Install applications using the job manager

In a flexible management environment, we can submit the Install application job to deploy an enterprise application on managed application server targets of the job manager. An enterprise application is an EAR file that conforms to Java EE specifications.

Before installing an enterprise application on an application server, do the following:

• Develop and assemble the EAR file. The Install application job does not change existing JNDI and other application bindings. If we must set binding values during deployment, do not use the job manager to deploy the application. Instead, use a deployment tool such as the administrative console application installation wizard or a wsadmin script and specify managed targets of the job manager as deployment targets.

• Start the job manager and the targets. Each server on which we are installing an application must be running. If a target is a stand-alone application server, also start the administrative agent.

• Ensure that the targets are compatible with the application. Version 7.0 or later targets support EAR files that have J2EE 1.3, J2EE 1.4, or Java EE 5 modules.

• Copy the EAR file to the /config/temp/JobManager directory of the job manager profile.

  If the JobManager directory does not exist, create the JobManager directory in the job manager profile /config/temp directory. To create and access the directory, we must have the appropriate authority.

  If the EAR file exists on a managed target, we can run the Collect file job to copy the EAR file from the managed target to the job_manager_profile/config/temp/JobManager/jobToken/targetName directory. See the topic on the collect file job.

• Run the Distribute file job to copy the EAR file to managed targets. Remember any destination value that is specified when distributing the file.

  We must distribute an EAR file to the targets before we can run the Install application job. The distribute file job copies the EAR file in the /config/temp/JobManager directory of the job manager profile to the targets. The name of the EAR file on the targets becomes whatever value specified for the destination when distributing the file. See the topic on the distribute file job.

Use the administrative console of the job manager or the deployment manager to submit a job that deploys an enterprise application file on selected targets. From the console, choose the Install application job, specify the file to install, specify job options, schedule the job, review the summary, and submit the job.

Instead of using a console, we can run the installApplication job script in the AdministrativeJobs command group to deploy the application file to targets. See the Administrative job types topic.

Tasks

1. From the navigation tree of the administrative console, click...
   Jobs > Submit

2. Choose a job to install an application file.

   1. Select the Install application job type from the list.

   2. Optionally specify a description of the job.

   3. Click Next.

3. Choose the job targets on which we want to deploy the application file.

   1. Select a group of targets from the list, or select Target names.

      Only groups of targets that are valid for the job type that we selected are displayed in the list of target groups.

   2. If we selected Target names, then specify a target name and click Add, or click Find and specify the chosen targets on the Find targets page.

   3. If user authentication is required, specify a user name, password, or any other authentication values as needed.

   4. Click Next.

4. Specify parameters for the install application job.

   1. For Application name, specify the base file name of the application file.

      By default, the job appends the .ear file extension to the application name.

      Suppose that you distributed the DynaCacheEsi.ear file as described in the topic on distributing files from the job manager to targets. To continue with the DynaCacheEsi.ear example in that topic, specify the name of the application file without the .ear extension:

      DynaCacheEsi
      

   2. If we specified a Destination value other than the EAR file name when distributing the application, specify that destination value for Application location.

      By default, the job searches for the application in the default destination location. If we do not specify an Application location value, then the location defaults to downloadedContent/application_name.ear of the managed target. Thus, if we specified DynaCacheEsi for Application name, the application location defaults to downloadedContent/DynaCacheEsi.ear.

      When distributing the file, if we specified a value for Destination other than the EAR file name, specify the Destination value for Application location.

      For the DynaCacheEsi.ear example, we did not specify the EAR file name, DynaCacheEsi.ear, for the destination value when distributing the EAR file. You specified dynacache_esi_sample for the destination value. Thus, the application location is downloadedContent/dynacache_esi_sample. To enable the targets to find the application, specify the destination value:

      dynacache_esi_sample
      

   3. If we are installing the application on a federated node of a deployment manager, specify the target server, node, or cluster names.

      For Server name, click Find and specify the target server. Based on your selection, the product completes the values for the server and node names.

      If the target is a cluster, for Cluster name, click Find and specify the target cluster.

   4. Click Next.

5. Schedule the job.

   The times and dates specified are relative to the job manager.

   1. Optionally specify one or more email addresses where notifications are sent when the job finishes.

      If we specify multiple email addresses, separate them with commas.

   2. Select when the job is available for submission.

   3. Select the job expiration.

   4. Optionally specify a recurring interval for the job, a start date and time for the interval, and an end date and time for the interval.

   5. Click Next.

6. Review the summary, and click Finish to submit the job.

The targets run the job and attempt to install the file.

What to do next

On the Job status page, click the ID of the install application job and view the job status. Click the status refresh icon

to refresh the displayed status.

If the job is not successful, view any error messages that result from running the job, correct the error condition, and submit the job again.

If the installation is successful, the application name is shown in the list of target resources. Click Jobs > Target resources to see the list of resources.

After application installation, we can run jobs that administer the application or file:

• Start application

• Stop application
• Update application
• Uninstall application

• Remove file

Related:

Application bindings

Ways to install enterprise applications or modules

Installable enterprise module versions

Set up a job manager environment

Restart the job manager

Restart the administrative agent

Restart the deployment manager

Restart a node

Distributing files from the job manager to targets

Collecting files for the job manager

Administer nodes remotely using the job manager

Administer groups of nodes for the job manager

Checking job status

Administrative job types

Find targets

Find target resources