Prepare AIX systems for installation

 

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This topic describes how to prepare an AIX system for the installation of IBM WAS products.

The installation uses an InstallShield MultiPlatform (ISMP) wizard. You can use the graphical interface of the wizard. You can also use the wizard in silent mode.

Silent mode is a command line invocation with a parameter that identifies an options response file. Edit the options response file before installing.

If you encounter a problem such as needing more temporary space or missing prerequisite packages on your operating system, cancel the installation, make the required changes, and restart the installation.

WAS prevents users from installing to a non-empty directory. If WAS is installed to a directory with a lost+found sub-directory, you will be prompted to use an empty directory. If you still want to install to this directory, then you can delete the lost+found directory. However, the next time fsck is executed, the lost+found directory will be created. This should not have any effect on an existing install, however during uninstall this directory will not be removed.

There are known issues with using Cygwin/X to run Eclipse-based applications on remote AIX machines. This affects your use of the Profile Management tool and the Installation Factory. With Cygwin/X on remote AIX, for example, a splash screen for the Profile Management tool appears but the Profile Management tool never actually comes up. For details of existing Bugzilla reports on these issues, see the information at https://bugs.eclipse.org/bugs/show_bug.cgi?id=36806. If a different X server (such as Hummingbird Exceed®) is used, these problems do not occur.

 

Overview

Preparing the operating system involves such changes as allocating disk space and installing patches to the operating system. IBM tests WAS products on each operating system platform. Such tests verify whether an operating system change is required for WAS products to run correctly. Without the required changes, WAS products do not run correctly.

 

Procedure

  1. Log on to the operating system.

    You can log on as root or as a non-root installer. Select a umask that allows the owner to read/write to the files, and allows 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 can be used, depending on whether the users share the group. To verify the umask setting,...

    umask
    To set the umask setting to 022,...

    umask 022

  2. Stop all WAS-related Java processes on the machine where you are installing the product.

  3. Stop any Web server process such as the IBM HTTP Server.

  4. Use the System Management Interface Tool (SMIT) to display packages that are installed to determine whether update packages that are described in the following steps.

  5. Download the most current version of the INFOZIP product to avoid problems with zipped files. Although zipped files are primarily used in the service stream, prepare your AIX operating system by downloading a current version of the INFOZIP package from the http://www.info-zip.org Web site.

  6. Install the prerequisite xlC.rte 6.0 run-time code on AIX 5.2 maintenance level 07.

    Install the xlC.rte 6.0 run-time code before you install the Global Security Kit (GSKit). The GSKit is installed as part of the installation of the IBM HTTP Server or as part of the installation of Web server plug-ins for WAS.

    Download the xlC.rte run-time code as a fix

    If you have AIX 5.2, you can install the xlC.rte 6.0 run-time code from the AIX 5.2 CD.

  7. Provide adequate disk space. With the JFS file system on AIX, you can allocate expansion space for directories. If the Installation wizard does not have enough space, ISMP issues a system call for more space that increases the space allocation dynamically. The message you might see when this occurs for the /usr directory is similar to the following example:

    The following file systems will be expanded during the installation: /usr

    The ND product requires the following disc space:

    730 MB for the /usr/IBM/WAS/AppServer directory before creating profiles

    The installation root directory includes the core product files. This size does not include space for profiles or applications. Profiles require 40 MB of temp space in addition to the sizes shown. Profiles have the following space requirements:

    30 MB for the Deployment manager profile

    The IBM Global Security Kit (GSKit) requires this space.

    200 MB for an Application Server profile with the Sample applications

    This size does not include space for applications that you might develop and install.

    10 MB for an unfederated custom profile

    This size does not include space for applications that you might develop and install. The requirement does include space for the node agent. However, federate a custom profile to create an operational managed node.

    After federating a custom profile, the resulting managed node contains a functional node agent only. Use the deployment manager to create server processes on the managed node.

    100 MB for the /tmp directory

    The temporary directory is the working directory for the installation program.

    The total amount of disc space required is approximately 1 GB. The prerequisite checker of the installation program calculates the amount of disc space required.

    Manually verify that the required space for creating a profile is available on AIX. A known problem in the underlying InstallShield MultiPlatform (ISMP) code prevents proper space checking on AIX systems at the time that the product disc was created.

    The following space is required for the IBM HTTP Server product:

    110 MB for the /usr/IBM/HTTPServer/Plugins directory

    The IBM HTTP Server product requires this space.

    35 MB for the /usr/ibm/gsk7 directory

    The IBM Global Security Kit (GSKit) requires this space.

    The runtime module is gskkm.rte.

    The following space is the maximum amount that is required for the Web server plug-ins for WAS:

    200 MB for the /usr/IBM/WAS/plugins directory

    The Web server plug-ins require this space.

    25 MB for the /usr/ibm/gsk7 directory

    The IBM Global Security Kit (GSKit) requires this space.

    The following space is required for the WebSphere Application Server Clients:

    150 MB for the /usr/IBM/WAS/AppClient directory

    The amount of space required to install the application clients is actually less than 150 MB. The amount of space depends on the clients that you install as features.

    The following space is required for the Update Installer:

    200 MB for the /usr/IBM/WAS/UpdateInstaller directory

    The installation wizard for each component displays required space on the confirmation panel before you install the product files and selected features. The installation wizard also warns you if you do not have enough space to install the product. If you plan to migrate applications and the configuration from a previous version, verify that the application objects have enough disc space. As a rough guideline, plan for space equal to 110 percent of the size of the application objects:

    • For V4.0.x: The size of enterprise archive (EAR) files
    • For V5.0.x: The size of EAR files

  8. Unmount file systems with broken links to avoid java.lang.NullPointerException errors.

    Unmount file systems with broken links before installing. Installation can fail with the following error when broken links exist to file systems: 

    An error occurred during wizard bean change notification: java.lang.NullPointerException 
  at com.ibm.wizard.platform.aix.AixFileUtils.
     getFileSystemData(AixFileUtils.java:388)
  at com.ibm.wizard.platform.aix.AixFileUtils.
     getPartitionDataWithExecs(AixFileUtils.java:172)
  at com.ibm.wizard.platform.aix.AixFileUtils.
     getPartitionData(AixFileUtils.java:104)
  at com.ibm.wizard.platform.aix.AixFileServiceImpl.
     getPartitionNames(AixFileServiceImpl.java:397)
...
    Use the df -k command to check for broken links to file systems. Look for file systems that list blank values in the 1024-blocks size column. Columns with a value of "-" (dash) are not a problem. The following example shows a problem with the /dev/lv00 file system: 

    >  df -k
Filesystem    1024-blocks      Free %Used    Iused %Iused Mounted on
/dev/hd4          1048576    447924   58%     2497     1% /
/dev/hd3          4259840   2835816   34%      484     1% /tmp
/proc                   -         -    -         -     -  /proc
/dev/lv01         2097152    229276   90%     3982     1% /storage
/dev/lv00
/dev/hd2          2097152    458632   79%    42910     9% /usr iw031864:/cdrom/db2_v72_eee_aix32_sbcs
    The /proc file system is not a problem. The iw031864:/cdrom/db2_v72_eee_aix32_sbcs file system is a definite problem. The /dev/lv00 file system is also a likely problem. Use one of the following commands to solve this problem: 

    >  umount /cdrom/db2_v72_eee_aix32_sbcs
>  umount /cdrom

    Start the installation again. If the problem continues, unmount any file systems that have blank values, such as the /dev/lv00 file system in the example. If you cannot solve the problem by unmounting file systems with broken links, reboot the machine and start the installation again.

  9. Verify that prerequisites and corequisites are at the required release levels.

    Although the Installation wizard checks for prerequisite operating system patches with the prereqChecker application, review the prerequisites on the Supported hardware and software Web site if you have not already done so.

    Refer to the documentation for non-IBM prerequisite and corequisite products to learn how to migrate to their supported versions.

  10. Verify the system cp command when using emacs or other freeware. If you have emacs or other freeware installed on your operating system, verify that the system cp command is used.

    1. Type...

      which cp

      ...at the command prompt before running the installation program for the WAS product.

    2. Remove the freeware directory from your PATH if the resulting directory output includes freeware. For example, assume that the output is similar to the following message:

      .../freeware/bin/cp

      If so, remove the directory from the PATH.

    3. Install the WAS product.

    4. Add the freeware directory back to the PATH.

    If you install with a cp command that is part of a freeware package, the installation might appear to complete successfully, but the Java 2 SDK that the product installs might have missing files in...

    app_server_root/java

    Missing files can destroy required symbolic links. If you remove the freeware cp command from the PATH, you can install the Application Server product successfully.

  11. Verify that the Java 2 SDK on the installation image disc is functioning correctly.

    For example, you might have downloaded an installation image from Passport Advantage, or you might have copied an installation image onto a backup disc. In either case, perform the following steps to verify that the disc contains a valid Java 2 software development kit (SDK).

    1. Change directories to...

      /JDK/jre.pak/repository/package.java.jre/java/jre/bin

      ...on the product CD-ROM or DVD. For example:

      cd /JDK/jre.pak/repository/package.java.jre/java/jre/bin

    2. Verify the Java 2 SDK version. Type the following command:

      ./java -version

      The command completes successfully with no errors when the Java 2 SDK is intact.

  12. Optional: Install the Mozilla browser if it is not already installed. The Mozilla browser supports the launchpad console.

    1. Use smit to see if the Mozilla 1.4 or 1.7.8 or later package is already installed.

    2. Download two prerequisites from the AIX Toolbox for Linux Applications (glib & gtk+). Download the packages from the following locations:

    3. Install the packages after downloading them: Use the following command:

      rpm -Uvh glib-1.2.10-2.aix4.3.ppc.rpm gtkplus-1.2.10-4.aix5.1.ppc.rpm

    4. Download the latest supported version of Mozilla (1.7.8 or later) for AIX.

      Download the installp image and install it from smit.

      The Mozilla images distributed on the http://www.mozilla.org Web site are not provided by IBM. IBM has not tested and does not support the download from the non-IBM Web site. Download the Mozilla images from the IBM Web site to verify that the version that you download is tested and supported.

      Use Mozilla 1.7.5 or earlier can result in ISMP failing to initialize during installation. The launchpad link might seem to fail.

  13. Optional: Export the location of the supported browser.

    Export the location of the supported browser using a command that identifies the actual location of the browser. For example, if the Mozilla package is in the bin /mozilla directory, use the following command:

    EXPORT BROWSER=/usr/bin/mozilla

  14. Silent installation only: Make an allowance for a known ISMP problem that causes a call to the Xwindows service during a silent installation. The DISPLAY environment variable on your AIX machine might point to an X server that is not logged in. Two common scenarios can cause this to occur:

    • Your AIX machine has an X server running, but the X server is stuck at the graphical login screen because you have not yet logged in.

    • Your AIX machine is configured to display X Windows applications on a remote X server that is not logged in.

    A silent installation can hang in either case as ISMP calls Xwindows services. Two solutions exist:

    • Login to the local X server through the graphical user interface before beginning the silent installation.

    • Export the DISPLAY environment variable to point to null or blank.

      EXPORT DISPLAY=null

 

Results

This procedure results in preparing the operating system for installing the product.

 

What to do next

After preparing the operating system for installation, you can install the WAS product.

 

Related tasks

Preparing to install ND on an AIX system