the correct working directory can cause ISMP errors that abort the installation.

      The installation wizard does not upgrade or remove previous Application Clients installation automatically. However, change the directory of any previously installed versions of the Application Client because one cannot install V6 on top of previously existing Application Client.

    2. As indicated in the previous example, one can start the installation wizard from the product CD-ROM, using the command line.

      On other Linux platforms and UNIX-based platforms, run the ./install command.

      On Windows platforms, run the Install.exe command.

    3. We can also perform a silent installation using the -options responsefile parameter, which causes the installation wizard to read your responses from the options response file, instead of from the interactive graphical user interface. Customize the response file before installing silently. After customizing the file, issue the command to silently install. Silent installation is particularly useful if you install the product often.

      The rest of this procedure assumes that you are using the installation wizard. There are corresponding entries in the response file for every prompt that is described as part of the wizard. Review the description of the response file for more information. Comments in the file describe how to customize its options.

  2. Click Next to continue when the Welcome panel is displayed.

    1. Click the radio button beside the I accept the terms in the license agreement message if you agree to the license agreement, and click Next to continue.

  3. Specify a destination directory. Click Next to continue.

    1. Ensure that there is adequate space available in the target directory.

    2. Specify a target directory for the Application Client product.

    3. Enter the required target directory to proceed to the next panel. Deleting the default target location and leaving an installation directory field empty prevents you from continuing the installation process.

  4. Choose a type of installation, and click Next.

    If you use the GUI, one can choose a Typical installation type, which installs J2EE and Thin application client, Samples and IBM Developer Kit, Java 2 Technology Edition or a Custom installation type.

    The Custom installation type lets you select which features to install. However one can not install the J2EE and Java Thin application client feature and the Pluggable application client feature together. When J2EE and Java thin application client and Pluggable application client features are both selected, the following message is displayed: Client Install Conflict The J2EE/Java thin application client and the Pluggable application client cannot both be selected. Please select only one of these two options.

    1. Deselect the J2EE and Java thin application client option, and select the Pluggable application client.

    2. Click Next to accept the detected Sun JRE, or click Browse to select the location of the installed Sun JRE. The Sun Software Development Kit installation location is optional. However, if the installation location is not provided, the installed Samples do not compile.

      If Sun JRE has not been installed, the installation cannot be continued. Click Cancel to exit the installation.

    3. Install the Sun JRE, and restart the Pluggable Custom installation. The Sun JRE panel is displayed with the JRE path detected, and the Pluggable application client installation continues.

    (Windows Only) If you select the ActiveX to EJB Bridge feature, then the following is displayed in a dialog box: Do you want to add Java runtime to the system path and make it the default JRE? If you answer Yes, then the Java run time is added to the beginning of the system path. If you answer No, then the ActiveX to EJB Bridge does not function from the Active Server Pages (ASP), unless you add the Java run time to the path. To add the Java run time later, see the topic ActiveX application clients or reinstall the Application Client. (Windows Only) If you select the Applet client feature, then the following message might be displayed: An existing JDK or JRE has been detected on your computer. You chose to install the Applet Client, which will overwrite the registry entries for this JDK or JRE. Do you want to continue and install the Applet Client? If you select Yes, the installation overrides the registry on your machine. If you select No, the Applet client feature is not installed, and you are directed back feature dialog box.

  5. Install the Software Developer Kit, to use any of the utilities that it provides, such as the javaccompiler, the jarutility or the jarsinger utility. The Java 2 Development Kit that IBM provides has two components, Java Runtime Environment (JRE) and a complete Software Developer Kit (SDK). The JRE sub feature is selected by default when the J2EE or Thin application client feature is selected. The SDK component is optional; however, install the SDK component to compile the sample.

  6. Enter the host name of the WAS machine. Click Next to continue. The default port number for product V6 server is 2809.

  7. Review the summary information, and click Next to install the product code or you might also click Back to change your specifications.

  8. Click Finish to exit the wizard, after the Application Client installs.

  9. Verify the success of the installer program by examining the Completion panel and the <install_root>/logs/WAS.Client.isntall.log file for installation status. The installer program records the following indicators of success in the logs:

    • INSTCONFSUCCESS indicates that the installation is successful and that no further log analysis is required.

    • INSTCONFFAILED indicates an installation failure that one cannot retry or recover from without reinstalling.

 

Result

You successfully installed the Application Client for WebSphere Application Server and the features you selected.

 

What to do next

If the installation is not successful, fix the error as indicated in the installation error message. For example, if you do not have enough disk space, add more space, and reinstall the Application Client.

 

See also


Best practices for installing application clients
Installing application clients silently
Uninstalling Application Client for WebSphere Application Server

 

Related Tasks


Using the launchpad to start the installation

 

Related Information


http://www.ibm.com/software/webservers/appserv/doc/latest/prereq.html