This topic applies only on the z/OS operating system.

Configuring a Web server and an application server on separate machines (remote)

This topic describes installing a Web server plug-in that WebSphere Application Server provides to communicate with a particular brand of Web server. This topic describes installing the Web server and its Web server plug-in for WebSphere Application Server on a distributed machine and using the application server on the host z/OS system.

Before you begin

WebSphere Application Server for z/OS provides a binary plug-in for each supported Web server. For example, if you intend to use IBM HTTP Server on a distributed platform, you would use the binary plug-in for the IBM HTTP Server that WebSphere Application Server for z/OS provides. You would install the plug-in on the distributed platform.

About this task

Suppose that you create a new profile using the z/OS customization dialog. Also suppose that you want to use a Web server on a distributed platform. You must install the Web server on the distributed platform and also install the plug-in for the Web server on the distributed platform. You must configure the application server on the z/OS system to let it know which Web server to use.

In a remote installation, the Plug-ins installation wizard on the distributed machine cannot create the Web server definition in the application server configuration on the z/OS system. In such a case, the Plug-ins installation wizard creates a script on the Web server machine that you must copy to the application server on the z/OS system. Run the script on the z/OS system to create the Web server configuration definition within the application server configuration.

The Plug-ins installer program creates the configuration script on the distributed platform when the installer program installs the plug-in. You must FTP the configuration script in binary form to the z/OS system that is running WebSphere Application Server for z/OS. Run the script from the app_server_root/bin directory on the z/OS system to configure the application server to use the Web server.

The script configures the default application server profile on the z/OS system to use the Web server on the distributed platform. A one-to-one relationship exists between the Web server and the application server. This topology is considered to be a remote installation because the Web server and the application server are on separate systems.

If you are planning to add the application server node into a deployment manager cell but have not done so yet, start the deployment manager and federate the node before installing the plug-in. You cannot add an application server with a Web server definition into the deployment manager cell.

Perform the following procedure to install the plug-in and configure both the Web server and the application server.

Procedure

  1. Install the IBM HTTP Server or another supported Web server on the distributed system.

    Refer to the product documentation for your Web server for more information.

  2. Launch the Plug-ins installation wizard from the appropriate Edge CD on the distributed machine that has the installed Web server.

    Change directories to the plugin directory on the Edge disc. Issue the install command to launch the Plug-ins installation wizard.

    The Edge discs are included in the WebSphere Application Server for z/OS product package. You can also use the WebSphere Application Server product disc from a

  3. Read the license agreement and accept the agreement it if you agree to its terms, then click Next.
  4. If the distributed system does not pass the prerequisites check, stop the installation, correct any problems, and restart the installation. If the system passes the prerequisites check, click Next.
    Look for the appropriate log file for information about missing prerequisites:
    • If you stop the installation, see the temporaryPluginInstallLog.txt file in the temporary directory of the user who installed the plug-ins. For example, the /tmp/temporaryPluginInstallLog.txt file might exist if the root user installed the plug-ins on a Linux system.
    • If you continue the installation in spite of warnings about missing prerequisites, see the plugins_root/logs/install/log.txt file after the installation is complete.
  5. Select the type of Web server that you are configuring and click Next.

    The Plug-ins installation wizard panel prompts you to identify the Web servers to configure. Actually you can select only one Web server each time you run the Plug-ins installation wizard.

    Stop any Web server while you are configuring it. A step later in the procedure directs you to start the Web server as you begin the snoop servlet test.

    If you select the Web server identification option labeled None, the Web server installs the binary plug-ins but does not configure the Web server. A known problem in the wizard panel causes the English word None to appear in translated versions of the wizard. However, the selectable option is functional in every locale in spite of the missing translation.

  6. Select Web server machine (remote) and click Next.
  7. Accept the default location for the installation root directory for the plug-ins. Click Next.

    You can type another new directory or click Browse to select an empty directory. The fully qualified path identifies the plug-ins installation root directory.

    A possibility exists that the Web server might run on a platform that WebSphere Application Server does not support.

  8. Click Browse to select the configuration file for your Web server. Verify that the Web server port is correct. Then click Next when you are finished.

    Select the file and not just the directory of the file. Some Web servers have two configuration files and require you to browse for each file.

    The following list shows configuration files for supported Web servers:
    Apache HTTP Server
    apache_root/config/httpd.conf
    Domino Web Server
    names.nsf and Notes.jar

    The wizard prompts for the notes.jar file. The actual name is Notes.jar.

    The Plug-ins installation wizard verifies that the files exist but the wizard does not validate either file.

    IBM HTTP Server
    IHS_root/conf/httpd.conf
    Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS)
    The Plug-ins installation wizard can determine the correct files to edit.
    Sun ONE Web Server 6.0 or Sun Java System Web Server, Version 6.1
    obj.conf and magnus.conf

    The wizard displays a naming panel for the nickname of the Web server definition.

  9. Specify a nickname for the Web server. Click Next when you are finished.

    The wizard uses the value to name configuration folders in the plug-ins installation root directory. The wizard also uses the name in the configuration script for the application server to name the Web server definition.

    If the application server profile already has a Web server definition, delete the Web server definition before continuing.

    You can delete a Web server definition using the administrative console of the deployment manager. If you have a standalone application server, you must delete the Web server definition using the following commands:
    $AdminTask deleteServer { -serverName webserver1 -nodeName webserver1_node }
    $AdminTask removeUnmanagedNode { -nodeName webserver1_node }
    $AdminConfig save
    
  10. Accept the default location for the plugin-cfg.xml file that the wizard creates on the Web server machine, then click Next.

    You can type a change to the value or click Browse to select a file in another location. If you do not accept the default location, the plugin-cfg.xml file must exist.

  11. Identify the host name or IP address of the WebSphere Application Server for z/OS system, then click Next.

    The WebSphere Application Server for z/OS system has the application server that the Web server is being configured to support.

  12. Examine the summary panel. Click Next when you are finished.

    The panel notifies you that you have manual steps to perform to complete the installation and configuration. The type of Web server, the nickname of the Web server, and the location of the plugin-cfg.xml file display on the panel.

    The Plug-ins installation wizard creates the configureweb_server_name.sh script in the plugins_root/bin/ directory on Machine B.

    If you installed a Web server on a Windows system, the script is in the plugins_root/bin/crossPlatformScripts directory.

    The Plug-ins installation wizard also creates the plugin-cfg.xml file in the plugins_root/config/web_server_name directory.

    The Web server reads the plugin-cfg.xml file to determine the applications that the application server on the z/OS system can serve to the Web server on the distributed system. Whenever the configuration changes, the application server regenerates the file. When regeneration occurs, FTP the actual plugin-cfg.xml file from the application server on the z/OS system to the Web server machine.

  13. Click Next on the pre-installation summary panel to begin the installation or click Back to change any characteristics of the installation.

    The panel specifies the plug-ins installation root directory, the Web server plug-ins feature, and the disk size of the code that installs when you click Next.

  14. After the wizard installs the code and creates the uninstaller program, examine the post-installation summary panel. Click Next when you are finished. The Plug-ins installation roadmap displays. The roadmap describes the installation from a distributed platform perspective.

    The Plug-ins installation wizard installs the binary plug-in module. On a Linux system, for example, the installation creates the plugins_root directory. The plugins_root/config/web_server_name directory contains the plugin-cfg.xml file.

    The wizard displays the name and location of the configuration script and the plugin-cfg.xml file. The wizard also displays the type of Web server that is configured and the nickname of the Web server.

    If a problem occurs and the installation is unsuccessful, examine the logs in the plugins_root/logs directory. Correct any problems and reinstall.

  15. Close the road map and click Finish to exit the wizard.

    Log files from the installation are in the plugins_root/logs/install directory.

  16. FTP the configureweb_server_name.sh script from the distributed machine to the app_server_root/bin directory on the z/OS system.

    For example, on a Linux system with an IBM HTTP Server named webserver1 in the default location, FTP plugins_root/bin/configurewebserver1.sh from the distributed machine to the app_server_root/bin directory on Machine A.

    If the distributed platform is a Windows system, copy the script from the crossPlatformScripts directory. For example: plugins_root /bin/crossPlatformScripts/configureWeb_server_name.bat

  17. Start the application server on the z/OS system.
  18. Run the script on the z/OS system to create the Web server definition in the configuration for the application server.

    Open a command shell to run the script that you FTPed to the z/OS system.

    As soon as the Web server definition is created, the application server creates a plugin-cfg.xml file for the Web server. For example, the file might have this file path: profile_root/config/cells /cellname/nodes/webserver1_node /servers/webserver1/plugin-cfg.xml.

  19. If the node is federated into a cell, use the administrative console of the deployment manager to click System administration > Save Changes to Master Repository > Synchronize changes with Nodes > Save.
  20. Domino Web Server only: Set the WAS_PLUGIN_CONFIG_FILE environment variable.

    To configure Domino, you must set the WAS_PLUGIN_CONFIG_FILE environment variable. On platforms such as AIX or Linux, sourcing a script to the parent shell allows child processes to inherit the exported variables. On Windows systems, run the script as you would run any other command. Sourcing is automatic on Windows systems.

    1. Open a command window.
    2. Change directories to the plug-ins installation root directory.
    3. Issue the appropriate command for the plugins_root/bin/setupPluginCfg.sh script:
      • AIX, HP-UX, and Solaris operating systems:
        . plugins_root/bin/setupPluginCfg.sh
        (Notice the space between the period and the installation root directory.)
      • Linux operating system:
        source plugins_root/bin/setupPluginCfg.sh

    The script is also in the lotus_root/notesdata directory on systems such as AIX or Linux.

    Issue the appropriate command for the script before starting the Domino Web Server.

  21. Start the Snoop servlet to verify the ability of the Web server to retrieve an application from the Application Server.

    Test your environment by starting your Application Server, your Web server, and using the snoop servlet with an IP address.

    1. Start the Application Server. In a Network Deployment environment, the Snoop servlet is available in the cell only if you included the DefaultApplication when adding the Application Server to the cell. The -includeapps option for the addNode command migrates the DefaultApplication to the cell. If the application is not present, skip this step.
      Change directories to the profile_root/bin directory and run the startServer command:
      • AIX, HP-UX, and Solaris operating systems:
        ./startServer.sh server1
      • Windows operating systems:
        startServer server1
    2. Start the IBM HTTP Server or the Web server that you are using.

      Use a command window to change the directory to the IBM HTTP Server installed image, or to the installed image of your Web server. Issue the appropriate command to start the Web server, such as these commands for IBM HTTP Server:

      To start the IBM HTTP Server from the command line:

      Access the apache and apachectl commands in the IBMHttpServer/bin directory.
      • AIX, HP-UX, and Solaris operating systems:
        ./apachectl start
      • Windows operating systems:
        apache
    3. Point your browser to http://Host_name_of_WAS_machine:9080/snoop to test the internal HTTP transport provided by the Application Server. Point your browser to http://Host_name_of_Web_server_machine/snoop to test the Web server plug-in.

      The HTTP Transport port is 9080 by default and must be unique for every profile. The port is associated with a virtual host named default_host, which is configured to host the installed DefaultApplication and any installed Samples. The snoop servlet is part of the DefaultApplication. Change the port to match your actual HTTP Transport port.

    4. Verify that snoop is running.

      Either Web address should display the Snoop Servlet - Request/Client Information page. If the Web address cannot display the Snoop Servlet, see Troubleshooting IBM HTTP Server.

  22. Regenerate the plugin-cfg.xml file on the z/OS system using the administrative console. Click Servers > Web server. Select the Web server, then click Generate Plug-in.

    During the installation of the plug-ins, the temporary plugin-cfg.xml file is installed on the distributed machine in the plugins_root/config/web_server_name directory. The Web server plug-in configuration service regenerates the plugin-cfg.xml file automatically. To use the real plugin-cfg.xml file from the application server, propagate the plugin-cfg.xml file as described in the next step.

    This step shows you how to regenerate the plugin-cfg.xml file. WebSphere Application Server products are configured to automatically regenerate the file each time a significant event occurs. Such events include installing applications on the application server and the Web server, for example. Creating a new virtual host is another such event.

  23. Propagate the plugin-cfg.xml configuration file by FTPing the plugin-cfg.xml file from the profile_root /config/cells/cell_name/nodes/node_name/servers/ web_server_name directory on the z/OS system to the plugins_root/config/web_server_name directory on the distributed machine.

Results

This procedure results in the installation of the Web server plug-ins for WebSphere Application Server on a Web server machine. The Plug-ins installation wizard also configures the Web server to support an application server on a separate machine.

What to do next

See Setting up communication between a z/OS Application Server and a Web server running on a workstation for more information.

For more information about installing plug-ins on distributed platforms, see Installing Web server plug-ins in the information center for the distributed Network Deployment product.




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Last updated: Sep 20, 2010 11:08:29 PM CDT
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