Fast paths for WebSphere Application Server
Use the fast paths to deploy applications quickly and easily. The links go to topics that pinpoint the relevant information for reaching the goals quickly. The fast paths are intended to help gain a little experience. The fast paths do not showcase the advanced product features that some users need or want to use in their production environments.
Deploy any type of application involves the following tasks.
- Install the product.
The simplest scenario is to perform a typical installation of a single application server.
(dist)(zos) We can use the WAS Express on Linux or Windows operating systems to try out the product. It has a single application server and its Trial program code is available at no cost.
(iseries) We can use the WAS Express for IBM i product. It has a single application server and is available at no cost with IBM i Version 5 Release 4 and later.
- Obtain or develop the application.
In the simplest scenario, you already have a packaged web application that is compliant with Java EE, perhaps from a vendor with whom you work. Other than that, a web application is the most simple type of application to develop. See topics on developing web applications, or refer to product samples.
- Deploy and test the application.
In the simplest scenario, you will use the application installation wizard available in the console. See topics on installing applications for a detailed walkthrough of this task. The task describes many contingencies, but many of these steps can be disregarded if:
- We are deploying a web application.
- You accept the default settings whenever possible.
- Your application does not require data access.
- Your application does not require security.
Also, in many situations, we do not need to modify the default application server configuration.
- We are deploying a web application.
- Administer the deployed application.
In the simplest scenario, you monitor the application with the Tivoli Performance Viewer functionality built into the console. For an overview of this task, see topics on Monitoring performance.
Results
Now you should have some insight into the task flow for successfully deploying the applications.
To solidify and expand your understanding, view the following table. It shows the user role and task assumptions by which this documentation is organized, for predictability. If we know what role or task you are performing, we can disregard (at least temporarily) documentation that is labeled for other roles or tasks. By their nature, role and task models are simplified compared to reality. Also, one person might perform many roles and tasks in the course of a day.
| User role | User tasks |
|---|---|
|
Installer |
Install application serving environment
Administer applications and environment
Migrate deployed applications and their environment |
|
Administrator |
Administer applications and environment
Deploy applications into production
Monitor and tune applications and their environment |
|
Developer |
Develop or migrate application code
Assemble applications for deployment
Deploy applications for testing |
|
Security expert |
Secure applications and their environment |
|
Troubleshooter |
Use tools to troubleshoot problems |
Related concepts
Related tasks
Related information: