Configure WebSphere Portal with the configuration wizard

 

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The configuration wizard is a post-installation ease-of-use tool that we can use to perform some typical configuration. The tasks that we can run include transferring data to a different database, connecting to a database, and enabling and disabling LDAPsecurity. This topic provides information that you should read before you start the wizard, instructions on how to start the wizard, and usage tips.

 

What we need to know

Use the configuration wizard to perform the following tasks:

  • Transfer data to a different database.

    Select this option to transfer data from one supported database to another. This option can be used to transfer all domains or to select individual domains. The domains included are Release, Customization, Community, Java Content Repository, Feedback, LikeMinds, and Member Manager. IBM WebSphere Portal stores configuration, access control such as user identities, credentials, and permissions for accessing portal resources, and user data in a database. By default, WebSphere Portal installs and uses the IBM Cloudscape database.

    Notes:

    • Data can be transferred from a Cloudscape database, but cannot be transferred to a Cloudscape database.

    • To transfer Feedback using the configuration wizard Feedback must first be enabled. By default, Feedback comes disabled out of the box.

  • Connect additional node to a database.

    Select this option to connect the database for clustered installation by removing the old datasources and JDBC provider and creating new datasources and JDBC provider.

  • Enable LDAPsecurity.

    Select this option to configure WebSphere Portal to use an LDAP user registry to store user information and to authenticate users. If you enable LDAPsecurity with the configuration wizard, note that we can enable LDAPsecurity without realm support only.

    For more about enabling LDAPsecurity without realm support, see Configuring LDAPfor non-realm support.

    To enable LDAPsecurity with realm support, we cannot use the configuration wizard. Instead, perform configuration by typing configuration tasks at a command line.

    For more information, see Configuring LDAPfor realm support.

  • Disable security.

    Select this option to turn off WebSphere Application Server Global Security. If this is a cluster environment, stop all cluster members before disabling security.

The initial panel of the configuration wizard provides you with a list of configuration tasks that we can perform. We can select one task to perform at a time. To perform more than one task with the configuration wizard, choose a task from the initial panel and complete it; at the end of the task, a panel displays to enable us to return to the initial panel to choose another task.

If you do not use the configuration wizard, we can perform configuration by typing configuration tasks at a command line.

For more information on running configuration tasks at a command line, see the Configuring databases section.

 

Before you begin

The following instructions provide information about starting the configuration wizard, and details about the values that are required to complete configuration. Before you start the configuration wizard:

  • Windows and UNIX:

    If you plan to transfer or connect to a different database, that database software must be installed and the appropriate databases and users created before we can use the configuration wizard.

    For more information, see the Planning for databases section.

  • i5/OS:

    For details determining database strategy, refer to the Planning for DB2 for iSeries section. If you decide to transfer from Cloudscape (installed with WebSphere Portal ) or connect to a different IBM DB2 Universal Databaseā„¢ Enterprise Server Edition for an iSeries database, complete all the prerequisite steps before we can use the configuration wizard:

    Failure to complete all the prerequisite steps, including supplying the IBM WAS password, causes an unsuccessful run of the configuration wizard.

  • If you plan to enable or disable LDAPsecurity, the LDAP software must be installed and set up appropriately before we can use the configuration wizard.

    For more information, see the section on LDAP user registry.

  • Verify that IBM WAS is started.

  • Verify that WebSphere Portal is stopped.

The configuration wizard will not run properly if the prerequisite for the task has not been met.

 

Start the wizard and UNIX -based servers

To start the configuration wizard, type the appropriate configwizard command at a command line.

The location of the script is:

The command syntax is:

  • UNIX:

    ./configwizard.sh

  • Windows:

    configwizard.bat

We can launch the program in console mode to run the configuration without the graphical user interface. To run the wizard in console mode, type -console after the command.

 

Start the wizard for i5/OS

To start the configuration wizard...

cd portal_server_root/config/wizard/
./configwizard.sh

Notes:

  • The configwizard.sh command for i5/OS only runs in console mode and the -console option should not be used.

  • We can run the configuration wizard from the Windows workstation by enabling a Network share on the i5/OS system. Refer to the Integrated File System Introduction for more information on this subject. Connect to the shared directory...

        net use z: \\iSeries _system_name.domain\share1  /u:user password 

    After you have connected to the shared directory, from your Windows workstation, go to portal_server_root \config\wizard, and type:

       configwizard400.bat 

    In the example above, share1 points to the portal_server_root directory.

 

Usage tips

  • The configuration wizard contains help panels with information specific to the task and activity being performed.

  • If you are enabling security through Microsoft Active Directory Application Mode (without realm support), select Active Directory on the panel that lists the LDAPoptions.

  • For some fields that require input, you might have to enter a value that represents a new entity, such as a new database or new node. For other fields, we might have to enter a value that represents an existing entity, such as a node that already exists or a user ID and password that you have already created. Consult the help panels for additional information.

    Passwords should not contain spaces.

  • The configuration wizard generates log files each time you run it. The log file for the configuration wizard is located in the following directory:

    A second log file is located in the following directory:

    Log files are also generated that reflect the name of the task ran. These include:

    • PortalServer/logs/disable-security.log

    • PortalServer/logs/enable-ldap-security.log

    • PortalServer/logs/portal-database-transfer.log

    • PortalServer/logs/portal-connect-database.log

    These files are generated after the task has completed. They contain task-specific copies of the output in configwizard.log, and can be used to track output for one specific task when multiple tasks are run. The configwizard.log file is generated during task execution and remains in the PortalServer/logs directory after the additional files that reflect the name of the task run are created. Both log files are backed up when the task is reran.

  • If you run the configuration wizard for iSeries, we can ignore the following error message if it appears in the configwizard.log file: - ERROR:Unable to update properties file portal_server_root/config/wpconfig.properties

  • If you run the configuration wizard to transfer data to another database, we can ignore the following error message if it appears in the configwizardlog.txt file:Unexpected file error:

    ServiceException: (error code = 305; message = "setFileAttributes requires native support. "; severity = 0)

  • If you click the Help button, you may see a message logged to the command line indicating that a Javax function was created. This is an information-only message and can be safely ignored.

  • If you are running in a Solaris environment and you click the Browse button, you may see the message logged to the command line indicating that the system could not find an input context. This is an information-only message and can be safely ignored.

  • If you enable security and the environment is configured with a database other than Cloudscape, do not re-run the Transfer data to a different database task. This task will not transfer the data inserted during the Enable LDAPsecurity task, and will cause the portal to become inoperable. To recover from this situation, you would have to disable and re-enable security.

  • If you update the properties files with the information for source database before using the configuration wizard, the values in those files will be shown in the configuration wizard.

  • If you use a configuration template to pre-fill the property values when enabling security, use the IBM -provided configuration template to ensure that all required values are entered into the wizard. See Windows and UNIX configuration templates for additional information.

 

Parent topic:

Configuration tools