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Install Note for WebSphere 6

Warnings

  • This chapter describes a quick installation example of EBX.Platform on IBM WebSphere 6 Application Server.

  • It does not replace the documentation of this application server.

  • It is not a general installation recommendation, since actual installation process is fixed by architecture choices (technical environment, applications mutualization, delivery process, company choices, etc.).

  • The complete description of the components needed by EBX.Platform is given in chapter Components. 

  • In this document, we do not deploy an additional EBX.Platform module. For this, a good practice would be to rebuild an EAR with the EBX.Platform module as a Web application at the same level as other EBX.Platform Web applications. In this case, the web application must declare its class-path dependency in the standard manner specified by Java™ 2 Platform Enterprise Edition Specification, v1.4:

    J2EE.8.2 Optional Package Support

    (...)

    A JAR format file (such as a .jar file, .war file, or .rar file) can reference a .jar file by naming the referenced .jar file in a Class-Path header in the referencing JAR file’s Manifest file. The referenced .jar file is named using a URL relative to the URL of the referencing JAR file. The Manifest file is named META-INF/MANIFEST.MF in the JAR file. The Class-Path entry in the Manifest file is of the form:

    Class-Path: list-of-jar-files-separated-by-spaces

    In an "industrialized" process, we strongly recommend to develop a script that automatically builds the EAR with: the specific EBX.Platform module(s), the EBX.Platform Web applications and also all the shared libraries needed.

  • In order to avoid unpredictable behavior, the minimal rule to follow is to avoid any duplication of ebx.jar or other libraries on the class-loading system.

Warning: Using a DataSource v4 in Websphere 6

  • The lookup mechanism used by Websphere to retrieve a DataSource v4 is not compatible with the Servlet 2.3 specification. Therefore, using a DataSource v4 requires the Deployer to modify the DTD reference in the deployment descriptor (web.xml) of the "ebx" Web application,

    by replacing:

    <!DOCTYPE web-app PUBLIC "-//Sun Microsystems, Inc.//DTD Web Application 2.3//EN" "http://java.sun.com/dtd/web-app_2_3.dtd">

    with:

    <!DOCTYPE web-app PUBLIC "-//Sun Microsystems, Inc.//DTD Web Application 2.2//EN" "http://java.sun.com/j2ee/dtds/web-app_2_2.dtd">

Overview

  1. Create the EBX_HOME directory: copy ebx.properties

  2. Install EBX.Platform library: Websphere Server Application - First steps, Environment, Shared Libraries

  3. Configure JVM arguments (Java system properties): Servers, Application servers, Java and Process Management, Process Definition, Java Virtual Machine, Additional Properties, Generic JVM arguments

  4. Deploy EBX.Platform application: Applications, Install New Application

Detail

  1. Create EBX_HOME directory, in our example it is C:\ebx.software\home

  2. Create EBX_LIB directory, in our example it is C:\ebx.software\lib

  3. Create EBX_EAR directory, in our example it is C:\ebx.software\ear

  4. Copy ebx.software\files\ebx.properties file to EBX_HOME. In our example, we will then have the following file:

    C:\EBX\home\ebx.properties, a text file

  5. Copy third-party library files to EBX_LIB directory. In our example, we will have:

    C:\ebx.software\lib\activation.jar

    C:\ebx.software\lib\mail.jar

    C:\ebx.software\lib\hsqldb.jar

    The exact description of these components is given in chapter Components. Obviously, if those components are already deployed on the class-loading system, they don't have to be duplicated.

  6. Copy the file ebx.software/webapps/ear-packaging/ebxPlatform.ear to EBX_EAR. In our example, we will have:

    C:\ebx.software\ear\ebxPlatform.ear

  7. Launch the "Websphere Server Application - Fist steps" console

  8. Start the server

  9. Launch the administration console and login

  10. Specify the EBX.Platform library:

    1. In the menu on the left, click on"Environment"

    2. Click on "Shared Libraries"

    3. In the "Shared Libraries" page, click on the button "New". The "Shared Libraries > New" page is displayed.

    4. In the field *Name, enter the library name, in our example it is lib_of_ebx

    5. In the field *Classpath, enter the EBX_LIB path, in our example it is C:\ebx.software\lib

    6. Click on the button "OK"

    7. Save modifications by clicking on "Save" in the "Messages" panel at the bottom of the page "Shared Libraries".

    8. Click on the button "Save"

  11. Specify the EBX.Platform configuration file path:

    1. In the menu on the left, click on "Servers"

    2. Click on "Application servers"

    3. In the page "Application servers", click on the server name. In our example, the server name is server1. 

    4. In the configuration page of "Application servers > server ", click on "Java and Process Management", which is a sub-menu of "Server Infrastructure"

    5. Click on "Process Definition"

    6. Click on "Java Virtual Machine", which is a sub-menu of "Additional Properties"

    7. In the field "Generic JVM arguments", enter:

      -Debx.home=C:\ebx.software\home -Debx.properties=C:\ebx.software\home\ebx.properties

    8. Here, ebx.home is the directory for EBX_HOME, ebx.properties is the configuration file of EBX. In our example, they are respectively C:\ebx.software\home and C:\ebx.software\home\ebx.properties

    9. Click on the button "OK", at the bottom of the page "Application servers > server1 > Java Virtual Machine"

    10. Save modifications by clicking on "Save" in the "Messages" panel at the top of the page "Application servers > server1 > Java Virtual Machine".

  12. Deploy Web Applications:

    1. In the menu on the left, click on "Applications"

    2. Click on "Install New Application"

    3. In the page "Preparing for the application installation", in the field "Specify path", select ebxPlatform.ear file. In our example, it is C:\ebx.software\ear\ebxPlatform.ear

    4. Click on the button "Next" at the bottom of the page "Preparing for the application installation"

    5. Select "Use default virtual host name for Web modules"

    6. Click on the button "Next"

    7. Click on the button "Continue"

    8. In the page "Install new Application, Step 1 Select installation options", the field "Directory to install application" is the installation directory of EBX.Platform. In our example, it is "C:\ebx.software\ear"

    9. Click on the button "Next"

    10. In the page "Install new Application, Step 2 Map modules to servers", click on the button "Next"

    11. In the page "Install new Application, Step 3 Map resource references to resources", as we don't use JNDI resource in this example, input DefaultDatasource, click on the button "Next"

    12. In the page "Install new Application, Step 4 Map virtual hosts for Web modules", map all modules: ebx.war, ebx-root-1.0.war, ebx-manager-1.0.war au default_host.

    13. Click on the button "Next"

    14. Click on the button "Finish"

    15. The page "Installing… " is displayed. The message "Application EBX.Platform installed successfully" will be displayed at the bottom of the page.

    16. Click on "Save to Master Configuration" at the bottom of the page

    17. Click on the button "Save"

  13. Link Web Applications to the EBX.Platform library

    1. In the menu on the left, click on "Applications"

    2. Click on "Enterprise Applications"

    3. In the page "Enterprise Applications", click on EBX.Platform

    4. In the page "Enterprise Applications > EBX.Platform", click on "Libraries", which is below "Additional Properties"

    5. Click on the button "Add"

    6. Select the library we add in step 10.4, which is lib_of_ebx

    7. Click on the button "OK"

    8. Save modifications by clicking on "Save" in the "Messages" panel at the top of the page "Enterprise Applications"

    9. Click on the button "Save"

  14. In the console "Websphere Server Application - First steps", stop the server

  15. In the console "Websphere Server Application - First steps", start the server

  16. Restart the administration console, in the menu on the left, click on "Applications"

  17. Click on "Enterprise Applications"

  18. In the page "Enterprise Applications", select EBX.Platform

  19. Click on the button "Start"

  20. Run EBX.Platform.

Run EBX.Manager Web application: http://localhost:9080/ebx/. 

At first launch, EBX.Platform Wizard helps you to configure the default properties of your initial repository.

 

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