Customize the response file before installing WebSphere Application
Server Network Deployment from a command line without using the graphical
user interface of the Installation wizard.
Before you begin
Customize the response
file to add your selections before attempting to install silently.
Use the response file to supply values to the installation
wizard as the wizard runs in silent mode. The wizard does not display
interactive panels when it runs in silent mode, but reads values from
the response file instead.
Be precise when
supplying values in the file: Customize the options response file
precisely to let the installation program read the option values that
the file contains. Incorrect specifications affect the silent interface
of the installation wizard. For example, always enclose values in
double quotation marks.
If you customize the
response file incorrectly, the installation wizard cannot install
the product with the -options or -silent parameters. If the error
is an invalid option value, the installer displays a warning message
that you must confirm and stops the installation.
Compare
your options response file to the file
that is shipped with the product to make the necessary corrections.
After correcting the file, reinstall.
About this task
Perform the following procedure
to edit the response file.
Procedure
- Locate the sample options response file.
The file is named responsefile.nd.txt in
the WAS directory on the product CD-ROM or DVD.
- Copy the file to preserve it in its
original form. For example, copy it as myoptions.txt on
your disc drive.
- Edit the copy in your flat file editor
of choice, on the target operating system. Read the directions within
the response file to choose appropriate values.
Important: To prepare the file for a silent installation
on AIX
®, use line-end characters
(0x0D0A) to terminate each line of the options response file. The
safest method of preparing the file is to edit the file on the target
operating system.
- Include custom option responses that
reflect parameters for your system.
See responsefile.nd.txt for an example
response file and a description of each option.
- Save the file.
- Optional: Edit the response file
for the profile that you selected while editing the response file for the
product installation.
The directives for each file are described
in the following topics:
- Save the response file that provides options
for creating the profile.
- Log on to the operating system.
Log on as root on an operating system such
as AIX or Linux®, or as a member of the administrator
group on a Windows® system.
![[Windows]](../../windows.gif)
When installing on a Windows system, a Windows service is automatically created
to autostart the application server if your installer user account
has the following advanced user rights:
- Act as part of the operating system
- Log on as a service
For example, on some Windows systems,
click
Administrative Tools > Local Security Policy > User
Rights Assignments to set the advanced options. See your Windows documentation for more
information.
The installation wizard grants your Windows user ID the advanced user rights,
if the user ID belongs to the administrator group. The silent installation
does not grant these rights. If you create a new user ID on a Windows platform to perform
a silent installation, you must restart the system to activate the
proper authorizations for the user ID before you can perform a successful
silent installation.
If you
plan to run the application server as a Windows service, do not install from a user
ID that contains spaces. A user ID with spaces cannot be validated.
Such a user ID is not allowed to continue the installation. To work
around this problem, install with a user ID that does not contain
spaces.
- Issue the proper command to use your custom
response file. For example, issue a command such as the
following:
mnt_cdrom/WAS/install
-options /tmp/WAS/myoptionsfile.txt -silent
"disc_drive_D:\WAS\install"
-options "C:\temp\WAS\myoptionsfile.txt" -silent
Although the installation process verifies that the minimum
required version of the operating system is available, the installation
process might not correctly flag a maintenance upgrade of that operating
system version as being a supported configuration. If you have upgraded
your supported operating system version to a higher maintenance level
and you receive an error message indicating that the prerequisites
have not been met, then you can uncomment the
-OPT disableOSPrereqChecking="true" option
in the response file to bypass operating system prerequisite checking.
See the response file for more information.
Avoid trouble: Although
maintenance upgrades of the same major release are supported, subsequent
major releases
of the operating system might not be supported. Review the prerequisites
on the
WebSphere® Application
Server detailed system requirements web site if you have not
already done so.
gotcha
Results
This
procedure results in creating a customized response file and using
the file to start a silent installation. The silent installation takes
some time to complete.
Example
Edit the version of the file that ships with the WebSphere Application Server
Network Deployment product. The example in responsefile.nd.txt is not guaranteed
to be an accurate representation of what ships with the product.
The
profile creation file examples are:
What to do next
After installing
the product from the installation image, the next step is to check
for available updates. See Installing maintenance packages for
more information.
After updating the product,
create a profile if you have not yet done so. Start the Profile Creation wizard. Create a deployment
manager first and then create a stand-alone application server profile.
Federate the application server to include it in the deployment manager
cell. See Creating profiles using the graphical user interface or wasprofile command for more information. i5/OS® users must use the wasprofile
command.
On Windows systems, use the Start
menu to locate IBM® WebSphere and select appropriate menu options
to display the First steps option for the profile that you
intend to verify.
The First steps console, firststeps.sh,
is available in the profile_root/firststeps directory.
A separate First steps console exists for each profile, except custom
profiles. Use the First Steps console of each profile to verify the
profile.
Use the installver program
to compare the checksum of all installed files against the bill of
materials that ships with the product, if you want to perform more
installation verification. See Verifying checksums of installed files.
After verifying the product installation and starting
the deployment
manager or a stand-alone application server, use the administrative
console to deploy an existing application. See Fast paths for WebSphere Application Server for more information.