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User Guide
The information contained in this section applies to WebSphere Commerce Version 8. The documentation also applies to all subsequent releases and modifications until otherwise indicated in a newer section.WebSphere Commerce is a single, unified e-commerce platform that offers the ability to do business directly with consumers (B2C), directly with businesses (B2B), and indirectly through channel partners (indirect business models). WebSphere Commerce is designed to be a customizable, scalable, and high availability solution that is built to leverage open standards. It provides easy-to-use tools for business users to centrally manage a cross-channel strategy. Business users can create and manage precision marketing campaigns, promotions, catalog, and merchandising across all sales channels.
Installing
Review the following sections for information about installing the WebSphere Commerce product, associated maintenance, and WebSphere Commerce enhancements.
Installing or enabling other software
The following software programs need extra installation or enablement steps if you want to use them with WebSphere Commerce.
Deploying WebSphere Commerce Search
WebSphere Commerce Search is deployed in the development environment in an embedded configuration by default. You can deploy WebSphere Commerce Search in the standard or advanced configurations, depending on your environment.
... in the standard or advanced configuration
WebSphere Commerce Search is deployed in the development environmentin an embedded configuration by default. It is then deployed in the standard configuration as a local deployment. Optionally, it is then deployed in the advanced configuration for federating and clustering.
Synchronizing the session encryption key
If you are using local authentication on the WebSphere Commerce Search server, ensure that the session key is synchronized between WebSphere Commerce and WebSphere Commerce Search. Complete this task every time you change the encryption key on the WebSphere Commerce server.

User Guide
The information contained in this section applies to WebSphere Commerce Version 8. The documentation also applies to all subsequent releases and modifications until otherwise indicated in a newer section.WebSphere Commerce is a single, unified e-commerce platform that offers the ability to do business directly with consumers (B2C), directly with businesses (B2B), and indirectly through channel partners (indirect business models). WebSphere Commerce is designed to be a customizable, scalable, and high availability solution that is built to leverage open standards. It provides easy-to-use tools for business users to centrally manage a cross-channel strategy. Business users can create and manage precision marketing campaigns, promotions, catalog, and merchandising across all sales channels.
- Planning
  Creating a custom implementation of a WebSphere Commerce store requires a significant amount of planning. From gathering client needs, to deploying the live solution, much work is needed to successfully deploy a custom client store. Use the resources in here to help you plan every phase of store creation.
- Installing
  Review the following sections for information about installing the WebSphere Commerce product, associated maintenance, and WebSphere Commerce enhancements.
  - Downloading WebSphere Commerce media images
    To install WebSphere Commerce, you require the product package. Follow these steps to successfully download the required media.
  - Installing WebSphere Commerce Developer
    This section describes how to install and configure WebSphere Commerce Developer. WebSphere Commerce Developer is a test environment for developers or system administrators to develop stores and WebSphere Commerce application code.
  - Installing WebSphere Commerce
    The following roadmap provides a guide to installing WebSphere Commerce.
  - Installing or enabling other software
    The following software programs need extra installation or enablement steps if you want to use them with WebSphere Commerce.
    - Deploying WebSphere Commerce Search
      WebSphere Commerce Search is deployed in the development environment in an embedded configuration by default. You can deploy WebSphere Commerce Search in the standard or advanced configurations, depending on your environment.
      - Embedded configuration
        The WebSphere Commerce Search server is deployed in the embedded configuration in WebSphere Commerce Developer by default.
      - Standard configuration
        The WebSphere Commerce Search server can be deployed on your WebSphere Commerce or WebSphere Commerce Developer machine in the standard configuration. The standard configuration mode creates and deploys a separate search profile and Web module on the same machine as the WebSphere Commerce profile.
      - Advanced configuration
        The advanced configuration federates and clusters WebSphere Commerce Search. First, in the standard configuration, it creates and deploys a separate search profile and web module on the same machine as the WebSphere Commerce profile. Then, federates them across nodes using the deployment manager (DMGR).
      - Managed configuration
        The WebSphere Commerce Search server can be deployed in the managed configuration. The managed configuration is a variation of the advanced configuration, but contains streamlined configuration tasks.
      - ... in the standard or advanced configuration
        WebSphere Commerce Search is deployed in the development environmentin an embedded configuration by default. It is then deployed in the standard configuration as a local deployment. Optionally, it is then deployed in the advanced configuration for federating and clustering.
        ... locally in the standard configuration
        You can deploy the search server on your WebSphere Commerce server by running the deploySearch scripts. This script creates and deploys a separate search profile and web module on the same machine as the WebSphere Commerce profile.
        ... federating and clustering in the advanced configuration
        Once you deploy the WebSphere Commerce Search server in the standard configuration, you can federate the node to the deployment manager (DMGR) and create a cluster that contains the WebSphere Commerce and WebSphere Commerce Search servers.
        Configuring the namespace bindings
        After you deploy WebSphere Commerce Search, you must configure the namespace bindings to ensure that search requests are handled correctly. The WebSphere Commerce and WebSphere Commerce search servers use namespace bindings that are defined in the WebSphere Application Server administrative console. Instead of defining the server URL in the wc-search.xml file, you can specify a reference to the search URL name binding.
        Removing the primary search server from the cluster
        After you federate and cluster the WebSphere Commerce Search server in the advanced configuration, you can optionally remove the primary search server from the cluster. However, it is recommended that you keep the primary search server in the cluster, and then shut it down. When it is shut down, the node agent still exists, and the cluster is partially started. The DMGR is then able to perform maintenance as needed.
        Enabling the WebSphere Commerce Search data cache
        The search server data cache uses DistributedMap object caches, which are defined automatically during feature pack installation.
        Securing the WebSphere Commerce Search server
        It is recommended that you secure WebSphere Commerce Search by enabling WebSphere Application Server Administrative Security. You can further secure your search server by optionally enabling WebSphere Application Server Application Security. Enabling Application Security results in securing Solr Administrative services so that only authenticated users can run these services. For example, updating, deleting, and building a search index. However, performance degradation might be associated with enabling Application Security.
        Synchronizing the session encryption key
        If you are using local authentication on the WebSphere Commerce Search server, ensure that the session key is synchronized between WebSphere Commerce and WebSphere Commerce Search. Complete this task every time you change the encryption key on the WebSphere Commerce server.
      - ... in the managed configuration
        You can deploy and work with the WebSphere Commerce Search server in the managed configuration. The managed configuration is a variation of the advanced configuration, but contains streamlined configuration tasks, where all managed production Solr cluster members are federated and managed by a deployment manager.
    - Setting up IBM Health Center to collect performance data
      IBM Health Center for Java is a low-overhead agent that collects Java configuration and performance data. The data that is collected includes CPU usage, native memory usage, method profiling, garbage collection, locks, threads, and more.
    - Installing a payment plug-in
      To install an custom payment plug-in into the Rational Application Developer workspace, follow these directions. The instructions use the example of a plug-in called SamplePlugin.
    - Uninstalling a payment plug-in
      To remove a payment plug-in from use, you can either remove references to the plug-in, or remove the payment plug-in directory from the plugins directory.
    - WebSphere Commerce RVU Order Line Metrics
      A Resource Value Unit (RVU) is a proof of entitlement based on the number of units of a specific resource that is used or managed. WebSphere Commerce RVU Order Line Metrics, is an order line resource, where you are able to produce a report of the count of any completed order lines for auditing purposes. For your specific RVU entitlement, refer to your license.
  - Installing maintenance
    WebSphere Commerce updates include fixes to code or functionality through fix packs and include additions of new features or enhancements through mod packs.
- Migrating
  Before you migrate to WebSphere Commerce Version 8.0, review this information to help plan and execute your migration.
- Deploying
  The topics in this section describe how to publish stores to either a test or production environment, and how to deploy customized code.
- Operating
- Integrating
  Topics in the Integrating category highlight the tasks that are commonly performed for using WebSphere Commerce in combination with other products.
- Administering
- Tutorials
  WebSphere Commerce provides many tutorials to help you customize and understand your WebSphere Commerce instance and stores.
- Samples
- Developing
  The topics in the Developing section describe tasks performed by an application developer.
- Compliance
  The following section describes how you can leverage WebSphere Commerce features and functionality to help your site be compliant with different privacy and security standards.
- Securing
  These topics describe the security features of WebSphere Commerce and how to configure these features.
- Performance
- Troubleshooting

Synchronizing the session encryption key with WebSphere Commerce Search

If you are using local authentication on the WebSphere Commerce Search server, ensure that the session key is synchronized between WebSphere Commerce and WebSphere Commerce Search. Complete this task every time you change the encryption key on the WebSphere Commerce server.

Before you begin

Complete steps 1 to 7 in the Changing the session encryption key topic.

Procedure

Copy the new session key to the WebSphere Commerce Search server:
1. In the WebSphere Commerce Server WebSphere Application Server administrative console, go to Environments > Naming > Name space bindings.
2. Set the follow namespace binding for the WebSphere Commerce Search server to be the encrypted session key from WebSphere Commerce: com.ibm.commerce.foundation.server.services.commerce.integration.sessionkey.
Complete the remaining steps in Changing the session encryption key.