Configure a Web server and a custom profile on the same machine

 

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Overview

This procedure describes installing a Web server and its plug-in on a machine where the default profile is a custom profile.

When multiple profiles exist, the plug-ins installer configures only the default profile. See Plug-ins configuration for a description of the flow of logic that determines how the installer selects the profile to configure.

This procedure configures the custom profile that is the default profile on the machine. This procedure assumes that you already have installed a deployment manger on Machine A.

The WAS node on Machine B is the custom node that you create in this procedure. This procedure starts the deployment manager and federates the custom node before installing the Web server plug-ins.

Start the deployment manager. The deployment manager must be running to successfully federate and configure the custom node.

Use the following procedure to install the Web server plug-in, configure the Web server, and create a Web server definition in the default custom profile (custom node).

 

Procedure

1. Log on to the operating system. For *nix systems, in addition, select a umask that would allow the owner to read/write to the files, and allow others to access them according to the prevailing system policy. For root, a umask of 022 is recommended. For non-root users a umask of 002 or 022 could be used, depending on whether or not the users share the group. To verify the umask setting,...

   umask

   To set the umask setting to 022,...

   umask 022

   When installing on a Windows system, a Windows service is automatically created to autostart the appserver if your installer user account has the following advanced user rights:

   • Act as part of the operating system
   • Log on as a service

   For example, on some Windows systems, click...

   Administrative Tools | Local Security Policy | User Rights Assignments

   ...to set the advanced options. See your Windows documentation for more information.

   If you plan to run the appserver as a Windows service, do not install from a user ID that contains spaces. A user ID with spaces cannot be validated. Such a user ID is not allowed to continue the installation. To work around this problem, install with a user ID that does not contain spaces.

2. Install the WAS ND product.

3. Create a custom profile as the first profile on the machine and federate the node as you create it.

4. Use the console of the deployment manager to create an Application Server on the custom node.

   Click...

   Servers | Applications servers | New

   ...and follow the instructions to create a server. A server is not required for installing the plug-ins but it lets you verify the functionality of the Web server.

5. Optional: Install the DefaultApplication on the new server while you are in the console of the deployment manager.

   The DefaultApplication includes the snoop servlet. The verification step uses the snoop servlet.

6. Stop the appserver if it is running.

   Use the stopServer command or the console of the deployment manager to stop the managed node.

7. Install the IBM HTTP Server or another supported Web server on Machine B.

8. Launch the Plug-ins installation wizard on the machine with the Web server.

   Select the Plug-ins installation wizard from the launchpad or change directories to the plugin directory on the product disc or in the downloaded installation image and issue the install command.

9. Clear the check box for the roadmap or select the check box to view the roadmap, then click Next.

   If you are unsure of which installation scenario to follow, display the roadmap instead. Print and keep the roadmap as a handy overview of the installation steps.

   Press Ctrl-P to print the roadmap if the Web browser navigation controls and the menu bar are not present on the browser window that displays the Plug-ins roadmap. Press Ctrl-W to close the browser window if the navigation controls and the menu bar do not display. Or close the browser window with the window control in the title bar.

10. Read the license agreement and accept the agreement it if you agree to its terms. Click Next when you are finished.

11. If your system does not pass the prerequisites check, stop the installation, correct any problems, and restart the installation. If your system passes the prerequisites check, click Next. Look for the appropriate log file for information about missing prerequisites:

    • If you stop the installation, see the temporaryPluginInstallLog.txt file in the temporary directory of the user who installed the plug-ins. For example, the /tmp/temporaryPluginInstallLog.txt file might exist if the root user installed the plug-ins on an operating system such as AIX or Linux.

    • If you continue the installation in spite of warnings about missing prerequisites, see the file...

      plugins_root/logs/install/log.txt

      ...after the installation is complete.

12. Select the type of Web server that you are configuring and click Next.

    The Plug-ins installation wizard panel prompts you to identify the Web servers to configure. Actually you can select only one Web server each time you run the Plug-ins installation wizard.

    Stop any Web server while you are configuring it. A step later in the procedure directs you to start the Web server as you begin the snoop servlet test.

    If you select the Web server identification option labeled None, the Web server installs the binary plug-ins but does not configure the Web server.

13. Select Application server machine (local) and click Next.

14. Accept the default location for the installation root directory for the plug-ins. Click Next.

    You can type another new directory or click Browse to select an empty directory. The fully qualified path identifies the plug-ins installation root directory.

    The default location is shown in Directory conventions.

    A possibility exists that the Web server might run on a platform that WAS does not support.

15. Click Browse on the Application Server installation location panel to browse for the location of the managed node, if necessary. Click Next when the installation root directory is correct.

    The fully qualified path identifies the installation root directory for the ND product core files.

16. Click Browse to select the configuration file for your Web server, verify that the Web server port is correct, and then click Next when you are finished.

    Select the file and not just the directory of the file. Some Web servers have two configuration files and require you to browse for each file. The following list shows configuration files for supported Web servers:

    Apache HTTP Server

    apache_root/config/httpd.conf

    Domino Web Server

    names.nsf and Notes.jar

    The wizard prompts for the notes.jar file. The actual name is Notes.jar.

    The Plug-ins installation wizard verifies that the files exist but the wizard does not validate either file.

    IBM HTTP Server

    IHS_root/conf/httpd.conf

    Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS)

    The Plug-ins installation wizard can determine the correct files to edit.

    Sun ONE Web Server 6.0 or Sun Java System Web Server, V6.1

    obj.conf and magnus.conf

    The wizard displays a naming panel for the nickname of the Web server definition.

17. Specify a nick name for the Web server and click Next.

    The wizard uses the value to name configuration folders in the plug-ins installation root directory. The wizard also uses the name in the configuration script for the appserver to name the Web server definition.

18. Accept the location for the plugin-cfg.xml file and click Next.

    The wizard determines the characteristics of the managed appserver node to determine the best path for the file: A federated custom node has the following path:

    profile_root/config/cells/cell_name/nodes/node_name/servers/web_server_name/plugin-cfg.xml

    profile_root/config/cells/cell_name/nodes/node_name/servers/web_server_name/plugin-cfg.xml

    Accept the default value.

19. Click Next after verifying the characteristics of the plug-ins installation or click Back to make changes.

    You can use the console of the deployment manger to delete an existing Web server or to create new ones. Federated nodes can have more than one Web server definition.

20. Click Next on the pre-installation summary panel to begin the installation or click Back to change any characteristics of the installation. The wizard begins installing the plug-ins and configuring the Web server and the managed custom node.

    The wizard shows an installation status panel as it installs the plug-ins. The wizard displays the Installation summary panel at the completion of the installation.

21. After the wizard installs the code and creates the uninstaller program, examine the post-installation summary panel. Click Next when you are finished to display the Plug-ins installation roadmap.

    The Plug-ins installation wizard installs the binary plug-in module. On a Linux system, for example, the installation creates the plugins_root directory. The plugins_root/config/Web_server_name directory contains the plugin-cfg.xml file.

    The wizard displays the name and location of the configuration script and the plugin-cfg.xml file. The wizard also displays the type of Web server that is configured and the nickname of the Web server.

    If a problem occurs and the installation is unsuccessful, examine the logs in...

    plugins_root/logs

    Correct any problems and reinstall.

22. Close the road map and click Finish to exit the wizard.

    Log files from the installation are in...

    plugins_root/logs/install

23. Complete the installation by creating the Web server definition.

    You can use the console of the deployment manager to create the Web server definition on a federated node. Or, you can run the configuration script that the Plug-ins installation wizard created.

    The script already contains all of the information that gather when using the console option. Select one of the following options:

    • Use the console

      Click...

      Servers | Web servers | New

      ...and use the Create new Web server entry wizard to create the Web server definition.

    • Running the configuration scriptIssue the appropriate command from a command window:
      plugins_root/bin/configureWeb_server_name.sh

      If you have enabled security or changed the default JMX connector type, edit the script and include the appropriate parameters on the wsadmin command.

      Shell scripts on some operating systems cannot contain double-byte characters or single-byte characters with pronunciation keys.

      If the file path to the Web server includes double-byte characters or single-byte characters with pronunciation keys, such as o-umlaut (a diacritic mark over the o), c-cedilla (a mark is under the c), or characters with other keys, the script might not run correctly. Copy the content of such a script to the command line and run the wsadmin command directly.

24. Domino Web server only: Set the WAS_PLUGIN_CONFIG_FILE environment variable.

    On platforms such as AIX or Linux, sourcing a script to the parent shell allows child processes to inherit the exported variables. On Windows systems, run the script as you would run any other command. Sourcing is automatic on Windows systems.

    1. Open a command window.

    2. Change directories to the plug-ins installation root directory.

    3. Issue the appropriate command for the plugins_root/bin/setupPluginCfg.sh script:

       • . plugins_root/bin/setupPluginCfg.sh

       • source plugins_root/bin/setupPluginCfg.sh

    The script is also in the lotus_root/notesdata directory on operating systems such as AIX or Linux.

    Issue the appropriate command for the script before starting the Domino Web Server.

25. Start the Snoop servlet to verify the ability of the Web server to retrieve an application from the Application Server.

    Test your environment by starting your Application Server, your Web server, and using the snoop servlet with an IP address.

    1. Start the Application Server. In a ND environment, the Snoop servlet is available in the cell only if you included the DefaultApplication when adding the Application Server to the cell. The -includeapps option for the addNode command migrates the DefaultApplication to the cell. If the application is not present, skip this step.Change directories to the profile_root/bin directory and run the startServer command:

       • ./startServer.sh server1

       • startServer server1

    2. Start the IBM HTTP Server or the Web server that you are using.

       Use a command window to change the directory to the IBM HTTP Server installed image, or to the installed image of your Web server. Issue the appropriate command to start the Web server, such as these commands for IBM HTTP Server:

       To start the IBM HTTP Server from the command line: Access the apache and apachectl commands in the IBMHttpServer/bin directory.

       • ./apachectl start

       • apache

    3. Point your browser to http://localhost:9080/snoop to test the internal HTTP transport provided by the Application Server. Point your browser to http://Host_name_of_Web_server_machine/snoop to test the Web server plug-in.

       The HTTP Transport port is 9080 by default and must be unique for every profile. The port is associated with a virtual host named default_host, which is configured to host the installed DefaultApplication and any installed Samples. The snoop servlet is part of the DefaultApplication. Change the port to match your actual HTTP Transport port.

    4. Verify that snoop is running.

       Either Web address should display the Snoop Servlet - Request/Client Information page.

        

    5. Remote IBM HTTP Server only:

       Verify that the automatic propagation function can work on a remote IBM HTTP Server by using the following steps. This procedure is not necessary for local Web servers.

       1. Create a user=adminUser, password=adminPassword in the IHS_root /conf/admin.passwd file. For example: c:\ws\ihs60\bin\htpasswd -cb c:\ws\ihs60\conf\admin.passwd adminUser adminPassword

       2. Use the console of the deployment manager or the Application Server to enter the User ID and password information that you created for the administrative user of IBM HTTP Server. Go to Servers > Web server > Web_server_definition > Remote Web server administration. Set the following values: admin Port=8008, User Id=adminUser, Password=adminPassword.

       3. Set the correct read/write permissions for the httpd.conf file and the plugin-cfg.xml file. See the IHS_root /logs/admin_error.log file for more information.

       Automatic propagation of the plug-in configuration file requires the IBM HTTP administrative server to be up and running. If you are managing an IBM HTTP Server using the console, the following error might display:

       "Could not connect to IHS Administration server error"
       

       Perform the following procedure to correct the error:

       1. Verify that the IBM HTTP Server administration server is running.

       2. Verify that the Web server host name and the port that is defined in the console matches the IBM HTTP Server administration host name and port.

       3. Verify that the fire wall is not preventing you from accessing the IBM HTTP Server administration server from the WAS administrative console.

       4. Verify that the user ID and password that is specified in the WebSphere Application Server console under remote managed, is created in the admin.passwd file, using the htpasswd command.

       5. If you are trying to connect securely, verify that you export the IBM HTTP Server administration server keydb personal certificate into the WebSphere Application Server key database as a signer certificate. This key database is specified by the com.ibm.ssl.trustStore directive in the sas.client.props file in the profile where your console is running. This consideration is primarily for self-signed certificates.

       6. If you still have problems, check the IBM HTTP Server admin_error.log file and the WAS logs (trace.log file) to determine the cause of the problem.

26. If the deployment manager does not have the DefaultApplication installed, you can test the functionality of the Web server and the custom node using an application of your own.

    See Fast paths for WAS for help in deploying applications.

27. From the console of the deployment manager, click System administration > Save Changes to Master Repository > Synchronize changes with Nodes > Save.

28. To create multiple Web server definitions for the managed node, use the Plug-ins installation wizard to configure each Web server.

    Identify the same managed node each time. Give each Web server a different nick name.

 

Results

This procedure results in the installation of the Web server plug-ins for WAS on a Web server machine. The Plug-ins installation wizard creates a Web server definition within the managed node.

The Plug-ins installation wizard configures the Web server to use the plugin-cfg.xml file that is within the managed custom node.

The deployment manager regenerates the Web server plug-in configuration file, plugin-cfg.xml whenever an event occurs that affects the file. Such events include the addition or removal of an application, server, or virtual host. The creation or removal of clusters and cluster members also causes file regeneration. Automatic propagation through node synchronization copies the file after each regeneration to the following location on the custom node machine:

profile_root    /config/cells/cell_name/nodes/
   node_name_of_custom_profile/servers/
   web_server_name/plugin-cfg.xml

The installation of the binary plug-in modules results in the creation of the Plugins directory and several subdirectories. The following directories are among those created on a Linux system...

• plugins_root/uninstall contains the uninstaller program

• plugins_root/bin contains the binary plug-ins for all supported Web servers

• plugins_root/logs contains log files

• plugins_root/properties contains version information

• plugins_root/roadmap contains the roadmap for the Plug-ins installation wizard

 

What to do next

After installing the binary plug-in for the local Web server, you can start the managed node and the Web server after running the configuration script that completes the installation.

See Plug-ins configuration for information about the location of the plug-in configuration file.

See Web server configuration for more information about the files involved in configuring a Web server.

See Edit Web server configuration files for information about how the Plug-ins installation wizard configures supported Web servers.

See Installing Web server plug-ins for information about other installation scenarios for installing Web server plug-ins.

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Related concepts

Plug-ins configuration

 

Related tasks

Installing Web server plug-ins