How To Install an IBM WebSphere Application Server (WAS) v8.0 and v8.5 Fix Pack Using the IBM Web Administration for i Console

Answer

Overview

The IBM Web Administration for i (Web Admin) console is a Web-based tool, which provides a full-function GUI for configuring and managing many different web technologies including IBM WebSphere Application Server on the IBM i.

Starting with IBM WebSphere Application Server V8.0, the product's installation factory has changed to use the IBM Installation Manager. The IBM Installation Manager product does not provide a GUI interface for the IBM i. Because of this, it can be a bit complex to install and manage the IBM WebSphere Application Server product on the IBM i. To help reduce this complexity, the IBM Web Admin console provides an easy-to-use GUI to manage your IBM i WebSphere Application Server installations and fixes.

Prerequisites

The IBM WebSphere Application Server product installation and fix pack support on the IBM Web Admin console was initially provided by individual PTF SI48431 (IBM i 7.1) and is included in the initial HTTP Group PTF for IBM i 7.2, 7.3, and 7.4. These PTFs have since been superseded with newer versions. The best way to obtain these PTFs and all of the latest IBM Web Admin GUI fixes is to install the latest IBM HTTP Server Group PTF: SF99368 (IBM i 7.1), SF99713 (IBM i 7.2), SF99722 (IBM i 7.3), or SF99662 (IBM i 7.4).  These group PTFs can be obtained through the IBM Support Fix Central application.
 

Steps to install the IBM WebSphere Application Server fix pack using the IBM Web Administration for i console

1) ***IMPORTANT*** Prior to updating your IBM WebSphere Application Server installation, it is HIGHLY recommended to export/backup your IBM Installation Manager and WebSphere Application Server installation data so that it can be restored if it gets corrupted during the fix pack installation process. Please refer to the IBM Software Technical Document:"How and When To Export/Backup Your IBM Installation Manager and WebSphere Application Server Installation Data on the IBM i?" for more information on this.

2) Download and install the latest level of the IBM i HTTP Group PTF for your IBM i OS VRM from IBM Support Fix Central.   IBM i OS VRM IBM i HTTP Group PTF 7.1 SF99368 7.2 SF99713 7.3 SF99722 7.4 SF99662 7.5 IBM WebSphere Application Server v8.5 is not supported on IBM i 7.5 OS

3) Update the IBM Installation Manager product to the latest available version using the instructions listed in either of the following IBM Technical documents. How to install/update the IBM Installation Manager product on IBM i OS using the IBM Web Administration for i GUI How to Download and Install/Upgrade the IBM Installation Manager (IM) for the IBM i

4) Download the WebSphere Application Server v8.5 fix pack from IBM Support Fix Central and restore it to the IBM i IFS using the instructions listed in the Process To Download and Restore IBM WebSphere Application Server Fix Pack Repositories To the IBM i IFS.

5) Open a 5250 Green Screen session to your IBM i Server and sign on using a user profile that has *ALLOBJ and *SECADM explicit special authorities.

6) Once the pre-requisites listed above have been met, end all IBM WAS processes for the installation version and edition being updated. This is most easily done by ending all of the application server JVM jobs and the subsystem for the installation version and edition of WAS you are updating. There are 2 primary methods for ending your WAS application servers. IBM Web Administration for i console (http://<server>:2001/HTTPAdmin or https://<server>:2010/HTTPAdmin) under Manage -> Application Servers. Then, select your application server from the drop-down list and click on the red stop button, , to stop the application server. Executing the <appsvr_root>/bin/stopServer command to stop your application server profile(s). You can use the <appsvr_root>/bin/manageprofiles -listProfiles command to view the profiles created in your WAS installation. <appsvr_root> = /QIBM/ProdData/WebSphere/AppServer/<version>/<edition> For example, if I am updating my WAS v8.5 Express installation; I would end all of the WAS v8.5 Express jobs in the QWAS85 subsystem first using the following Qshell command for each profile job currently active in the subsystem: /QIBM/ProdData/WebSphere/AppServer/V85/Express/bin/stopServer <server> -profileName <profile> Then, end the QWAS85 subsystem using the CL command: ENDSBS QWAS85 *IMMED.

7) Display the current value of QALWOBJRST and then change it to *ALL if needed. Execute the following CL command to display the current value of QALWOBJRST: DSPSYSVAL SYSVAL(QALWOBJRST) If the current value is NOT *ALL, record the current value (so that you remember what to change it back to) and then change the value to *ALL using the following CL command: CHGSYSVAL SYSVAL(QALWOBJRST) VALUE(*ALL)

8) Execute the STRHOSTSVR *ALL CL command to ensure all of the IBM i Host Servers are started.

9) Open a web browser and go to the URL, http://<server>:2001/HTTPAdmin or https://<server>:2010/HTTPAdmin, to display the IBM Web Administration for i console web application. If you are not prompted for a userID and password, execute the following CL command to ensure the ADMIN server is started: STRTCPSVR *HTTP HTTPSVR(*ADMIN) If you continue to experience issues accessing the IBM Web Administration for i console, please open an IBM Support Case here or call 1-800-IBM-SERV.

10) When prompted, sign in with a user profile containing *SECADM and *ALLOBJ explicit special authorities.

11) Click Manage -> Installations on the main IBM Web Administration for i console page.

12) Select the radio button next to the IBM WAS installation you would like to update and click on the "Update" button to start the IBM WAS Fix Pack installation process.

13) Check the "Fix Pack" box, specify the IBM WebSphere Application Server Fix Pack repository directory path or Live Repository URL for the fix pack version you want to install, and then click the "Next" button. The fix pack installation repository directory path can be located by clicking on the "Browse" button next to the "Location:" field after clicking on the "Fix Pack" check box. Location: /WASFixpack NOTE: The /WASFixpack directory is used here as an example since this was the directory used in the IBM Software Technical Document: "Process To Download and Restore IBM WebSphere Application Server Fix Pack Repositories To the IBM i IFS".

14) After clicking on the "Next" button, you will be presented with a pop-up box similar to the one below once the fix pack installation repository has been validated for installation. Click OK to proceed. If you don't see the pop-up window above, please ensure you are not blocking pop-ups in your browser or through an installed toolbar. If the installation repository cannot be validated, an error message will be thrown at the bottom of the screen. If an error is received at the bottom of the screen and you are unable to resolve your issue, please open an IBM Support Case here or call 1-800-IBM-SERV.

15) Verify the Product Installation Path and Fix Pack version, then click the "Finish" button at the bottom of the screen to begin the fix pack installation process.

16) The fix pack installation process will now begin. The "Manage Installations" screen will appear and designate the product install path being updated with a status of "Updating". A rotating circle will be displayed while the fix pack installation is in progress. You can click on the "Refresh" button if you want to refresh the status of the update operation. NOTE: This process may take anywhere from 20 minutes to 2 hours depending on the CPU and memory resources of the IBM i partition running the process. The IBM Web Admin console submits the fix pack installation process to several batch immediate (BCI) jobs in the QHTTPSVR subsystem. Because of this, the Internet web browser may be closed without affecting the IBM WAS Fix Pack installation process. Here is an example of the jobs submitted in the QHTTPSVR subsystem by the IBM Web Admin console to complete the IBM WAS Fix Pack installation. QJVAEXEC  <currentUser>    BCI      .0  PGM-system       EVTW QP0ZSPWT  <currentUser>    BCI      .0  PGM-imcl         THDW QP0ZSPWT  <currentUser>    BCI      .0  PGM-jFromPASE    EVTW QP0ZSPWT  <currentUser>    BCI     2.1  JVM-/QIBM/Prod   RUN

17) The status column for the product install path will change to "Available" and the version will be updated with the newly installed fix pack version if the fix pack installation process was successful. If an error is received at the bottom of the screen and you are unable to resolve your issue, please open an IBM Support Case here or call 1-800-IBM-SERV.

18) Verify the IBM WAS Fix Pack was installed successfully. The IBM WAS Fix Pack installation process can be verified by executing the "historyInfo" command out of the IBM WAS appsvr_root/bin directory using a Qshell interpreter session. a) STRQSH b) cd appsvr_root/bin c) ./historyInfo   Where appsvr_root is the "Product Install Path" value listed for the installation recently updated through the IBM Web Admin console. The example below shows a successful update of the IBM WAS v8.5 installation to 8.5.5.0. a) STRQSH b) cd /QIBM/ProdData/WebSphere/AppServer/V85/Express/bin c) ./historyInfo d) Here is an example of the output you would see from the ./historyInfo command. Installation Event ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Install Manager Offering ID        com.ibm.websphere.EXPRESS.v85 Action                             update Version                            8.5.5.0 Package                            com.ibm.websphere.EXPRESS.v85_8.5.5000.20130514_1044 Log File Name                      /QIBM/UserData/InstallationManager/logs/20140428_2246a.xml Timestamp                          2014-04-28 22:46:58+0200 *********************************************************** Result                             success *********************************************************** Installed Features                 EJBDeploy tool for pre-EJB 3.0 modules                                    Embeddable EJB container                                    Stand-alone thin clients and resource adapters ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- End History Report -----------------------------------------------------------------------------             $

19) Once the IBM WAS Fix Pack installation has been verified as successful, you are free to start your IBM WebSphere Application Server profiles back up using the following Qshell command. /QIBM/ProdData/WebSphere/AppServer/<version>/<edition>/bin/startServer <server> -profileName <profile> In addition, you also may want to change your QALWOBJRST IBM i system value back to its original value using the following CL command: CHGSYSVAL SYSVAL(QALWOBJRST) VALUE(<previousValue>)

If for some reason you need to uninstall the current fix pack for an IBM WAS v8.0 and later installation, follow the steps outlined in the IBM Software Technical Document: How To Rollback/UnInstall a Fix Pack at IBM WebSphere Application Server (WAS) v8.0 and later.