Installing WebSphere Application Server -- Custom Installation option

This article describes how to install WebSphere Application Server on a local Solaris SPARC machine. These instructions assume the following:

  • You have the appropriate version of the Oracle database already installed on your machine. If you have not already installed Oracle, see the article "Installing Oracle 8i Release 3 (8.1.7)."
  • You will use IBM HTTP Web Server as your Web server and will install it at the same time and onto the same node as you install WebSphere Application Server. If you plan to use another supported Web server with WebSphere Application Server, you must install this Web server before you install WebSphere Application Server.
  • Your machine has enough memory and disk space for your installation.

To install WebSphere Application Server, do the following:

  1. Log onto your machine with superuser (root) privileges.

    If your system does not grant you superuser (root) authority even if you are logged in as root, ensure that the directory /usr/ucb exists in the path for the root login. To do this, edit the install script file (install.sh) found in the cdrom/cdrom0/sun directory by adding the following line before the line USERNAME=`/usr/ucb/whoami`:

    export PATH = $PATH:/usr/ucb
  2. If a pre-existing Web server on your system is running, stop the Web server. If you have a level of IBM HTTP Web Server prior to 1.3.19 on your system, you must uninstall it for the WebSphere Application Server installation program to install IBM HTTP Web Server 1.3.19.
  3. Insert the WebSphere Application Server CD-ROM and, if necessary, mount the CD-ROM drive. (On most Solaris systems, the Volume Management daemon (vold) mounts the CD-ROM automatically and immediately, as well as each time the machine is restarted. If the vold process is not running on the local machine, see your Solaris system documentation for instructions on how to mount the CD-ROM drive.) The following steps assume that the CD-ROM drive is mounted at /cdrom.
  4. Navigate to the correct directory on the WebSphere Application Server CD-ROM by entering the following command:
    # cd /cdrom/cdrom0/sun
  5. Run the install script file (install.sh) file by entering the following command:
    # ./install.sh
  6. Click Next to pass the introductory page.
  7. If a previous version of WebSphere Application Server is not installed on your system, proceed to Step 8.

    If a previous version of WebSphere Application Server is installed on your system, a window opens giving you the option to back up and uninstall the existing version of WebSphere Application Server. You now have two options:

    • To back up your files and uninstall the existing version of WebSphere Application Server, click Backup and Uninstall and then Next to continue with the installation of the new version.
    • To install the new version of WebSphere Application Server into a different directory, click Next to continue with the installation.
  8. Select Custom Installation and click Next.
  9. From the information that is displayed, do the following:
    1. Select those components you want and deselect those components you do not want. You will likely want to include the default options. For this configuration, ensure that IBM HTTP Server is selected.
    2. If you plan on running WebSphere Application Server with another supported Web server, ensure that Web Server Plugins is selected.
    3. Click Next.
  10. If you opted to install a plugin, the a window opens that lets you select the plugin. In this window, do the following:
    1. Ensure that the option HTTP plugins is selected.
    2. Ensure that the option IBM HTTP Server plugin is selected.
    3. Click Next.

    Only IBM HTTP Web Server 1.3.19 is provided with WebSphere Application Server. You must separately purchase and install the other supported Web servers.

  11. From the information that is displayed, do the following:
    1. For Database Type, select Oracle.
    2. For Database Name (Database SID), give the name of the database to use. The default is orcl.
    3. For DB Home, specify the path for the database program (the value of the ORACLE_HOME environment variable).
    4. For URL, specify the URL for accessing the database. You will likely want to take the default.
    5. For Server Name, select Information to come .
    6. For Port Number, select Information to come .
    7. For Database User ID, specify the database user name. Ensure that you specify the same Username you specified when configuring Oracle 8i for use with WebSphere Application Server (for example, EJSADMIN).
    8. For Database Password and Confirm Password, enter the database password. Ensure that you specify the same Password you specified when installing Oracle 8i.
    9. Click Next.
  12. Specify the destination directories for WebSphere Application Server and IBM HTTP Web Server and click Next.
  13. A window opens that lists the options you have selected to install. Click Next to begin the installation.
  14. When installation is complete, unmount the CD-ROM by entering the following command:
    # umount cdrom/cdrom0

Finishing prerequisite configuration

If you installed IBM HTTP Web Server as part of the WebSphere Application Server installation (that is, you did not install it independently before installing WebSphere Application Server), you might need to configure it. See "Testing installation of IBM HTTP Web Server" for details.