Migrate from previous versions of IBM HTTP Server

This section provides information about upgrading from a previous version of IBM HTTP Server.


About this task

IBM HTTP Server can coexist with earlier versions if you install the recent version into a different directory. We can also upgrade earlier versions of IBM HTTP Server by installing the recent version into the directory where an the earlier version of IBM HTTP Server is located. Using the same installation path on the same system for the new IBM HTTP Server version preserves the validity of the WebSphere® Application Server web server definition, but with a minor exception for a Windows server where the service name must be modified in the server definition to the service name used for the new version.

If you migrate from an IBM HTTP Server earlier than a previous major release, read the product documentation for the interim IBM HTTP Server version(s) and review the migration information. You may need to complete additional steps.


Procedure

  • Upgrade IBM HTTP Server from your previous installation.

    When you upgrade IBM HTTP Server from a previous version, complete the following steps to install the new version in the same directory location as the previous version. If the new version is installed in a different directory, you do not need to complete Steps 1 - 4. Whether you need to complete the remaining steps depends on how similar you want to make the current configuration to the configuration of a previous version of IBM HTTP Server.

    1. Stop the IBM HTTP Server and the IBM HTTP Server administration server.

    2. Copy the existing installation directory to a new location.

      This action preserves your configuration, keys, and content.

      Issue the following command to copy the previous installation: 

      cp -rp current_install_directory new_directory_name 

      xcopy current_install_directory new_directory_name /s /e /k /i

    3. Uninstall the previous IBM HTTP Server version.

    4. Remove the previous installation directory.

      Because the uninstall leaves behind some files, such as modified and added files, fixpack files, and uninstall files, you must manually remove the previous installation directory to complete the uninstall process. If you had any uninstall issues, review and backup the uninstall log files in the http_server_install/logs/uninstall directory before proceeding.

      Issue the following command to remove the installation directory: 

      rm -r  current_install_directory  

      rd /s current_install_directory

    5. Install IBM HTTP Server.

      If upgrading your existing version, install into the directory where the previous installation was located.

      If installing the new version alongside an existing version, install the new version into a different directory.

    6. Run the Plug-ins Configuration Tool, the pct tool, to configure your web server plug-ins. Refer to the Configuring a web server plug-in using the pct tool topic for information on running the pct tool.

    7. Restore any custom configurations that were made to your previous version of IBM HTTP Server and IBM HTTP Server administration server.

      • Identify your previous customizations.

        If you used the httpd.conf configuration files provided with the previous version of IBM HTTP Server as the starting point for your configuration files, compare the content of each configuration file, with its corresponding .default file, within the directory containing your previous IBM HTTP Server installation. For example, if you compare the content of the httpd.conf file with the httpd.conf.default file you should see any customization that were made to the httpd.conf file since the original installation. Then perform similar comparisons for the other configuration files.

        If you did not use the httpd.conf configuration files that are provided with the previous version of IBM HTTP Server as the starting point for your configuration files, you must complete a more manual analysis to determine your previous settings. In this scenario, you might want to compare the settings in the httpd.conf.default file that is provided with the new IBM HTTP Server, with the settings in the httpd.conf.default file that is provided with the previous IBM HTTP Server version. This comparison enables you to identify configuration differences in the two httpd.conf.default files. We can then use this information to modify your customized configuration file to work with the current IBM HTTP Server.

        Compare the bin/envars file to the bin/envars-std file within the directory containing your previous IBM HTTP Server installation. This identifies what customizations, if any, that were made to this file.

      • Merge the customizations into the newly installed IBM HTTP Server configuration and envars files.

        After you identify the configuration customizations you made to your previous version of IBM HTTP Server, make these same changes, when applicable, to the configuration files for the current IBM HTTP Server.

        If the configuration files contain WebSphere Application Server plug-in statements from previous versions, remove them to not cause duplicates. If you do not remove these statements, when the HTTP Server attempts to start the current plug-in binary module, an error might occur that indicates that the module is already loaded.

        The configuration file might also contain duplicate entries for accessing WebSphere Application Server samples. Remove any aliases for previous versions and retain the current entries:

      • Use a configuration file from IBM HTTP Server V7.0, V8.0, or V8.5.5.

    8. Restore HTML content. If your web page content was previously stored under your IBM HTTP Server installation directory, copy those content files from the directory that contains your prior version of IBM HTTP Server into the installation directory for the new version.

    9. Copy any SSL KeyFiles, that might be within the installation directory of the previous IBM HTTP Server, into the new installation directory

  • Change port assignments for coexisting IBM HTTP Servers.

    If you installed the IBM HTTP Server into a new directory and retained your previous version of the IBM HTTP Server, by default the administration server and the Web Server use the same ports as the previous version administration server and Web Server. If you ever run both versions of the IBM HTTP Server simultaneously, port conflicts will occur unless you change the port numbers for one of the server versions.

    To modify the port numbers for one of the IBM HTTP Servers, edit the server configuration files for that IBM HTTP Server. These files are located in the http_server_install/conf directory.

  • Upgrade Apache plug-in modules.

    There are no Apache API changes from the previous major release so there should be no need to rebuild modules that worked with the previous release. However, if you use modules from third party vendors, then you should contact your vendors to verify they support the module with the version of IBM HTTP Server to which you are upgrading.

    Apache plug-in modules from sources other than the current IBM HTTP Server installation must be built to support Apache 2.4. The distributors of modules used with older versions of IBM HTTP Server might need to recompile the modules to support Apache 2.4.

    • WebSphere Application Server provides a new plug-in for Apache 2.4 and IBM HTTP Server.

    • If you use modules from third party vendors, contact your vendor for a version of the module that works with the Apache 2.4 API (application programming interface).

    • If you use modules developed in-house, you must rebuild your modules to support Apache 2.4. The modules might also require some modifications.

  • Update the IBM HTTP Server service name. Update the IBM HTTP Server service name in the WebSphere Application Server web server definition if the following conditions apply:

    • You are using a Windows server

    • You installed IBM HTTP Server into the same directory where an earlier version was located

    • You are using a web server definition from that prior installation

    For an IBM HTTP Server on a Windows server system, use 'Services' to determine the name used for the new IBM HTTP Server service, and then update the web server definition to use this service name.

  • Migrate from IBM HTTP Server V5.3 for z/OS
    Learn about key differences between your current IBM HTTP Server V5.3 for z/OS® server environment and the IBM HTTP Server powered by Apache environment. Understanding these key differences can help you migrate to IBM HTTP Server powered by Apache.

  • Migrate to IBM HTTP Server 9.0
    Migrate an IBM HTTP Server, Version 7 or 8 server, to IBM HTTP Server 9.0. Because IHS 9.0 is based on Apache 2.4, you must modify your existing configuration.


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