Plan for WebSphere Portal

 

  1. WAS considerations
  2. Web server considerations
  3. Database considerations
  4. Other considerations
  5. Musings

 

WAS considerations

WebSphere Portal requires WAS. For details on which version of WAS is required, refer to Supported hardware and software.

Do you have an existing version of WAS installed?

  • Yes. The WebSphere Portal installation program detects and verifies the installed version of WAS. If the existing version is not at the supported level, ensure that the installed WAS is at the supported level before installing. Refer to Supported hardware and software for more information.

  • No. The WebSphere Portal installation program will install the required level of WAS for you.

You can install Portal V5.1.0.x using WAS 6.0.2.x. See...

Install WebSphere Portal 5.1.0.x using WebSphere Application Server 6.0.2.x

 

WAS features required by WebSphere Portal

If you are installing WebSphere Portal on an existing WAS, ensure that the following features are installed.

Product Features
WAS Base
  • Application Server

    • Application Server samples

  • Administration

    • Scripted Administration
    • Administrative Console

  • Ant and Deployment Tools

    • Deploy Tool
    • Ant Utilities

  • Embedded Messaging

    • Server and Client

  • Performance and Analysis Tools

  • Javadocs
WebSphere BISF

  • Embedded Messaging

    • Server and Client
    • Message-Driven Bean Samples

  • Business Rule Beans
  • Additional Integration Server Extensions
  • Scheduler and Asynchronous Beans
  • Process Choreographer

    • Configure a Sample Business Process Container

Service note for adding WAS features: If your existing WAS is at the supported level for WebSphere Portal and you then add a new feature to WAS, reinstall any previous fix packs and interim fixes to ensure that the new feature is updated to the proper level. For example, if your existing WAS is at the 5.1.1 level and you install the Business Rule Beans feature, your Fix Pack 1 installation is only partially complete due to the new feature. To update all features to the proper level, run the Fix Pack 1 installation program again, and reapply any interim fixes that are required.

 

Web server considerations

Do you have an existing Web server that you want to use with WAS?

  • Yes. Ensure that the existing version is at the supported level. Refer to Supported hardware and software. The installation program does not detect a Web server during installation, so ensure that the existing version is at the supported level.

  • No. A Web server is not required by WebSphere Portal. However, an external Web server is recommended if you intend to support a large number of users or take advantage of workload management. To use a supported Web server with WebSphere Portal, follow the instructions in the Web server documentation for installation, and then refer to Configure your Web server for information on using the Web server with WebSphere Portal after installation.

Do you want to change the default portal URI?

  • Yes. To change the default portal URI from /wps/portal to something different, follow the appropriate Advanced installation option.

    By default, you access WebSphere Portal with the following URL:

    http://hostname.setgetweb.com:9081/wps/portal

    However, you can change this URL by modifying the default portal URI, /wps/portal, to something different.

  • No. Use the installation scenarios that best fits your needs.

 

Database considerations

WebSphere Portal stores a variety of information in databases. When installing WebSphere Portal, the procedure that you follow is affected both by your choice of database software and by when you choose to integrate the database software into the installation process.

When installing WebSphere Portal, you can choose one of the following general approaches for your database software:

  • Install WebSphere Portal with the default Cloudscape database. This is the simplest approach, as it makes use of the Cloudscape database that is provided with WebSphere Portal and is supported by the default configuration without requiring changes. This installation approach results in a fully functional WebSphere Portal with a minimum of configuration.

  • Install WebSphere Portal with the default Cloudscape database and then transfer the database information to another database at a later time. If your environment requires database capability beyond what Cloudscape can provide, you can use another database, such as DB2 Universal Database, with WebSphere Portal. This installation approach enables you to begin working with WebSphere Portal, even if you have not yet installed the database software or simply just prefer to wait before integrating the database software into your WebSphere Portal environment. For more information on using a database other than Cloudscape, refer to Databases.

 

Other considerations

 

Operating system preparation

Read the information related to preparing your operating system prior to installing portal.

 

Administrator user ID and password for portal

Your portal administrator user ID and password are used to log in to WebSphere Portal to perform administrative tasks and it is not the same user ID that is used to access the machine where you installed WebSphere Portal.

For security reasons, it is strongly recommended that you change these values soon after you have installed WebSphere Portal and before you make it available to users. Refer to the information on changing the administrator password for instructions.

 

Firewall software

Before you start the portal installation program, disable any firewall products that are running on the machine where portal will be installed. If the installation program detects a firewall, a warning message displays.

 

Musings on Portal V5.1

There is no one installation procedure. Rather, there are several distinct and separate install and configuration procedures, including base portal, fixpacks, configuration with a database, and configuration with a directory server.

In version 5 care was taken to reduce the number of clicks required to accomplish a task. Reducing clicks is a worthy goal of any online GUI software package.

You do not need to know every customization option during the install. Knowing the base options is sufficient.

For WCM implementation

  1. In WAS, add wpsadmins group to the Everyone group administration in wmmapp application.

  2. Edit connect.cfg file to include correct user prefix. It is not updated during the install.

 

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.

 

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