Create and Configure IBM HTTP Server for IFS Applications

This guide describes the steps for how to create and configure IBM HTTP Server for IFS Applications. Some steps are prefixed with <platform> (e.g. linux/aix or windows) and are mandatory only if you're using this particular platform.

The IBM HTTP Server can be created either before or after the installation of IFS Applications. However configuration must be done after the installation of IFS Applications since it is dependent on files created during installation.

Contents

Create IBM HTTP Server
  1. RedHat/aix:  Log on as root.
  2. Start WebSphere Customization Toolbox (<toolbox_home>/WCT/wct) on the machine that is to serve the IBM HTTP Server.
  3. Click Add.

  4. Enter a name and the location of the Plugins folder and click Finish.
  5. Click Create.
  6. Select IBM HTTP Server V8.5 and click Next.
  7. RedHat/aix: Select 64 bit and click Next.
  8. Enter Web Server Configuration
    1. Enter the location of the httpd.conf file.
    2. Enter the port number.
      Note: Avoid port conflicts! If IFS Applications has been configured to run on port 80 choose another port for the IBM HTTP Server
    3. Click Next.

  9. Enter User ID and password for the IBM HTTP Server Administration Security authentication and click Next.
  10. RedHat/aix:
    Enter <ifs user> as User ID and ifs as Group.
  11. Windows:
    Users not running as administrators will see this.
    Click Next.
  12. Windows:
    Users running as administrators will see this. If IBM HTTP Server should be registered as a service specify for which user account and if it should be automatic or not, otherwise deselect the button.
    Click Next.
  13. Name the web server and click Next.
  14. Standalone configuration:
    1. Select (Local) Installation location of WebSphere Application Server.
    2. Enter the location of WebSphere (i.e. <was_home>).
    3. Click Next.


  15. Select profile to configure.

    All profiles should be listed in the Available Profiles: list.

    1. Choose the profile you wish to use and click Next.


  16. Clustered configuration:
    Note: If the deployment manager is on the same machine as the web server you can do the same as for a standalone configuration (see above steps).
    1. Select (Remote) Host name or IP address of the application server.
    2. Insert the host name or IP address to the deployment manager (can be localhost if on the same machine).
    3. Make sure that the deployment manager is started.
    4. Press Next.

     
  17. Make sure the summary is correct.
  18. Click Configure.

    Note: This might take a while in case IFS Applications is already deployed on the server. The GUI will seem to hang, but just be patient.

  19. Click Finish.
  20. Clustered configuration:
    If you chose the local configuration scenario above, this and the next step can be skipped.
    1. Copy the manual configuration script (from above) and paste it in the bin folder for the deployment manager.
    2. Example: /IBM/WebSphere/AppServer/profiles/Dmgr01/bin
    Note: The deployment manager may be on another machine.
  21. Clustered configuration:
    Execute the configuration file and verify that the configuration is successful.
  22. Clustered configuration:
    Repeat on every machine in the cluster that needs an HTTP Server.

Configure IBM HTTP Server for IFS Applications
  1. Copy the file <ifs_home>/instance/<instance>/conf/httpd-websphere_<instance>.conf to <http_home>/conf
  2. Edit the file httpd-websphere_<instance>.conf and modify the lines: 
    Listen: <port_number>
<VirtualHost <host>:<port>> 
ServerName <host>

    Example: 

    Listen 10.200.30.400:58080
<VirtualHost eridse1.corpnet.ifsworld.com:58080> 
ServerName eridse1.corpnet.ifsworld.com
  3. Edit the file httpd.conf and make sure these lines are not commented out.
     
    LoadModule alias_module modules/mod_alias.so 
LoadModule expires_module modules/mod_expires.so 
LoadModule rewrite_module modules/mod_rewrite.so 
LoadModule speling_module modules/mod_speling.so
    1. Add LoadModule was_ap22_module and WebSpherePluginConfig directives at the end of the file. (If this already exist you need to do nothing)
       Windows:
      LoadModule was_ap22_module "C:\IBM\WebSphere\Plugins\bin\32bits\mod_was_ap22_http.dll"
      RedHat/aix:
      LoadModule was_ap22_module "/opt/IBM/WebSphere/Plugins/bin/64bits/mod_was_ap22_http.so"
    2. Add the following after the WebSpherePluginConfig line:
       
      Include conf/httpd-websphere_<instance>.conf
    3. Exclude the following two lines (by adding a '#' in the front).
       
      AddEncoding x-compress Z 
AddEncoding x-gzip gz tgz

      To be:

      #AddEncoding x-compress Z 
#AddEncoding x-gzip gz tgz

     

  4. RedHat/aix: Grant permission for the web server.
    Log on as root.

    Set the <ifs user> as the owner of the profile of WebSphere Application Server:

    1. cd <was_home>/profiles
    2. chown -R <ifs user> <profile_name>
  5. Start (or restart) the IBM HTTP Server and make sure there are no error messages during startup.
    Windows:
    Assuming the server is stopped, otherwise stop it in the same manner as described below.
    In the start menu open All Programs->IBM HTTP Server V8.0->Start HTTP Server
    If the IBM HTTP Server has been configured as a windows service it is also possible to start/stop from the service menu.
    RedHat/aix:
    Assuming the server is stopped otherwise replace start with stop below.
    In the terminal type
    cd <http_home>/bin/
    ./adminctl start
    ./apachectl start
  6. Avoid port conflicts
    This step is not a mandatory step and in case of no port conflicts this step can be ignored.
    In case both IFS Applications and the IBM HTTP Server has been configured to listen to the same port the IBM HTTP Server will not start. This can be solved by commenting out the listen line in httpd.conf file. 
    #IPv4 support:
    Listen 80
    To be 
    #IPv4 support:
    #Listen 80
  7. In a clustered environment repeat for every HTTP Server in the cluster.

Configure the Nodes
    Only applicable for a clustered environment
  1. Make a copy of <ifs_home> from the machine that hosted the installer.
  2. Paste <ifs_home> on all other nodes in the cluster. The file structure needs to identical on all machines.
  3. Restart the appservers.
    Open the WebSphere admin console and log in.
    Go to Servers -> Server Types -> WebSphere Application Servers.
    Select all appserver and click restart.
    Wait for the servers to start and make sure there are no errors.

Verify

Verify that the HTTP Server can be started. Open URL http://<host_name>:<port_number>.
Read the error message when trying to start the server and try to determine the cause.