Portal Migration Plan
- Verify portal versions for migration path
- Verify supported hardware and software, OS, and database servers
- What is migrated
- Where are my two versions of WebSphere Portal located
- Migration tools
- tools
- Rational Web Developer for WebSphere Software
- Rational Application Developer for WebSphere Software
- Application Server Toolkit
- WebSphere Application Server test environment
- Next steps
Verify portal versions for migration path
Migration is the process of reconstructing the environment of an earlier IBM WebSphere Portal environment on a nearly identical V6.0 environment. The following versions of WebSphere Portal can be migrated to WebSphere Portal V6.0:
Offering Supported version IBM WebSphere Portal - Express V5.0.2.1, 5.0.2.2, and 5.0.2.3 IBM WebSphere Portal - Express Plus V5.0.2.1, 5.0.2.2, and 5.0.2.3 IBM WebSphere Portal Enable V5.0.2.1, 5.0.2.2, 5.0.2.3 5.1.0, 5.1.0.1, 5.1.0.2, 5.1.0.3, and later
IBM WebSphere Portal Extend V5.0.2.1, 5.0.2.2, 5.0.2.3 5.1.0, 5.1.0.1, 5.1.0.2, 5.1.0.3, and later
IWWCM IWWCM version 2.5, 2.6, and later WebSphere Portal version 5.1.0, 5.1.0.1, 5.1.0.2, 5.1.0.3, and later
Migration is supported between the same product families (Express, Express Plus, Enable, Extend). You also support migration from Express to Enable, Express Plus to Extend, Express to Extend, and Enable to Extend.
Throughout the rest of the migration topics, all WebSphere Portal versions prior to V6.0 are collectively referred to as previous versions and Version 6.0 is referred to as current version.
Verify supported hardware and software, OS, and database servers
Refer to the Supported hardware and software topics for both the current and previous version of WebSphere Portal to compare what is supported.
We can migrate from an older version of an operating system to a newer version of the operating system. Migrating between different operating systems, however, is not supported. For example, we cannot migrate from a Windows operating system to a Linux operating system. We can migrate from an older version of database server to a newer version of the database server. Migrating between different database servers, however, is not supported. For example, we cannot migrate from a DB2 database server to an Oracle database server.
Also, to ensure that the migration works properly, all users and groups must be the same between the different versions.
Backup the current database before beginning the migration process.
What is migrated
The following information is automatically migrated using the command line scripts or the migration wizard:
Themes and skins configuration Configuration information for themes and skins for WebSphere Portal. This configuration information includes locale-specific titles for the themes and skins and information on what skins are allowed for the themes. Portlet applications and portlets Migration tasks are provided to facilitate deployment of the custom portlet applications. In addition to the deployment, these tasks also migrate the associated access control information. Portal resources The corresponding access control is migrated automatically with these artifacts. User customizations Customizations created by privileged users that make changes to a private copy of their page. Virtual portal data The virtual portal data is migrated although first recreate the virtual portal in the current version before migrating; the title and URL context should be the same in the current and previous versions. Markups
Favorites You will need to enable it after migration. Cross page wires Ensure that all interim fixes are applied before running the migration. Transcoding Technology If you are using transcoding technology in the previous environment, enable it in the current version. Web Content Management You will need to migrate Web content data and portlets after migrating WebSphere Portal. The following information must be migrated manually either pre-migration or post-migration .
- Custom themes and skins configuration
Custom themes and skins need to be manually upgraded for the new functionality to work, such as, but not limited to, the context menu and drag and drop.
- Property files and global and service settings are node and version specific and should be replaced by the configuration changes that are made to the system
- Access control and modification for administrative pages and portlets
- Credential vault data
- Require manual upgrade of struts portlets built with previous Struts Framework version.
- Require repackaging of cooperative portlets to update the pbportlet.jar.
- Customized portlets
- Migrating the search collections between portal versions
During the migration process, some information that was in the previous version of WebSphere Portal will not be migrated to the current version such as, but not limited to, portlets and components because they are no longer supported. One example of a component that is no longer supported is WPAI; this component and applications created with this component will not be migrated to the current version.
Where are my two versions of WebSphere Portal located
The location of the current version of WebSphere Portal is called the local machine. Our previous version can also be located on the same machine as the current version.
For coexistence restrictions on other products that are shipped with WebSphere Portal see Software that can be installed on the portal machine
When both versions are installed on the same machine, however, resource limitations might prohibit them from running at the same time. Therefore, we can accomplish the migration tasks in two distinct steps: export and import. The previous version can be located on a separate or remote machine.
Migration tools
Use the following tools or combination of tools to migrate the previous version to the current version:
Command line scripts Perform migration if any of the following scenarios are true:
- The previous version of WebSphere Portal is running on a different machine than the current version.
- The environment has no graphical interface
- You need to migrate Virtual portals
Migration wizard Alternative to using the command line scripts; use the migration wizard to perform the migration if the following scenario is true:
- Both the previous version of WebSphere Portal and the current version of WebSphere Portal are installed on the same machine
Development tools
The suite of IBM products related to developing J2EE applications on the market during the years 2001 through 2004 was marketed under the brand name WebSphere Studio. For V6, the brand name changes to Rational Developer.
Rational is based on the Eclipse open source project, which uses the Eclipse workbench as a framework and adds IBM unique tools and functions.
Version 5 Version 6 Targeted to WebSphere Studio Application Developer IBM Rational Application Developer for WebSphere Software Full J2EE 1.4 development WebSphere Studio Site Developer IBM Rational Web Developer for WebSphere Software J2EE Web module development subset
IBM Rational Web Developer for WebSphere Software
Aimed at Web developers and supports J2EE 1.4 standards with the exception that no EJB. development tools are provided. The following significant features are contained in V6:
- WebSphere Application Server test environments
- Visual Java. GUI builder
- Web Diagram Editor
- Site designer
- Page templates
- XML tools
- Web services tools
- Database tools
- Portal and portlet development
- Enterprise Generation Language development
IBM Rational Application Developer (RAD) for WebSphere Software
Has all the functions of IBM Rational Web Developer for WebSphere Software with these additional features:
- J2EE EJB development
- UML visual editors
- Static and run time analysis
- Extended debugging and profiling
- Component test automation
- ClearCase LT for team integration
- Rational Unified Processing integration
WebSphere Application Server Toolkit
WebSphere Application Server Toolkit is a limited purpose tool, containing a subset of RAD, used to assemble and repackage existing applications. It is not a full function development environment.
The following functions are included:
- Assembly operations
- Import wizards to import jar and class files
- Module validators
- Deployment operations
- J2EE deployment descriptor editors
- Editors for IBM deployment extensions and binding files
- EJBdeploy invocation for generating EJB deployment artifacts
- Debug operations
- Remote and local testing on WAS V6 servers
- Profiling on WAS V6 servers
Embedded WebSphere Application Server test environment
IBM Rational Application Developer for WebSphere Software and IBM Rational Web Developer for WebSphere Software deliver optionally installed embedded WebSphere test server environments. The following servers are delivered with Rational Developer products.
- WebSphere Application Server V6.0
- WebSphere Application Server V5.1
- WebSphere Application Server V5.0
- WebSphere Application Server Express V5.1
- WebSphere Application Server Express V5.0
Next steps
Related information
Parent topic:
Portal Migration