Getting IBM Content Navigator up and running with task manager

To provide the IBM Content Navigator with task manager services to your users, you must install the prerequisite software, prepare your web application server and database, and install, configure, and deploy the web services. You might need to complete more configuration tasks, depending on your content repository.

Tip: Before you install and configure IBM Content Navigator with task manager, you must complete the appropriate installation and configuration worksheets. See Installation and configuration worksheets.

Follow these general steps to install and configure IBM Content Navigator with task manager.

Step 2 - Complete the prerequisite tasks

Before you can install IBM Content Navigator, you must have the following software on the IBM Content Navigator server:
  • A supported web application server
  • IBM Content Manager OnDemand users:
    • Content Manager OnDemand Web Enablement Kit (ODWEK)
    • Transform software, such as the AFP2PDF conversion tool
In addition, you must have the following software in your content management environment:
  • A supported content management server
  • A database server where you can store the IBM Content Navigator web client configuration and preferences
Before you install the IBM Content Navigator software on the server, complete the following tasks:
  1. Prepare your web application server. Complete the preinstallation tasks that are appropriate for the web application server in your environment:
    Web application server Preinstallation tasks
    WebSphere® Application Server
    1. Ensure that a copy of the JDBC drivers is on the web application server. See Copying JDBC drivers to the web application server.

      Highly Available ClustersIf you plan to deploy IBM Content Navigator in a highly available cluster, copy the JDBC drivers to the same directory on each node in the cluster.

    2. IBM FileNet P8 users only.Content Cortex users only: If you plan to deploy IBM Content Navigator and Content Engine on separate WebSphere Application Server cells, then see Exporting the LTPA key from the Content Engine server (Content Cortex).
    3. For WebSphere Application Server, see Disabling HTTPOnly settings for Java applets.
    4. IBM FileNet P8 users only.Content Cortex users only: See Configuring separate WebSphere Application Server instances that run on the same computer.
    Oracle WebLogic Server
    1. Ensure that a copy of the JDBC drivers is on the web application server, and add the JDBC drivers to the startup script. See Adding the JDBC drivers to the Oracle WebLogic Server startup script.

      Highly Available ClustersIf you plan to deploy IBM Content Navigator in a highly available cluster, add the JDBC drivers to each node in the cluster.

    2. IBM FileNet P8 users only.Content Cortex users only: If you plan to deploy IBM Content Navigator and Content Platform Engine or Content Engine in different domains, you must enable trust between them. See Enabling trust between the Content Platform Engine domain and the IBM Content Navigator domain.
  2. Prepare your database. You must point to an existing database when you configure and deploy IBM Content Navigator. You can use an existing database, or you can create a database to store information about IBM Content Navigator. See Creating a database for IBM Content Navigator.

Step 3 - Install IBM Content Navigator

You can install the IBM Content Navigator software by running the installation program or by running a silent installation. The installation program adds the files on the IBM Content Navigator server. See Installing the IBM Content Navigator software.

Important: If you plan to deploy IBM Content Navigator in a clustered environment, install the software on at least one server in the cluster. However, it is easier to achieve high availability if you install the IBM Content Navigator software on some or all of the servers in the cluster.

You do not need to install multiple instances of the IBM Content Navigator software to deploy different types of web applications.

IBM FileNet P8 users only.If you plan to use IBM Content Cortex workflows in IBM Content Navigator, you must update the Process Engine client connector files. Also, update the Process Engine client connector files if the version of the connector files that are installed with IBM Content Navigator do not match the version of the connector files on your Process Engine server.

To update the Process Engine client connector files:
  • If you are running IBM Content Cortex, version 5.2 or later, you can update the Content Platform Engine client connector files when you run the IBM Content Navigator Configuration and Deployment Tool.

Step 4 - Configure and deploy the web application

Before users can access the IBM Content Navigator web client, you must configure and deploy IBM Content Navigator on your web application server.

The configuration tasks that you must complete depend on which types of repositories you want to connect to from this instance of the IBM Content Navigator web client. To configure and deploy IBM Content Navigator, complete the following tasks in the IBM Content Navigator Configuration and Deployment Tool:

Use the appropriate table for your environment:
Table 1. Tasks required to configure and deploy IBM Content Navigator on WebSphere Application Server
Task IBM Content Manager IBM Content Manager OnDemand IBM Content Cortex
Creating a configuration profile ✓ ✓ ✓
Updating the IBM Content Cortex client connector files (Content Cortex)     ✓
If you plan to use Content Cortex workflows, see Configuring Process Engine for IBM Content Navigator (Content Cortex)     ✓
Configuring the connection to your LDAP server (Content Cortex)     ✓
If you plan to deploy IBM Content Navigator and Content Engine on separate WebSphere Application Server cells, see Importing your Content Engine LTPA keys (Content Cortex)     ✓
Configuring the Content Manager OnDemand connector (Content Manager OnDemand)   ✓  
Configuring the JDBC driver for your database ✓ ✓ ✓
Configuring the Content Manager connector (Content Manager) ✓    
Configuring your database and data source ✓ ✓ ✓
Configuring JAAS authentication on your web application server ✓ ✓ ✓
Configuring the IBM Content Navigator web application ✓ ✓ ✓
Building the web application ✓ ✓ ✓
Deploying the web application on WebSphere Application Server ✓ ✓ ✓
Table 2. Tasks required to configure and deploy IBM Content Navigator on Oracle WebLogic Server
Task IBM Content Manager OnDemand IBM Content Cortex
Create a configuration profile ✓ ✓
Updating the IBM Content Cortex client connector files (Content Cortex)   ✓
If you plan to use Content Cortex workflows, see Configuring Process Engine for IBM Content Navigator (Content Cortex)   ✓
Configuring the connection to your LDAP server (Content Cortex)   ✓
Configuring the Content Manager OnDemand connector (Content Manager OnDemand) ✓  
Configuring your database and data source ✓ ✓
Configuring the IBM Content Navigator web application ✓ ✓
Building the web application ✓ ✓
Deploying the web application on Oracle WebLogic Server ✓ ✓

Step 5 - Configure and deploy IBM Content Navigator

Before users can access the IBM Content Navigator web client, configure and deploy IBM Content Navigator on your web application server.

The configuration tasks that you must complete depend on which types of repositories you want to connect to from this instance of the IBM Content Navigator web client. To configure and deploy IBM Content Navigator, complete the following tasks in the IBM Content Navigator Configuration and Deployment Tool:

Use the appropriate table for your environment:
Table 3. Tasks required to configure and deploy IBM Content Navigator on WebSphere Application Server
Task IBM Content Manager IBM Content Manager OnDemand IBM Content Cortex
Create a configuration profile ✓ ✓ ✓
Update the IBM FileNet P8 client connector files

Download the correct versions of the Content Engine or Content Platform Engine client connector files from the Content Engine or Content Platform Engine server.

     ✓
Configure Process Engine for IBM Content Navigator

If you plan to use IBM Content Cortex workflows in IBM Content Navigator, configure the Process Engine connection point.

     ✓
Configure the connection to your LDAP server

If you plan to deploy IBM Content Navigator in the same cell as Content Engine on WebSphere Application Server, you do not need to complete this task.

     ✓
Import your Content Engine LTPA keys

If you plan to deploy IBM Content Navigator in the same cell as Content Engineon WebSphere Application Server, you do not need to complete this task.

     ✓
Configure the Content Manager OnDemand connector   ✓  
Configure the JDBC drivers for your database ✓ ✓ ✓
Configure the Content Manager connector ✓    
Configure the database and data source ✓ ✓ ✓
Configure JAAS authentication on your web application server ✓ ✓ ✓
Configure the task manager component ✓ ✓ ✓
Configure the IBM Content Navigator web application ✓ ✓ ✓
Build the web application ✓ ✓ ✓
Deploy the web application ✓ ✓ ✓
Table 4. Tasks required to configure and deploy IBM Content Navigator on Oracle WebLogic Server
Task IBM Content Manager IBM Content Manager OnDemand IBM Content Cortex
Create a configuration profile ✓ ✓ ✓
Update the IBM FileNet P8 client connector files     ✓
Configure Process Engine for IBM Content Navigator     ✓
Configure the connection to your LDAP server     ✓
Configure the Content Manager OnDemand connector   ✓  
Configure your database and data source ✓ ✓ ✓
Configure the task manager component ✓ ✓ ✓
Configure the IBM Content Navigator web application ✓ ✓ ✓
Build the web application ✓ ✓ ✓
Deploy the web application ✓ ✓ ✓
After you deploy the web application with the task manager component, you must complete the following steps:
  1. Associate users with the task manager roles on your web application server:
  2. Verify the task manager deployment.

Step 6 - Administer and configure the web client

After you configure and deploy the web application, you must administer the web client to enable users to connect to the repositories in your environment. See Configuring the IBM Content Navigator web client. The IBM Content Navigator administration tool is integrated with the IBM Content Navigator web client. You can access the administration tool by logging in to the administration desktop. See Accessing the IBM Content Navigator administration tool

To enable users to access the web client, complete the following required tasks:
  1. Connect to your repositories. See Configuring connections to repositories for IBM Content Navigator
    IBM Content Manager OnDemand users only.Important: If you configure connections to IBM Content Manager OnDemand repositories, you must configure application-level settings that are shared by all of the Content Manager OnDemand servers in your environment. See Connecting and configuring IBM Content Manager OnDemand repositories
  2. Define your default desktop, and optionally define custom desktops. See Defining desktops.
  3. Construct a URL for your users to enter in a web browser to access an IBM Content Navigator desktop. See Constructing a URL for IBM Content Navigator. Then, you can send the URLs for your desktops to your users.
In addition, you can complete the following optional tasks at this point:
  • Configure features for your repositories, such as teamspace management, entry template management, search options, and sync services. See Configuring the features of a repository.
  • Create a theme with a color scheme and images that are specific to your organization. You can modify the banner, login page, navigation elements, and buttons. See Defining themes.
  • Provide access to other users to administer IBM Content Navigator. See Adding IBM Content Navigator administrators.
  • Configure logging to capture information about the transactions between IBM Content Navigator and your repositories. See Configuring logging.
  • Create icon mappings to change the icons that are displayed for document MIME types and item states. For example, MIME types indicate the type of a document, such as PDF or HTML. Item states indicate the state of a document or folder, such as checked out, on hold, or is bookmarked. See Configuring the icons that are displayed in the web client.
  • Register and configure plug-ins to integrate other software with the web client. See Registering and configuring plug-ins.
  • Create viewer maps and configure the viewers that you want to use to display documents. See Configuring viewers used to display documents in the web client.
  • Create file type filters to enable users to narrow search results to include only a specific type of document or documents. See File type filters.
  • Create custom menus to restrict the actions that are available by default, or to add custom actions that are available after you register and configure plug-ins. See Customizing menus.
  • Create custom labels to change specific terms that are used in the web client user interface. For example, you can change the term repository to library if your company refers to repositories as libraries. See Customizing labels in the web client.

Step 7 - Configure the web client

After you configure and deploy the web application, you must administer the web client to enable users to connect to the repositories in your environment.

At a minimum, complete the following required tasks before users can access the web client:
  1. Add IBM Content Navigator administrators.
  2. Configure connections to repositories for IBM Content Navigator
    Important: If you configure connections to IBM Content Manager OnDemand repositories, you must configure application-level settings that are shared by all of the Content Manager OnDemand servers in your environment. For more information, see Connecting and configuring IBM Content Manager OnDemand repositories
  3. Define desktops.
  4. Enable the task manager feature in the web client.
  5. Send the URLs for your desktops to your users.
You can also complete the following optional tasks: