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 Management Tool to create a custom
profile.
Before you begin
Before you use the Profile Management Tool, install
the product files.
The Profile Management Tool is the graphical user
interface for the manageprofiles command. See the description of the
manageprofiles 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.
Attention: When you launch the Profile Management Tool, the tool could lock up in the following situation
for a non-root user: Log into a machine as root, use the SetPermissions utility to change the user
from x to y. Assume that you are user x and
log back into the machine. Launch the Profile Management Tool, click
Profile Management Tool, and click Create.
The next click after the click on Create could lock up the tool.
Attention: When you use the
Profile Management Tool with the Motif graphical user interface on the
Solaris operating system, the default size of the
Profile Management Tool
might be too small to view all the messages and buttons of the
Profile Management Tool. To fix the problem, add the following lines to the
app_server_root/.Xdefaults
file:
Eclipse*spacing:0
Eclipse*fontList:-misc-fixed-medium-r-normal-*-10-100-75-75-c-60-iso8859-1
After
adding the lines, run the following command before launching the
Profile Management Tool:
xrdb -load user_home/.Xdefaults
About this task
After installing the core product files
for the WebSphere® Application Server Network Deployment product,
you must create a profile. This article describes creating a custom
profile using the Profile Management Tool.
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 also use the manageprofiles command
to create a custom profile. See the description of the manageprofiles command for
more information.
Templates for each profile are located in
the app_server_root/profileTemplates directory.
Multiple
directories exist within this directory, which correspond to different
profile types and vary with the type of product that is installed.
The directories are the paths that you indicate while using the manageprofiles command
with the -templatePath option. You can also specify profile templates
that exist outside the profileTemplates directory, if you have any.
You
can specify the -templatePath parameter on the manageprofiles command
to obtain a description of the available templates. These templates
are also described in the Profile concepts topic.
By
default, the Profile Management Tool 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. Otherwise, a connection error displays.
You can federate the node later if you do not have access to a running
deployment manager, or for any other reason.
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.
You can create profiles with the Profile Management Tool
using the typical profile creation process or the advanced profile creation process. The typical
profile creation process uses default settings and assigns unique port values. You can optionally
set values as allowed. For the advanced profile creation process you can accept the default values,
or specify your own values.
Procedure
- Install the product to create the core product files.
-
Start the Profile Management Tool to create a new runtime
environment.
You can use one of the following ways to start the tool.
- At the end of installation, select the check box to launch the Profile Management Tool.
- Issue the command to open the WebSphere Customization Toolbox directly from a command prompt;
then, open the Profile Management Tool.
- Select the WebSphere Customization Toolbox option from the First steps
console; then, open the Profile Management Tool.
- Use the Start menu to access the WebSphere Customization Toolbox;
then, open the Profile Management Tool.
- Use the Linux® operating system menus that are used to start programs to start the
WebSphere Customization Toolbox; then, open the Profile Management Tool.
-
Click Create on the Profiles tab to create a new profile.
The Profiles tab contains a list of profiles that have been created on your machine. No action
can be done on a selected profile unless the profile can be augmented. The Augment button is greyed
out unless a profile that you select can be augmented.
The tool displays the Environment selection panel.
- Select the custom profile, and click Next.
The Profile creation options panel is displayed.
-
Select either Typical profile creation or Advanced profile creation, and click
Next.
The Typical profile creation 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.
- If you selected Typical profile
creation, then go to the step on federating
the node.
- If you selected Advanced profile creation,
then specify the custom profile name and the profile directory on
the Profile name and location panel, or accept the defaults, and 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 only one profile exists on a machine, every command
works on the single server process in the configuration. You can make another profile the
default profile when you create that profile by checking Make this profile the default on the
Profile name and location panel of the Advanced profile creation path. You can also make
another profile the default profile using the manageprofiles command after you create the
profile.
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 if the profile is not the default profile. 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.
Use these commands to query the command shell to determine the calling profile and to
address these commands to the calling profile.
Default profile information
The default profile name is
<profile_type><profile_number>
:
<profile_type>
is a value of AppSrv
,
Dmgr
, Custom
, AdminAgent
,
JobMgr
, or SecureProxySrv
.
<profile_number>
is a sequential number that is used
to create a unique profile name
The default profile directory is
app_server_root/profiles, where app_server_root is the
installation root.
The default profile directory is
app_server_root\profiles, where app_server_root is the
installation root.
The tool
then displays the Node and host names panel.
- Specify the node and host characteristics
for the custom profile, and click Next.
If you plan to migrate an installation of WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment Version 7 or
Version 8 to Version 8.5, then use the same cell name for the Version
8.5 deployment manager that you used for the Version 7 or Version
8 cell. A cell name must be unique in any circumstance in which the product is running on the same physical machine or cluster of machines, such as a sysplex. Additionally, a cell name must be unique in any circumstance in which network connectivity between entities is required either between the cells or from a client that must communicate with each of the cells. Cell names must also be unique if their namespaces are federated. Otherwise, you might encounter symptoms such as a javax.naming.NameNotFoundException error, in which case, create uniquely named cells.
After
migrating the cell, the Version 7 or Version 8 managed nodes are now
managed by the Version 8.5 deployment manager in compatibility mode.
You can migrate individual Version 7 or Version 8 managed nodes in
the cell to Version 8.5. To do so, you must create a Version 8.5 profile
with the same node name as the Version 7 or Version 8 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
Table 1. Characteristics of the custom profile. This table shows the characteristics of the custom profile.
Field Name |
Default Value |
Constraints |
Description |
Node name |
shortHostName
Node
NodeNumber
where:
- shortHostName is the short host name
- NodeNumber is a sequential number starting at 01
|
Avoid using the reserved terms. Use a unique
name within the deployment manager cell.
If you plan to migrate
a Version 7 or Version 8 managed node, then use the same node name
for this Version 8.5 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 7 or Version 8 deployment manager cell to a Version 8.5
deployment manager, you can migrate the Version 7 or Version 8 custom
profiles that are running in compatibility mode in the Version 8.5
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:
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 a 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, then
define each IP address in a domain name server (DNS) look-up table. Configuration files for
standalone 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 standalone 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 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 disadvantage of this format is 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. To run disconnected, define the short name as the
loopback address, 127.0.0.1
, in the hosts file to run disconnected. A disadvantage
of this format 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 disadvantage of this format 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 disadvantage of this format is that you cannot use the node if the host
is disconnected from the network.
After specifying custom profile characteristics,
the tool displays the Federation panel.
- If administrative security is enabled for
the deployment manager, specify the host name and SOAP port of the
deployment manager, and the user name and password for the deployment
manager. 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 documentation 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.
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 you federate a custom node when the deployment manager is not running or is
not accessible, then an error message is displayed. If the deployment manager becomes unavailable
during the profile creation process, then the installation indicator in the logs is
INSTCONFFAIL
, to indicate a complete failure. The resulting custom profile is
unusable. You must delete the profile. Read about deleting a profile for more information.
If you
chose to federate now, and you previously selected Advanced
profile creation, then the Security certificate panel
displays next. Go to the step on creating
and importing certificates.
Otherwise, the Profile Creation
Summary panel displays for the typical profile creation option. Go
to the step on creating
the custom profile.
-
Create a default personal certificate and a root signing certificate, or import a personal
certificate and a root signing certificate from keystore files, and click Next.
You can create both certificates, import both certificates, or create one certificate, and import
the other certificate.
Best practice: When you import a personal certificate as the default personal certificate,
import the root certificate that signed the personal certificate. Otherwise, the Profile Management Tool adds the signer of the personal certificate to the
trust.p12 file.
If you import the default personal certificate or the root signing certificate, specify the path
and the password, and select the keystore type and the keystore alias for each certificate that you
import.
-
Verify that the certificate information is correct, and click
Next.
If you create the certificates, you can use the default values or modify them to create new
certificates. The default personal certificate is valid for one year by default and is signed by the
root signing certificate. The root signing certificate is a self-signed certificate that is valid
for 15 years by default. The default keystore password for the root signing certificate is
WebAS
. You should change the password. The password cannot contain any double-byte
character set (DBCS) characters because certain keystore types, including PKCS12, do not support
these characters. The keystore types that are supported depend on the providers in the java.security
file.
When you create either or both certificates, or import either or both certificates, the keystore
files that are created are key.p12, trust.p12, root-key.p12, default-signers.p12, deleted.p12, and
ltpa.jceks. These files all have the same password when you create or import the certificates, which
is either the default password, or a password that you specify. The key.p12 file contains the
default personal certificate. The trust.p12 file contains the signer certificate from the default
root certificate. The root-key.p12 file contains the root signing certificate. The
default-signer.p12 file contains signer certificates that are added to any new keystore file that
you create after the server is installed and running. By default, the default root certificate
signer
is in the default-signer.p12 keystore file. The deleted.p12 keystore file is used to hold
certificates deleted with the deleteKeyStore task so that they can be recovered if needed. The
ltpa.jceks file contains server default Lightweight Third-Party Authentication
(LTPA) keys that the servers in your environment use to communicate with each other.
An imported certificate is added to the key.p12 file or the root-key.p12 file.
If you import any certificates and the certificates do not contain the information that you want,
click Back to import another certificate.
After displaying the Security certificate panels, the tool displays the Ports panel if you
previously selected Advanced profile creation.
- Verify that the ports within the custom profile
are unique, or intentionally conflicting, and click Next.
Port conflict resolution
The Profile Creation
Summary panel is displayed.
- Click Create to create
the custom profile, or click Back to change
the characteristics of the custom profile.
If you previously
chose to federate the custom node on the Federation panel, the deployment
manager had to be running and accessible. The deployment manager must
be running and accessible when you click Create.
If you think the deployment manager might no longer be running or
might have become inaccessible, then start the deployment manager
and make it accessible, or make it accessible if it is already running.
The Profile creation progress panel, which shows the configuration commands that
are running, is displayed.
When the profile creation completes, the tool displays the Profile creation
complete panel.
-
Optionally, select Launch the First steps console. Click Finish to exit.
With the First steps console, you can create additional profiles and start the application
server.
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 manageprofiles command to
learn about creating a profile using a command instead of the Profile Management Tool.
The Profile Management Tool creates a log
during profile creation. The logs are in the
install_dir/logs/manageprofiles directory. The files are named in this pattern:
manageprofiles_create_profile_name.log
.
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.