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Set up a local web server

We can install a web server and the web server plug-in on the machine where we installed WebSphere Application Server.

If the web server that we are setting up is an IBM HTTP Server, and we plan to manage that web server through a node agent running as a nonroot user, make sure that you adhere to the following requirements:

We can ensure that the nonroot node agent and the IBM HTTP Server are using the same user ID if we specify the user ID that we used to install the product as the user ID for the IBM HTTP Server when we install the IBM HTTP Server. However, if, we decide to run the node agent as a nonroot user after installing the IBM HTTP Server and web server plug-in, we can take the following actions to enable both the node agent and the IBM HTTP Server to run as nonroot users:

  1. Change the user ID for WAS to a nonroot user ID.

  2. Configure the run-as setting for the node agent.

  3. Use the administrative console to create a new IBM HTTP Web Server, unless an already defined IBM HTTP Server has the required properties.

  4. Change the ownership of the IBM HTTP Server directory and files to the nonroot user ID under which the nonroot node agent is running.

We can define a locally installed Web server on an unmanaged or managed node. If the web server is defined on an unmanaged node, the administrative functions are handled through the IBM HTTP Server Administration server. If the web server is defined on a managed node, the administrative functions of the web server are handled through the WAS node agent, which is beneficial.

(Dist) Important: Web servers that are not provided with the WAS product do not provide an administration server. Web servers that do not provide an administration server must reside on a managed node to facilitate plug-in administration functions and generation and propagation of the plugin-cfg.xml file.

(ZOS) Important: IBM HTTP Servers that run on z/OS do not provide the administration server. Web servers that do not provide the administration server must reside on a managed node to facilitate plug-in administration functions and generation and propagation of the plugin-cfg.xml file.

The following steps create a web server definition in the default profile.


Tasks

  1. Install Installation Manager.

  2. Install the WAS product.

  3. Install IBM HTTP Server or another supported web server.

  4. Install the web server plug-ins.

  5. Install the WebSphere Customization Toolbox.

  6. Configure the web server plug-in using the Web Server Plug-ins Configuration Tool. (Dist)

    The web server definition is automatically created and configured.

  7. Complete the setup by creating the web server definition using the WAS administrative console, or run the plug-in configuration script. The creation of this object is exclusive of the web server installation.

    We must create an application server profile or a custom profile and federate the node before we can use the administrative console of the deployment manager to create a web server definition. The same is true for running the configuration script that the Web Server Plug-ins Configuration Tool created. We must assign the web server to a managed node when we create it. The managed node must exist before running the Web Server Plug-ins Configuration Tool. Otherwise, the installation is considered a remote installation.

    Select one of the following options:

    • Use the administrative console.

      Create a web server definition on an existing application server or unmanaged node:

      1. Click Servers > Server Types > Web servers > New and use the Create new web server definition tool to create the web server definition.

      2. Select the appropriate node.

      3. Select a template. Select a system template or a user-defined template for the web server to create.

      4. Enter the web server properties:

        • Type: The web server vendor type
        • Port: The existing web server port (default: 80)

        • Installation path: The web server installation path. This field is required for IBM HTTP Server only.
        • Service name (Windows operating systems): The Windows operating system service name of the web server. The default is IBMHTTPServer7.0.

        • Use secure protocol: Use the HTTPS protocol to communicate with the web server. The default is HTTP.
        • Plug-in installation location: The directory path in which the plug-in is installed.

      5. Confirm the creation of the new web server, and click Finish.

      After creating the web server to verify that the plugin-key.kdb file is generated and to configure the web server plug-in with SSL:

      1. Click Security > SSL certificate and key management.

      2. Configuration settings > Manage endpoint security configurations.

      3. Under Inbound or Outbound, expand cell > nodes > Web_server_node > servers and click server.

      4. Under Related Items, click Key stores and certificates. The administrative console displays the CMSKeyStore configuration with the path to the plugin-key.kdb file.
      5. Export the default certificate from key.p12, and add it as a signer certificate to the plugin-key.kdb.

    • Run the plug-in configuration script.

      If we install the plug-in, save the plug-in configuration script to run after we create a managed node, otherwise an error occurs. Wait until the script runs successfully and creates the web server definition on the managed node and node synchronization occurs before starting the web server.

      Add the node starts the node agent process. If the node agent is not running, start the node.

      Tip: If we want the web server to handle requests for an application for multiple managed nodes, install the application on each managed node and on the web server definition. The script already contains all of the information that we must gather when using the administrative console option.

      (Dist) See the startNode command for more information.


What to do next

We can configure non-IBM HTTP Server Web servers as a remote web server on unmanaged nodes, or as a local Web server on managed nodes. For a non-IBM HTTP Server web server on a managed node, the following functions are supported:

The following functions are not supported on a managed node for a non-IBM web server.

For a non-IBM HTTP Server web server on an unmanaged node, we can generate plug-in configuration, based on WAS repository changes. The following functions are not supported on an unmanaged node for a non-IBM HTTP Server web server:

  • Web server collection
  • Web server configuration
  • Web server log file
  • Web server plug-in properties
  • Web server configuration file
  • Web server custom properties
  • Remote web server management
  • startNode command