Creating a custom profile

Create a custom profile so that you can include application servers, clusters, or other Java processes, such as a messaging server, in its empty node. You can use the Profile Creation wizard to create a custom profile.

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.

About this task

After installing the core product files for the Network Deployment product, you must create a profile. It can be a deployment manager profile, an application server profile, or a custom profile.

This topic describes creating a custom profile using the Profile Creation wizard. A custom profile is an empty node that you can customize to include application servers, clusters, or other Java processes, such as a messaging server.

You can use the Profile Creation wizard in silent mode with a response file instead of the graphical user interface. See responsefile.pct.NDmanagedProfile.txt for examples of using the Profile Creation wizard in silent mode.

You can also use the wasprofile command to create a custom profile. See the description of the wasprofile for more information.

By default, the Profile Creation wizard federates a custom node when you create a custom profile. Federating the node makes the node operational. You must have access to a running deployment manager to federate the node.

If the custom profile is on a machine that does not have a deployment manager, then the deployment manager must be accessible over the network to support the federation of 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. Click Next on the Welcome panel.

    The wizard displays the Profile type selection panel.

  4. Select Create a custom profile, and click Next.

    The wizard displays the Custom-profile federation panel.

  5. Select either Typical profile creation, Advanced profile creation, or if you are running on Version 6.1.0.21 or later, Feature Pack for Web Services, and then click Next.

    The Typical profile creation or Feature Pack for Web Services option creates a profile that uses default configuration settings. With the Advanced profile creation option, you can specify your own configuration values for a profile.

  6. Specify the host name and SOAP port of the deployment manager, and click Next.
    After federation, the process in the custom profile is the node agent process. The node agent process is the agent of the deployment manager for the custom node. The node agent responds to commands from the deployment manager to perform tasks that include the following actions:
    • Creating application server processes, clusters, and cluster members
    • Starting and stopping application server processes
    • Synchronizing configurations between the current edition on the deployment manager and the copy that exists on the node
    • Deleting application server processes
    See the system administration section in the information center for more information about node agents and their tasks.

    Should you federate the node?

    The recommendation is that you federate the custom node at this time. The deployment manager must be running and accessible when you click Next on the Federation panel to federate the custom node. If the custom profile is on a machine that does not have a deployment manager, then the deployment manager must be running and accessible over the network to allow the federation of the node. If the deployment manager is not running or not accessible before you click Next, but you can start it and make it accessible at this time, then do so. Otherwise, select the Federate the node later check box.

    If you are unsure whether the deployment manager is running or accessible, then do not federate now. Federate the node when you can verify the availability of the deployment manager.

    If security is enabled on the deployment manager node, you must federate later using the addNode command to enter a user ID and password on the command.

    A possibility exists that the deployment manager is reconfigured to use the non-default remote method invocation (RMI) as the preferred Java Management Extensions (JMX) connector. Click System Administration > Deployment manager > Administrative services in the administrative console of the deployment manager to verify the preferred connector type.

    If RMI is the preferred JMX connector, then you must use the addNode command to federate the custom profile later. Use the addNode command so that you can specify the JMX connector type and the RMI port.

    If the deployment manager uses the default SOAP JMX connector type, specify the host name and SOAP port and federate the node now to create a functional node that you can customize.

    Federating when the deployment manager is not available

    If the deployment manager is unavailable, an immediate failure occurs prior to profile creation. You must restart the profile creation and either ensure the deployment manager is active and the connection information specified is correct, or select the federate later option.

    Click Next to display the Profile name panel.

  7. Specify a name for the profile, or accept the default: click Next.
    Profile naming guidelines: Double-byte characters are supported. The profile name can be any unique name with the following restrictions. Do not use any of the following characters when naming your profile:
    • Spaces
    • Special characters that are not supported within the name of a directory on your operating system, such as *&?
    • Slashes (/) or (\)

    The default profile

    The first profile that you create on a machine is the default profile. The default profile is the default target for commands that are issued from the bin directory in the product installation root. When one profile exists on a machine, every command works on the only server process in the configuration.

    Addressing a profile in a multiprofile environment

    When multiple profiles exist on a machine, certain commands require that you specify the profile to which the command applies. These commands use the -profileName parameter to identify which profile to address. You might find it easier to use the commands that are in the bin directory of each profile.

    The commands are found in the following location: A command has two lines. Set the WAS_USER_SCRIPT environment variable on the first line for the command prompt. You use the variable to set up the command environment to address the profile. Use the second line to call the command in the following location:

    Use the command to query the command shell to determine the calling profile and to autonomically address the command to the calling profile.

    The wizard then displays the Profile directory panel.

  8. Specify a location for the profile and click Next.

    If you click Back and change the name of the profile, you must manually change the name on this panel when it displays again.

    The wizard displays the Node and host names panel.

  9. Specify the node and host characteristics for the custom profile, and click Next.

    Migration considerations

    If you plan to migrate an installation of Network Deployment Version 5 to Version 6, then use the same cell name for the Version 6 deployment manager that you used for the Version 5 cell. A cell name must be unique whenever the product is running on the same physical machine or cluster of machines, such as a sysplex. Additionally, a cell name must be unique when network connectivity between entities is required either between the cells or from a client that must communicate with each of the cells. Cell names also must be unique if you want to federate their name spaces. Otherwise, you might encounter symptoms such as a javax.naming.NameNotFoundException exception. In which case, you need to create uniquely named cells.

    After migrating the cell, the Version 5 managed nodes are now managed by the Version 6 deployment manager in compatibility mode. You can migrate individual Version 5 managed nodes in the cell to Version 6. To do so, you must create a Version 6 profile with the same node name as the Version 5 managed node.

    Reserved names: Avoid using reserved folder names as field values. The use of reserved folder names can cause unpredictable results. The following terms are reserved folder names:
    • cells
    • nodes
    • servers
    • clusters
    • applications
    • deployments
    The custom profile has the following characteristics:
    Field Name Default Value Constraints Description
    Node name The name of your machine, or a unique derivation of the machine name. Avoid using the reserved terms.

    Use a unique name within the deployment manager cell.

    If you plan to migrate a Version 5 managed node, then use the same node name for this Version 6 custom profile.

    The name is used for administration within the deployment manager cell to which the custom profile is added. Use a unique name within the deployment manager cell.

    After migrating a Version 5 deployment manager cell to a Version 6 deployment manager, you can migrate the Version 5 custom profiles that are running in compatibility mode in the Version 6 deployment manager.

    Host name

    The long form of the domain name server (DNS) name.

    The host name must be addressable through your network. Use the actual DNS name or IP address of your machine to enable communication with your machine. See additional information about the host name that follows this table.

    Directory path considerations

    [Windows] The number of characters in the profiles_directory_path\profile_name directory must be less than or equal to 80 characters.

    Host name considerations

    The host name is the network name for the physical machine on which the node is installed. The host name must resolve to a physical network node on the server. When multiple network cards exist in the server, the host name or IP address must resolve to one of the network cards. Remote nodes use the host name to connect to and communicate with this node. Selecting a host name that other machines can reach within your network is important. Do not use the generic identifier, localhost, for this value. Also, do not attempt to install WebSphere Application Server products on a machine with a host name that uses characters from the double-byte character set (DBCS). DBCS characters are not supported when used in the host name.

    If you define coexisting nodes on the same computer with unique IP addresses, define each IP address in a domain name server (DNS) look-up table. Configuration files for stand-alone application servers do not provide domain name resolution for multiple IP addresses on a machine with a single network address.

    The value that you specify for the host name is used as the value of the hostName property in configuration documents for the stand-alone application server. Specify the host name value in one of the following formats:
    • Fully qualified domain name server (DNS) host name string, such as xmachine.manhattan.ibm.com
    • The default short DNS host name string, such as xmachine
    • Numeric IP address, such as 127.1.255.3

    The fully qualified DNS host name has the advantages of being totally unambiguous and flexible. You have the flexibility of changing the actual IP address for the host system without having to change the application server configuration. This value for the host name is particularly useful if you plan to change the IP address frequently when using Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) to assign IP addresses. A format disadvantage is a dependency on DNS. If DNS is not available, then connectivity is compromised.

    The short host name is also dynamically resolvable. A short name format has the added function of being redefined in the local hosts file so that the system can run the application server, even when disconnected from the network. Define the short name as the loopback address, 127.0.0.1, in the hosts file to run disconnected. A format disadvantage is a dependency on DNS for remote access. If DNS is not available, then connectivity is compromised.

    A numeric IP address has the advantage of not requiring name resolution through DNS. A remote node can connect to the node that you name with a numeric IP address without DNS being available. A format disadvantage is that the numeric IP address is fixed. You must change the setting of the hostName property in Express configuration documents whenever you change the machine IP address. Therefore, do not use a numeric IP address if you use DHCP, or if you change IP addresses regularly. Another format disadvantage is that you cannot use the node if the host is disconnected from the network.

    After specifying custom profile characteristics, the wizard displays the Port value assignment panel.

  10. Specify port assignments that do not conflict for the custom profile and click Next.

    When federating a custom profile, the addNode command uses non-conflicting ports. This means that you can take the default port assignments as you create the profile, and let the addNode command specify non-conflicting ports as you federate the node. Port assignments must be unique on a machine. application server processes on different machines can use the same port assignments without conflict.

    After specifying non-conflicting port assignments, the wizard displays the Profile summary panel.

  11. Verify that the ports specified are unique, and click Next.

    The Profile Creation Summary panel is displayed.

    The deployment manager must be running and accessible when you click Next so that the profile creation succeeds. Since the deployment manager had to be running and accessible when you clicked on the previous panel, it is most likely still running and accessible. If you think the deployment manager might not be running or might be inaccessible, then follow the recommendations in this step to start and make the deployment manager accessible.

  12. Click Next to create the custom profile, or click Back to change the characteristics of the custom profile.

    The wizard displays a Status panel as the wizard creates the custom profile. At the end of the installation, the wizard displays the Profile creation is complete panel.

  13. Click Finish to exit the Profile Creation wizard.

Results

You created a custom profile. The node within the profile is empty until you federate the node and use the deployment manager to customize the node.

The directory structure shows the new profile folder within the profiles directory. The profile folder has the same name as the profile that you create.

Refer to the description of the wasprofile command to learn about creating a profile using a command instead of a wizard.

The Profile Creation wizard creates a log during profile creation. The logs are in the install_dir/logs/wasprofile directory. The files are named in this pattern: wasprofile_create_profile_name.log.

One known problem in the log for a custom profile is that the -federateLater option is displayed in the log, regardless of whether the option is used.

What to do next

Federate the node into the deployment manager cell if you did not already do so when you created the node. Then, use the deployment manager to create an application server on the node.

Deploy an application to get started.

Read about fast paths for the product to get started deploying applications.




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Last updated: Aug 29, 2010 10:43:27 PM CDT
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