Install WebSphere Portal with WebSphere Application Server security enabled


 

Before you begin

Websphere Portal with default components installed

Figure 1. WebSphere Portal with default components installed

 

Install WebSphere Portal

Although WebSphere Portal can be installed while WebSphere Application Server security is enabled, there is some required configuration for WebSphere Portal that cannot be automatically performed when security is active. The instructions in this section describe how to install WebSphere Application Server and how to manually perform the necessary configuration. Note that if it is possible to temporarily disable security, you can install WebSphere Portal without having to perform this manual configuration, as described in the section Install WebSphere Portal with security temporarily disabled.

Java 2 security note: If you are running WebSphere Application Server with Java 2 security, disable it before installing and running WebSphere Portal.

To install WebSphere Portal while WebSphere Application Server security is enabled, follow these instructions.

Ensure that the installed WebSphere Application Server is at the supported level before continuing. Refer to Supported hardware and software for more information.

Linux installation note: If you install WebSphere Portal into a directory that does not have write permissions, the installation is not affected and proceeds normally. This is because the installation is performed with the root user, which always has full permissions over files.

  1. If you are installing on a machine with a firewall enabled, it is recommended that you disable the firewall before beginning installation. If you do not disable the firewall and the installation program detects it, a warning message displays during the installation.

  2. Choose one of the following options to start the installation program:

    • Use the Setup disc

      If you have the Setup disc, perform the steps that are appropriate for your operating system:

      • UNIX: Insert the Setup disc, and then run the following command from the root directory of the CD:
        ./install.sh
        

        When installing with CD-ROM discs, ensure that you do not have an open shell in the CD directory. This can interfere with the installation when the installation program requires you to change discs.

      • Windows: Insert the Setup disc into the CD-ROM drive. The installation program automatically starts when you insert the Setup disc. If the autostart function is disabled, run the following command from the root directory of the CD:
        install.bat
        

    • Access the downloaded product code

      If you downloaded the product code, perform the steps that are appropriate for your operating system:

      • UNIX: Run the following command from the root directory of the CD:
        ./install.sh
        

      • Windows: Run the install.bat command from the <install_root> directory.

  3. Select the language for the installation and click OK. The welcome panel is displayed.

    Although the screens here show a Windows 2000 installation, the screens that are displayed for other operating systems have a similar appearance. Be sure to conform to the conventions of your platform when specifying directory locations, file names, and so on.

  4. If you want to view the WebSphere Portal Information Center, you can click Launch Information Center, and the Information Center will be opened in a browser. Otherwise, click Next to continue.

  5. Select I accept the terms in the license agreement. Click Next.

    Screen capture: Software License Agreement panel

    The installation program checks the machine for operating system and software prerequisites.

  6. Select Custom, and click Next.

    Screen capture: Choose the setup type panel

  7. If you have one or more existing instances of WebSphere Application Server already installed, select the instance that you want to use from the list. If the installation program does not detect an instance of WebSphere Application Server but you know that it is present on the machine, you can enter the directory path to the WebSphere Application Server. Click Next.

    Screen capture: Select the existing WebSphere Application Server location panel

  8. If you are installing on an existing instance of WebSphere Application Server that is managed by a deployment manager, indicate whether this node is the primary node or a secondary node in the deployment manager cell. Select Primary node or Secondary node, and click Next.

    This panel is not displayed if you are installing on a stand-alone WebSphere Application Server.

    Screen capture: Select the primary or secondary node panel

  9. The installation program will detect that WebSphere Application Server security is enabled and give you the option of continuing installation without performing WebSphere Portal configuration. Click Next.

  10. Specify the directory where you want to install WebSphere Portal. If the directory that you specify does not exist, it will be created. If you are installing on Windows, do not include periods (.) in the installation path. Click Next.

    Screen capture: Choose WebSphere Portal installation directory panel

  11. Verify the components to be installed and click Next. The installation program begins installing the selected components. Throughout the installation and configuration process, the installation program displays progress indicators for the different components.

    A full installation including WebSphere Application Server can take some time to complete. Use the progress indicators and the process monitoring facilities of your platform to monitor the overall progress of the installation.

  12. When the installation is finished, the installation program displays a confirmation panel listing the components that have been installed. Note the following information before clicking Finish:

  13. Click Finish.

  14. Modify the WebSphere Application Server and WebSphere Portal administrator properties by doing the following steps:

    1. Locate the <wp_root>/config/wpconfig.properties file and create a backup copy before changing any values.

    2. Use a text editor to open the <wp_root>/config/wpconfig.properties file and enter the values that are appropriate for your environment.

      Note the following information:

      • Do not change any settings other than those specified in these steps. For instructions on working with these files, see Configuration properties reference for a complete properties reference, including default values.

      • Use / instead of \ for all platforms.

      • Some values, shown here in italics, might need to be modified to your specific environment.

      Password considerations:

        For security reasons, not store passwords in the wpconfig.properties file. You can specify the password on the command line using the following syntax:

          WPSconfig.{sh|bat} task_name -Dpassword_property_key=password_value

        As with other properties, each password property must have the -D prefix and be set equal to (=) a value. If you have multiple properties in a single command, use a space character between each -Dproperty=value setting.

      Section of properties file: WebSphere Application Server properties

      Property Value
      WasUserid

      Description: The user ID for WebSphere Application Server security authentication.

      Value: user_id

      WasPassword

      Description: The password for WebSphere Application Server security authentication.

      Value: was_password

      Section of properties file: WebSphere Portal configuration properties

      Property Value
      PortalAdminId

      Description: The user ID you want to use for the WebSphere Portal administrator.

      Value: uid=portal_admin_id,o=default organization

      PortalAdminIdShort

      Description: The short form of the user ID for the WebSphere Portal administrator, as defined in the PortalAdminId property.

      Value: portal_admin_id

      PortalAdminPwd

      Description: The password to use for the WebSphere Portal administrator.

      Value: portal_password

      PortalAdminGroupId

      Description: The group ID for the group to which the WebSphere Portal administrator belongs.

      Value: cn=portal_admin_group_id,o=default organization

    3. Save the file.

  15. Perform manual configuration of WebSphere Portal by entering the following command:

    Check the output for any error messages before proceeding with the next task. If any of the configuration tasks fail, verify the values in the wpconfig.properties file.

    At this point the WebSphere Portal installation is incomplete. Before using WebSphere Portal, complete the configuration by following the instructions below to install Personalization support and to complete your security configuration, where portlet deployment is described.

  16. Configure WebSphere Portal to use WebSphere Application Server security, depending on the method you are using:

    These topics also provide the necessary instructions to complete the WebSphere Portal installation.

  17. Configure the Personalization support according to the following instructions. These instructions describe manual configuration for Personalization.

  18. If you installed WebSphere Portal on the primary node in a managed cell, ensure that you have deployed portlets by running the portlets configuration task. This task should have been run as part of your security configuration, as described in the previous step. Note that the portlets task should only be run after you have run the configuration task that sets up security, such as the secure-portal-ldap task that is used for LDAP support.

    It is not necessary to deploy portlets if you installed on a secondary node.

  19. If the WebSphere Application Server where you installed WebSphere Portal is part of a cell managed by WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment, you can create a cluster of WebSphere Portal application servers. Refer to Clustering and WebSphere Portal for more information.

  20. By default WebSphere Portal uses the internal HTTP transport within WebSphere Application Server to handle requests, but if you have an external Web server, such as IBM HTTP Server, you can configure WebSphere Portal to use the Web server. Refer to Configure your Web server for instructions.

 

Next steps

At this point, you can choose to explore the function that is provided with WebSphere Portal, or you can extend the WebSphere Portal environment by adding additional components for more advanced function:

These are only a few of the options that are available to you. For a description of the range of components that WebSphere Portal can use to create a more rich environment, refer to Installation scenarios.

 

See also

 

WebSphere is a trademark of the IBM Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both.

 

IBM is a trademark of the IBM Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both.