Creating custom profiles

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.

Supported configurations: The Profile Management Tool is the graphical user interface for the manageprofiles command and is supported only on AIX®, Linux®, and Windows. On HP-UX, IBM® i, and Solaris, use the manageprofiles command instead.

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.

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 a previous installation of WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment to Version 9.0, then use the same cell name for the Version 9.0 deployment manager that you used for the previous version of the 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 previous version's managed nodes are now managed by the Version 9.0 deployment manager in compatibility mode. You can migrate individual managed nodes in the cell to Version 9.0. To do so, you must create a Version 9.0 profile with the same node name as the previous version 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 managed node from a previous version, then use the same node name for this Version 9.0 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 previous version of a deployment manager cell to a Version 9.0 deployment manager, you can migrate the previous version's custom profiles that are running in compatibility mode in the Version 9.0 deployment manager.
Host name	The long form of the domain name system (DNS) server 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:

[Windows] 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 DNS server 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 DNS server 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.

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
If you suspect a port conflict, then you can investigate the port conflict after the profile is created. Determine the ports that are used during profile creation by examining the following files.
- profile_root/properties/portdef.props file
- profile_root\properties\portdef.props file
Included in this file are the keys and values that are used in setting the ports. If you discover ports conflicts, then you can reassign ports manually. To reassign ports, run the updatePorts.ant file by using the ws_ant script.
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.