Installing and configuring Process Server with a DB2 database server

Process Server provides one business process management runtime environment that can support a range of business processes for development, test, staging, or production.

Before you begin

You can create the Process database, Performance Data Warehouse database, and Common database either before or during a typical installation of IBM® Business Process Manager Express. The databases must be created with at least a 32K page size. To create the databases during a typical installation, you must be running an existing DB2 server that is local. Otherwise, you must create the databases before installation and they must be empty when you begin the installation process.

Be prepared to specify the following information during installation:
  • The user name and password for database authentication
  • The database server host name and port
  • The name of the Process database
  • The name of the Performance Data Warehouse database
  • The name of the Common database
If you are installing from downloaded images from Passport Advantage, ensure that you downloaded all required images (three disk images for Linux systems on Intel; two disk images for other Linux systems). If you are installing from the DVD images, obtain the compressed files from the DVDs. In both cases, extract all of the files from the compressed files to the same location on your hard disk. Overwrite directories, if prompted.
Restriction: Extract the installation files to a directory that does not contain spaces or special characters. The launchpad cannot be started from a directory path that contains spaces or special characters.

About this task

From the product launchpad, the typical installation process installs the software and configures a stand-alone profile. Therefore, you do not need to create a profile later using the Profile Management Tool or manageprofiles command. It also installs IBM WebSphere SDK Java Technology Edition 7 (Java 7) and the profile uses it. You can optionally switch the profile to use different version of Java. For more information, see Switching the edition of Java used in IBM BPM.

Only one IBM Installation Manager is required to install multiple instances of IBM Business Process Manager.

Procedure

  1. Optional: If you are connected to the Internet, the typical installation process automatically upgrades your product to the latest fix pack or refresh pack level and recommended interim fixes. If you want these upgrades to be installed from a local directory instead, or if you want to specify the fix level, you can modify a properties file to direct Installation Manager to the upgrades to install.
    Create the following file:
    • /user_home_directory/bpm_updates.properties
    Note: Ensure that you have read/write access to the folders that are specified in the bpm_updates.properties file.
    The file uses three prefixes: ifix, fixpack, and launchpad. Each prefix must be followed by a period. The name after the prefix and the period can be anything you want, which enables you to point to multiple locations for interim fixes, fix packs, and launchpad upgrades. The locations can be either local directories or URLs. The following code is an example of the prefixes and names in the properties file:
    ifix.1=/bpmUpdates
    fixpack.2=http://test/rep
    launchpad.1=/launchpad_updates
    fixpack.WAS_REP=/WAS_updates
    fixpack.BPM_REP=/BPM_updates
  2. Go to the directory into which you extracted the images and enter the following command to start the launchpad:
    extract_directory/launchpad.sh
    You can run only one launchpad at a time.
  3. Optional: If you are prompted to update the launchpad, click Update. The updates are installed and your launchpad is restarted automatically. If you do not have access to the Internet and want the updates to be installed from a local directory, you can modify a properties file with the appropriate launchpad prefix as described in step 1 to direct Installation Manager to the updates to install.
  4. On the Welcome page, click Typical installation.
  5. Select Install Process Server and click Next.
  6. Specify Process Server information:
    • Host name: This field shows the name of your machine.
    • Location: Enter the installation location for Process Server or click Browse to select the location.
      Note:
      • The installation location must either be an empty directory or a directory that does not exist and is created during installation.
      • Because you are installing DB2 Express, your installation location cannot contain National Language Strings (NLS).
    • Environment Type: Select how the Process Server is used. If you have a Process Server Production License, set the type to Production. If you have a Process Server non-Production License, choose any of the other types.
      • Select Development if the server is to be used in a development capacity.
      • Select Staging if the server is to be used as a temporary location to host changes before putting them into production.
      • Select Test if the server is to be used as a testing environment, for example, for load testing.
      • Select Production if the server is to be used in a production capacity.
    • Name: Specify the name for the Process Server environment. This name is used to connect from a Process Center to this Process Server.
      Restriction: Do not mix production and non-production servers in the same cell.
    • Specify the User name and Password for the cell administrative account. The cell administrator is the primary WebSphere® Application Server administrator. A user who is assigned to this role can assign other administrator roles, and is responsible for the administration of the cell and topology. A user who is assigned to this role is not responsible for the administration of the IBM Business Process Manager Express components. Having this role provides access to all interfaces, enabling users to alter or delete all types of available library items and assets, including process applications and toolkits. The user in this role also administers process servers, Performance Data Warehouses, and internal users and groups. You must be a user assigned to this role to deploy process applications on the Process Center server.
    Select Use this server offline if this Process Server will not be connected to a Process Center. Offline servers can still be used when deploying snapshots of process applications, but the method for deploying process applications to an offline process server differs from the method for deploying process applications to an online process server.
    If you did not select Use this server offline, provide the following information for the Process Center that this server should connect to:
    • Host name: Enter the host or virtual host that this Process Server will use to communicate with Process Center. Use a fully qualified host name. In an environment with a load balancer or proxy server between the Process Server and the Process Center services, make sure that what you designate here matches the URL that is used to access the Process Center.
    • Port: Enter the secure port number of the Process Center. In an environment with a load balancer or proxy server between the Process Server and the Process Center, make sure that what you designate here matches the URL that is used to access the Process Center. The installation process will import security certificates, and the two components will use an SSL connection to communicate with each other.
    • User name: Enter the name of a Process Center user. Process Server will connect to Process Center as this user. If you specify a user name that does not have authority to update the SSL truststore, the installation will succeed but the SSL certificates will not be imported, and you must configure the connection manually. See the related topic link for instructions.
    • Password: Enter the password for the Process Center user.
    To check the connection to the Process Center, click Test Connection. The connection attempt can fail if the user name and password combination is wrong, or if a custom context root has been set for the Process Center. If the custom context root has been set, you must use a custom install path instead of typical.
  7. Click Next.
  8. Select Yes to use an existing database.
  9. Specify the required database information.
    Table 1. Required database configuration fields for DB2
    Field Action needed
    User name Enter the user name to authenticate the user with the database.
    Restriction: User names must not contain National Language Strings (NLS).
    Password Enter a password to authenticate the user with the database.
    Host name Accept the default value of localhost or enter the correct database server host name, for example, the IP address.
    Port Accept the default value of 50000 or enter the correct server port number.
    Common database name Accept the default value of CMNDB, or enter the name for the Common database.
    Process database name Accept the default value of BPMDB, or enter the name for the Process database.
    Performance Data Warehouse database name Accept the default value of PDWDB, or enter the name for the Performance Data Warehouse database.

    Click Test Database Connection to verify that you can connect to the BPM databases that are created. If the connections to the databases are successful, you can click Next to proceed.

  10. Optional: Select Create and initialize these databases during installation.

    This option is available only for DB2 databases. To use this option, the Host name must be set to localhost and you must be authorized to create databases. If you are an administrative or root user, this option creates the databases. If you are a nonadministrative or non-root user, this option adds the rights so that it can create the databases.

  11. Click Next to continue. You are prompted to provide your IBM ID and password to connect to the IBM service repositories.
    Note: If you are using a local properties file, you do not need to provide your IBM ID and password.

    A connection to the service repositories is required to download and install fix packs and required interim fixes from the Internet, including fixes for WebSphere Application Server and IBM Business Process Manager. You can obtain an IBM ID and password by registering at http://www.ibm.com.

    To continue installing without downloading the required fixes, click Cancel or clear the Use your support account to include updates with the installation option on the Installation summary page.

    After successfully installing the product, you can use Installation Manager to install the required fixes.

  12. On the Installation summary page, verify that the installation options and read the license agreements. If you agree to the terms of the license agreements, click I have read and accepted the license agreement and notices.
  13. Click Install Software.

Results

After a successful installation, the Quick Start console starts automatically. If the security certificates failed to import for the connection between Process Center and Process Server, you must configure the SSL communication manually.

What to do next

To learn about security for the environment and applications, see Creating a secure environment.