The launchpad console is the starting point for installing IBM
WebSphere Application Server. You cannot
install the Web Services feature pack or the SOA feature pack using the launchpad.
Use the launchpad to install the WebSphere Application Server base product,
Express, Network Deployment, or a supplemental product.
About this task
WebSphere Application Server is an
integrated platform that contains an Application Server, a set of Web development
tools, a Web server, and additional supporting software and documentation.
The launchpad is the single point of reference for installing the entire Application
Server environment.
The
launchpad identifies components on the product disk that you can install (launch).
Links
in the navigation frame of the product disk launchpad enable you to:
- View the Solution installation diagrams
- Launch the installation wizard for WebSphere Application Server Network
Deployment
- Launch the installation wizard for IBM HTTP Server
- Launch the installation wizard for Web server plug-ins
- Launch the installation wizard for WebSphere Application Client
Tip: IBM HTTP Server, Web server plug-ins, and WebSphere Application
Client are now contained on the "WAS Tools CD." This CD will be required to
install these products from Launchpad.
Links
in the navigation frame of the supplements disk launchpad enable you to
- Launch the installation wizard for the Update Installer
- Launch the installation program for the IBM Support Assistant (ISA)
Note on using the IBM Support Assistant (ISA) on Microsoft® Windows Vista™ and Windows 2008 operating systems: ISA Version 3.x and earlier are not
supported on the Windows Vista operating system. ISA plans to support the
Windows Vista operating system in a later version. See the ISA Web site at
http://www.ibm.com/software/support/isa/ for
information on ISA support.
ISA is not supported on
Windows 2008.
- Access the Installation Factory in the ifactory directory
- Access the migration tools in the migration directory
- Access the World Type fonts in the fonts directory
- Access the Devanagari font in the fonts directory
There
is no WebSphere launchpad for the disks in the secondary packet, such as the
DB2 product disk.
Procedure
- Start the launchpad.
The launchpad program is available
in the root directory of the product disk or the downloaded installation image.
You can start the launchpad manually using a fully qualified command instead
of changing directories to the disk and running the command locally from the
root directory:
- The launchpad opens in the language of the locale setting of the
machine.
- Use the launchpad to access the product overview, the readme file,
and the installation guide.
Each launchpad panel for an installable
component includes a link to the component installation program and to component
documentation for installation and configuration. For example, links on the
WebSphere Application Server
Network
Deployment panel enable you to:
- Launch the installation wizard.
- View the product overview.
- View the installation guide.
- View the readme file.
- Click Launch the installation wizard for ... to
launch the installation wizard for the installable component that you select.
Results
This procedure results in using the launchpad to start the installation
and to access information through a browser.
Troubleshooting
To use the Launchpad application to install products from
a network share, the contents of the "WAS CD" and "WebSphere Supplements CD"
must be copied into separate directories. The Launchpad application uses the ~/launchpad/diskinfo/thisDisk.properties file
to identify the correct location for the install files.
If you can start
the launchpad, but clicking a link does not resolve to a page in the launchpad,
you might have the media for the wrong operating system in the disk drive.
Check the validity of the media.
If you are attempting to use the Mozilla browser
on a Windows system, Internet Explorer might open instead. The launchpad does
not recognize Mozilla as the default browser if Internet Explorer is also
installed on the same system. The launchpad is fully functional with Internet
Explorer, so no action is required.
Issue the following case-specific
command at a command prompt, to create an environment variable that forces
the use of Mozilla:
set BROWSER=Mozilla
If
the launchpad links still do not work after following this procedure, refer
to the following locations of the component installation programs and launch
the programs directly.