Alexis Kestler
Hello friend! In this comprehensive guide, we will dive deep into the entire process of installing IBM‘s WebSphere Application Server 8.5.5 Network Deployment (ND) edition on a Linux machine.
As an experienced WebSphere administrator and technology enthusiast, I will walk you through the steps in detail, share my insights, and provide tips to handle any hiccups along the way. So let‘s get started!
Why Choose WebSphere ND?
With over 15 years in the application server market, WebSphere Application Server (WAS) has become the go-to platform for hosting mission-critical Java EE apps in enterprise environments.
According to IDC market share statistics, WebSphere holds over 30% share in the $6 billion application platform market. With over 9000 customers across banking, insurance, retail and healthcare sectors, WAS handles workloads for 9 out of top 10 global banks!
Now among the various WAS offerings, the Network Deployment (ND) version is optimized for production-grade distributed topologies. It provides centralized administration, rapid provisioning, high availability, clustering, failover and enterprise-level security out of the box.
According to real user reviews on IT Central Station, over 90% of WAS ND reviewers report improved application performance, faster deployment cycles, simplified management and reduction in downtime incidents after implementing this platform.
Clearly, WAS ND offers immense business value for any organization running mission-critical applications at scale. Now let‘s see how to set up WAS ND in your environment.
Detailed Installation Guide
Here is the step-by-step process to install WAS ND 8.5.5 on a 64-bit Linux system using IBM Installation Manager:
1. Install Pre-requisites
Before installing WAS ND, your target system should meet the following minimum requirements:
Hardware
| Component | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Processor | 2 GHz 64-bit (multi-core recommended) |
| RAM | 16 GB minimum |
| Disk Space | 10 GB |
Software
| Software | Version |
|---|---|
| Operating System | RHEL 6/7, SLES 11/12, Ubuntu 16.04+/18.04+ |
| Java JDK | Java 7 or 8 |
| IBM Installation Manager | v1.7.0 or higher |
I would recommend at least 4 cores and 32GB RAM for production workloads. The latest RHEL or SLES version is preferred for security. Download Java and IBM Installation Manager installers if not already present.
2. Get IBM Installation Manager
Installation Manager handles the entire WAS ND installation and future maintenance. Get the latest 1.7.x version for Linux x86-64:
- Visit IBM Fix Central.
- Under Installation Manager v1.7, grab the
agent.installer.linux.gtk.x86_64_.zip.
Alternatively use this direct download link for Installation Manager v1.7.
3. Install Installation Manager
Extract the downloaded ZIP package and invoke the installer:
unzip agent.installer.linux.gtk.x86_64_1.7.0.20130828_2012.zip
cd agent.installer.linux
./installAccept the license agreement and use the default install folder /opt/IBM/. Once installed, restart Installation Manager.
4. Get WAS ND Installation Packages
Download the WAS ND 8.5.5 trial repository files:
- Visit the WAS ND Download page.
- Get the following zips:
was.repo.8550.ndtrial_part1.zipwas.repo.8550.ndtrial_part2.zipwas.repo.8550.ndtrial_part3.zip
- Extract all zip files to get the
repository.configfile.
5. Install WAS ND
Launch Installation Manager and install WAS ND:
- Start Installation Manager from
/opt/IBM/InstallationManager/eclipse/IBMIM. - Go to Preferences > Add Repository.
- Select the extracted
repository.configfile. - Click Install and pick Version 8.5.5.0.
- Accept license agreement.
- Choose install folder, e.g.
/opt/IBM/WebSphere/AppServer. - Select additional languages if required.
- Customize features like sample apps, docs etc.
- Review summary and click Install.
The installation should complete in around 15 minutes. Grab a coffee while the wizard runs!
6. Post Installation Configuration
After a successful install, typical next steps are:
- Create and start Deployment Manager profile
- Add managed node profiles
- Configure clusters, servers, storage
- Deploy applications
- Access admin consoles for management and monitoring
Refer to the WAS 8.5 Infocenter for detailed configuration steps.
Some quick tips:
- Validate install with
./validateRepository - Increase JVM heap size for better performance
- Enable SSL for security hardening
- Tune other parameters as per application needs
And that‘s it! You now have a production-ready WAS ND 8.5.5 setup.
Key Benefits of WAS ND
Let‘s recap some of the key functional and business benefits you can expect by implementing WebSphere ND:
Simplified Administration
- Centralized install, config and management via Deployment Manager.
- Single-click deployment and sync across nodes.
- Standard topology templates for rapid setup.
High Scalability
- Horizontally scale by adding managed nodes.
- Clustering and load balancing support.
- Near-linear performance improvement on larger systems.
Enhanced Security
- Full Java EE security feature set.
- Declarative security model.
- SSL, OAuth, SAML, LDAP integration.
- Isolated application environments.
High Availability
- Server clustering with failover.
- Independent nodes and servers.
- Persistent sessions, JMS and transactions.
- Automated node recovery.
Faster Deployment
- Dynamic application updates without restarts.
- Rolling upgrades for continuous availability.
- Rapid provisioning of nodes and clusters.
- Built-in DevOps support.
Clearly, WAS ND allows organizations to deploy applications faster while reducing TCO. It improves resilience, scalability and security for your critical workloads.
Final Thoughts
In this detailed guide, I walked you through the end-to-end process of installing WAS ND 8.5.5 on a Linux machine using IBM Installation Manager.
WAS ND provides an enterprise-class application platform for reliably hosting your mission-critical Java EE apps with efficient centralized management. I hope you found this guide useful. Feel free to reach out if you have any other questions in your WebSphere journey!
