Creating profiles using the graphical user interface

You can create profiles, which define runtime environments, using the Profile Creation wizard. Using profiles instead of multiple product installations saves disk space and simplifies updating the product because a single set of core product files is maintained.

Before you begin

Before you use the Profile Creation wizard, install the core product files.

The Profile Creation wizard is the graphical user interface to the wasprofile command. See the description of the wasprofile command for more information.

You must provide enough system temporary space to create a profile. For information, read about the file system requirements for profiles.

Important: Concurrent profile creation is not supported for one set of core product files. Concurrent attempts to create profiles result in a warning about a profile creation already in progress.

About this task

The installation procedure for the Network Deployment product does not create a runtime environment by default because multiple possibilities exist. After installing the core product files for the Network Deployment product, use the Profile Creation wizard to create any combination of the following profiles to have an operational runtime environment:
  • Deployment manager profile

    See Creating a deployment manager profile. Create this runtime environment first, to create the administrative node for a multinode, multi-machine group of application server nodes that you create later. This logical group of application server processes is known as a cell.

  • Application server profile

    See Creating an application server profile.

    When you create the application server profile, a default server1 process is created. The process has all of the Sample applications and its own administrative console. You can federate the server1 node into the deployment manager cell with the addNode command or from the administrative console of the deployment manager. The server1 process must be running to begin the federation from the deployment manager.

    If you include all of the applications from the application server, then the act of federation installs the applications on the deployment manager where they can be redeployed.

    Optionally, you can create stand-alone application servers by creating an application server profile and not federating the node. If you remove a federated application server node from a deployment manager, then the application server returns to its original configuration, which is a stand-alone application server.

  • Custom profile

    See Creating a custom profile. A custom profile is an empty node that you can customize through the deployment manager to include application servers, clusters, or other Java processes, such as a messaging server. Create a custom profile on a distributed machine and add the node into the deployment manager cell to get started customizing the node.

Procedure

  1. Install the product to create the core product files.
  2. Start the Profile Creation wizard to create a new runtime environment.

    Select the Profile Creation wizard from the First steps console:

    1. Open a command prompt.
    2. Change directories to the firststeps directory in the installation root directory:
      The installation root varies by platform:
      • [AIX] /usr/IBM/WebSphere/AppServer/firststeps
      • [HP-UX] [Linux] [Solaris] /opt/IBM/WebSphere/AppServer/firststeps
      • [Windows] C:\Program Files\IBM\WebSphere\AppServer\firststeps
    3. Issue one of the following firststeps command to start the console:
      • [Linux] [HP-UX] [Solaris] [AIX] ./firststeps.sh
      • [Windows] firststeps.bat
    4. Select the Profile Creation wizard option from the console.

      The Profile Creation wizard is an InstallShield for Multiplatforms application. The wizard loads the Java 2 SDK and then displays its Welcome panel.

    See the description of the firststeps command for more information.

    Ways to start the wizard

    Several ways exist to start the wizard:
    • At the end of installation, select the check box to launch the Profile Creation wizard.
    • Issue the command directly from a command prompt.

      The command is in the install_root/bin/ProfileCreator directory. The name of the command varies per platform:
      • [AIX] pctAIX.bin
      • [HP-UX] pctHPUX.bin
      • [HP-UX] 64-bit platforms: pctHPUXIA64.bin
      • [Linux] pctLinux.bin
      • [Linux] 64-bit platforms: pct.bin S/390 platforms: pctLinux390.bin
      • [Linux] Power platforms: pctLinuxPPC.bin
      • [Solaris] pctSolaris.bin
      • [Windows] pctWindows.exe
      • [Windows] 64-bit platforms: pctWindowsIA64.exe
    • Select the Profile Creation wizard from the First steps console.
    • [Windows] Use the Start menu to access the Profile Creation wizard. For example, click Start > Programs or All Programs > IBM WebSphere > your_product > Profile Creation wizard.
  3. Create a profile.

    You can create profiles in any order. However, to create a functioning cell in the shortest possible time, create a deployment manager profile first. Then, create an application server profile and add it to the deployment manager cell. You now have a functioning cell with a managed node that you can manage from the administrative console of the deployment manager.

    A custom profile requires more customization. When you create a custom profile, you must use the addNode command to federate the custom profile into the deployment manager cell. In contrast to an application server profile, a custom profile does not have a default application server on its node. The server1 application server does not exist by default on the custom node, and no default applications exist on the custom node. Use the administrative console of the deployment manager to customize the empty node for production or other uses. You can create application servers or clusters on the node, for example.

    Create any of the following profiles:
    • Create a deployment manager.

      See Creating a deployment manager profile.

      Create a deployment manager to establish a cell. Although you can create an application server profile and use it as a stand-alone application server, you must have a deployment manager to use a custom profile. Create a custom profile only after you create a deployment manager.

    • Create an application server profile, as described in Creating an application server profile.

      Federate the application server into the deployment manager cell to create a federated server1 application server. A stand-alone application server can include applications if you chose to include them during profile creation. As you federate the application server, you can include the applications so that the applications are installed on the deployment manager.

      Two methods exist for federating application servers into a deployment manager cell:
      • Start the deployment manager and the application server and use the administrative console of the deployment manager to federate the node. Click System administration > Nodes > Add node > Managed node > Next, and identify the host name and the SOAP port of the machine where you created the application server.
      • Start the deployment manager. Locate the app_server_root/profiles/profile_name/bin directory of the application server and issue the addNode command. See addNode command for more information.
    • Create a custom profile, as described in Creating a custom profile.

      The first part of the process is to install the Network Deployment product to create the core product files. Then, you can use the Profile Creation wizard to create a managed profile.

      The next part of the process is to federate the managed profile into the deployment manager cell. This part of the process changes the custom profile into a managed node.

      After federation, a custom profile has a node agent process but does not have an application server process. Contrast this situation to an application server profile that has a server1 process, but does not have a node agent process until you federate the node.

      Adding the node to the cell starts the node agent process. If the process stops for some reason, such as a machine restart, start the node agent process. The node agent process must be running so that the administrative console of the deployment manager can create server processes on the managed node.

      Two methods exist for federating a custom node into a deployment manager cell:
      • Federate the custom node during custom profile creation, either with the wizard or as the wizard runs in silent mode.

        The deployment manager must be running and accessible at the host address you supply. The deployment manager must also use the default Java Management Extensions (JMX) connector type, which is SOAP. The deployment manager must not have security enabled. If any of these conditions are not met, then do not federate the custom profile as you create it, but federate it later with the addNode command. Otherwise, you create a defective profile that you must move or delete from the profiles repository directory before creating another profile.

      • Use the addNode command to federate the custom node after you create the custom profile.
        1. Start the deployment manager.
        2. Go to the app_server_root/profiles/profile_name/bin directory of the custom profile and issue the addNode command.

          The addNode command starts the node agent process.

        3. If the node agent is stopped for some reason, issue the app_server_root/profiles/profile_name/bin/startNode.sh command.

          On Windows platforms, the command is startNode.bat. See the startNode command for more information.

          The administrative console of the deployment manager shows the status of each federated node agent process.

      After federation, go to the administrative console of the deployment manager to customize the empty node.

    • Create a deployment manager and a managed node on the same machine:
      1. Create a deployment manager, as described in Creating a deployment manager profile.
      2. Start the deployment manager with the startManager command. See startManager command for more information.
      3. Create an application server profile, as described in Creating an application server profile.
      4. Start the application server with the startServer command. See startServer command for more information.
      5. Use the administrative console of the deployment manager to add the application server node into the deployment manager cell. Click System administration > Nodes > Add node > Managed node > Next and identify the host name of the machine and the SOAP port of the application server.

        The SOAP port is identified in the app_server_root/profiles/profile_name/config/cells/cell_name/nodes/node_name/serverindex.xml file. You can also use the administrative console of the application server to view its SOAP port setting. Click Servers > Application servers > server1 > Ports. The SOAP port is usually the second port in the list.

        Select the check box to include applications that are installed on the application server. The default application has the snoop servlet and the hitcount servlet, which are useful for testing.

        Adding the stand-alone application server node to the deployment manager node changes the server1 process into a managed node. Use the administrative console of the deployment manager to configure the server1 process.

        You can also create a custom profile and federate the node during profile creation, or use the addNode command to federate the empty node into the cell after the custom profile exists. A managed node that is created from a custom profile requires customization to create an application server and installation applications. Use the administrative console of the deployment manager to configure the custom node.

What to do next

See the description of the wasprofile command to learn more about the command-line alternative method of creating a profile, and to see examples of using the command.

Read about planning for installation for examples of configurations that you can create by creating profiles.




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