17.7.1 Setting up an automatic application installation session

17.7.1 Setting up an automatic application installation session

Using the automatic application installation mode requires you to set up a directory on your system and configure WebSphere to monitor the directory for changes. Do the following:

1.	Open a command prompt. This will be used for running the rapid deployment tools in headless, non-graphical, mode. All output from the tools will be written to this window. We therefore also refer to it as the console window).

2.	Create a workspace directory, for example c:\wrd, by typing:

mkdir c:\wrd

3.	Set the WORKSPACE environment variable by typing:

set WORKSPACE=c:\wrd


Tip: To list all environment variables currently set, you can type set in Windows or export -n in Linux and press Enter.

4.	Configure the WebSphere Rapid Deployment tools to create an automatic application installation project called install_server1 by typing:

cd <profile_home>\bin

wrd-config.bat -project "install_server1" -style "autoappinstall"

<profile_home> is the root directory of the application server profile.

This brings up the interactive Parameter Configuration Settings dialog window, Example 17-11. Enter the information as requested:

Example 17-11 Parameter Configuration Settings dialog window

---------------------------------------------------------

Parameter Configuration Settings

---------------------------------------------------------

Press ENTER to accept defaults

The * symbol denotes required input

 Enter the server name* ( server1 ) : ITSOCell/ITSONode1/server1

 Enter the server JMX host name* ( localhost ) :

 Enter the server JMX port number* ( 8880 ) : 8879

 Enter your server username ( -- ) :

 Enter your server password ( -- ) :

Configuring the workspace...

Building the workspace...

WebSphere Rapid Deployment configuration completed.

When creating this example, we were running in a distributed server environment and used the JMX port (8879) for our deployment manager. Our target application server is called server1 and exists on node ITSONode1 in the cell called ITSOCell.

If you were running on a standalone server, you would use the JMX port number (default 8880) for the standalone application server (default server1). In our environment, the deployment manager and the application server were located on the same physical machine, so we used the default JMX hostname localhost. Also, we did not have WebSphere global security enabled. As a result, we did not need to supply a username or password.

When the wrd-config command has finished, a directory called install_server1 is created in the c:\wrd directory. The install_server1 directory is the project directory and is the directory that will be monitored by the tools. In the root of the workspace the install_server1_headlessconfig.xml file has been created. This file holds the configuration for our project.


Note: We named our automatic application installation project install_server1 because the rapid deployment tools then create the c:\wrd\install_server1 monitored directory for us and this name explains well what the directory is used for. We could have given the project any name, however, because it is only used to name the monitored directory. The real name of the application server that the application is installed on is configured in the Parameter Configuration Settings dialog window (ITSOCell/ITSONode1/server1).

5.	Launch the WebSphere Rapid Deployment session by typing:

wrd.bat -monitor

This tells the rapid deployment tools to start monitoring the project directory for changes and to display messages on the console.


Note: The wrd command itself is used to tell the rapid deployment tools to start monitoring the project directory and the (optional) -monitor switch enables the console output messages.

The wrd command displaysExample 17-12 in the console window:

Example 17-12 Launching wrd.bat -monitor

Launching WebSphere Rapid Deployment.  Please wait...

Starting Workbench...

WebSphere Rapid Deployment ready for e-business...

Type 'q', 'quit', or 'exit' to shut down WebSphere Rapid Deployment processes.

To terminate a rapid deployment session, type Q, quit or exit and press Enter in the console window. This stops the monitoring of the project directory. You can start monitoring the directory by simply running the wrd command again.